Missing St. Catharines, Ont. bishop writes from Jerusalem

After abruptly resigning from the top spot at the St. Catherines, Ont., Roman Catholic Diocese, Bishop James Wingle disappeared. Worried parishioners prayed for his safe return while rumours abounded that the church’s sex abuse scandals had caused the bishop to flee. It turns out Wingle was in the Holy Land all along. In a four-line email to Monseignor Wayne Kirkpatrick, Wingle said he has now completed the first part of a sabbatical in Jerusalem where he prayed and rested. He says he plans to continue his sabbatical later this summer with some writing on “a catechetical-pastoral project.” Wingle left his diocese April 7, announcing he would focus on “personal renewal.”

Hamilton Spectator