Cross-burning victims to priest: Apology is not enough

Phillip Butler speaks during a news conference at his attorney's office in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The Butlers, victims of a cross burning on their property forty years ago, is questioning the sincerity of Catholic Priest William Aitcheson, a Ku Klux Klan "wizard", who has come forward after decades about his past. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) Phillip Butler speaks during a news conference at his attorney's office in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. The Butlers, victims of a cross burning on their property forty years ago, is questioning the sincerity of Catholic Priest William Aitcheson, a Ku Klux Klan "wizard", who has come forward after decades about his past. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

By Associated Press August 23, 2017 4 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Phillip and Barbara Butler hadn’t given much thought to the man who burned a cross on their front lawn 40 years ago.

Then they heard the startling news Tuesday that the perpetrator had become a priest and was ministering to Catholics not far from their home.

“I didn’t know what to say. It was unbelievable,” Phillip Butler said Wednesday at a news conference.

The priest, the Rev. William Aitcheson, went public with his old Klan affiliation Monday, writing a column in the diocesan newspaper.

He said his past was not a secret, but he felt compelled to make it more public after seeing images of violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville.