A former KKK member who became a Catholic priest after rejecting racism, has apologized to a couple he targeted in a cross burning 40 years ago.
Fr. William Aitcheson, who publicly shared his testimony of finding redemption in Christ and leaving the KKK, wrote an apology Sept. 8 to Phillip and Barbara Butler for his part in targeting them with a cross burning 40 years ago, according to a December press release from the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia.
Aitcheson also paid $23,000 in restitution to the Butlers, despite having no legal obligation to do so, and apologized for waiting so long out of shame to approach the Butlers.
“I believe now that all people can live together in peace regardless of race,” Aitcheson wrote in the letter, according to the Washington Post. “I also know that the symbol of the most enduring love the world has even known must never be used as a weapon of terror. Its use against you was a despicable act. I seriously regret the suffering it caused you.”
Aitcheson also said he was so ashamed of what he had done, he was fearful of seeking reconciliation with the Butlers for many years.
“It’s no excuse. I understand that. But it is the truth. I didn’t know how to deal with it,” Aitcheson wrote, according to WaPo. “You deserved an apology, but I did not demonstrate the strength needed to face you.”
The Butlers, for their part, said at a Friday press conference that while they as Catholics want to forgive Aitcheson, it will take time and prayer for them to summon the will to do so.
“That’s what they preach, but then you have to give it from your heart and say, ‘Okay, I’m going to do that,'” Phillip said, according to WaPo. “I can’t do it yet.”
Barbara echoed her husband’s sentiment.
“This is going to take some time,” she said, according to the Associated Press on Sunday. “For you to come into my life, 40 years, and say I’m sorry. I will pray on it. That’s the only thing I can do.”
The Butlers rejected Aitcheson’s offer to meet in person, which prompted Aitcheson to send a handwritten apology to their attorney along with the $23,000 in restitution and $9,600 in legal fees from an overdue civil judgement that was no longer binding. The Butlers initially rejected both the letter and the restitution money but have since reconsidered.
Aitcheson shared his testimony in August in the wake of the Charlottesville riot in hopes that it would influence white supremacists to reject racism and find transformation in Christ. The Butlers doubted Aitcheson’s sincerity, however, and asserted that shared his testimony instead because a freelance reporter contacted the diocese about Aitcheson’s past in the KKK.
“For you to say that you’re sorry? No, you’re not sorry. You’re sorry that you got caught,” Barbara Butler said at the time, according to WaPo.
The Diocese of Arlington said in their press release that Aitcheson’s potential return to ministry is still being decided.
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