SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - For the first time since the controversy erupted, Utah's Catholic Bishop is talking about a recent letter from the Vatican. That letter instructs Catholic dioceses not to share parish information with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
While Bishop Wester spoke at length about the mutual respect between the two churches, he also talked about their differences.
"We have a lot of common concerns and values but we are two different religions," said Wester.
With regards to the letter, Bishop Wester said, "It's not an attack on any church. It’s simply saying we have to do our due diligence to keep these records confidential."
The Catholic Church says its records must be kept private so they're not used in LDS Baptisms for the Dead.
Perhaps, the trick for Bishop Wester is to do this without stepping on too many toes.
Wester said, "Both in the Catholic faith and the LDS Church, what we're trying our best to do is work together and to respect each other beliefs, even when they differ but still be respectful."
So, how does Bishop Wester handle that when the Vatican letter tells him, "not to cooperate with the erroneous practices of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints"?
Wester replied, "Frankly, I didn't write the letter so I didn't know what the specific intention of that is. So I really can't comment on that phrase."
As for the LDS Church, it continues to remain silent about the Vatican letter.
