Two Senate hopefuls criticize R.I. bishop, defend Kennedy

Two Senate hopefuls criticize R.I. bishop

Capuano, Coakley support Kennedy

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff | November 24, 2009

Two of the leading candidates for the US Senate from Massachusetts vehemently defended Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island yesterday in his uncommonly public dispute with the Providence bishop, saying the Catholic Church is acting exclusionary.

“It seems to me a little bit ironic that a church that was willing to overlook the victimization of many, many children over several years is now turning around and saying to people who are good Christians, good Catholics, that, ‘You can’t join this,’ ’’ Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is Catholic, said during a campaign forum broadcast last night.

Said her rival, US Representative Michael E. Capuano: “And they wonder why people stop going to church.’’ Capuano, who is Catholic, then ticked off issues on which he disagreed with the church, including abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and prohibitions against the ordination of women and married men as priests.

The feud between Patrick Kennedy and Thomas J. Tobin was one of a number of unusual topics discussed during the forum yesterday, as moderator Emily Rooney of WGBH-TV sought to flesh out differences among four Democratic candidates who have agreed on most major policy issues. Patrick Kennedy is the youngest son of Edward M. Kennedy, the late senator whose seat the candidates are vying for.

The dispute over the Catholic Church came on a day when Coakley was forced to defend her role in a 1995 probation agreement, in which her office investigated claims that the Rev. John J. Geoghan inappropriately touched three grade-school brothers and made lewd telephone calls to their home. The Globe reported yesterday that, rather than prosecute, Coakley agreed to grant Geoghan a year of probation in a closed-door proceeding.

“We did exactly what we should have done on that case,’’ Coakley said at the forum, adding that she was “absolutely not’’ intimidated by the Catholic Church. “We didn’t have charges that would have identified him as a sexual offender, but we went to the mat to make sure that we kept him away from kids.’’

After the forum, Capuano told reporters that there were more questions to be answered.

“The article today raised a lot of serious questions and raised up a lot of emotions,’’ he said. “I think the attorney general should be given every opportunity to explain why she did what she did, why she made the decision she did, and I’m more than happy to give her that opportunity.’’

The forum, held at the WGBH studios in Brighton, was more casual than previous ones. All of the candidates were sitting in chairs, some crossing their legs and leaning back. At times they raised their voices, sat forward in their seats, and tried to speak all at the same time.

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