Dear Prudence,
My husband, who grew up Catholic, was abused by his parish priest as a child. Recent revelations and the Pope’s visit to Ireland have opened a lot of wounds, and he’s been extremely on edge, reacting strongly to any mention of the subject and posting aggressive comments on social media. A lot of my family are devout, which has resulted in some unfortunate interactions. I really want to be supportive and I completely understand his feelings, but at the same time I want to keep the peace and don’t want to be in the middle. He also often goes too far—for example, accusing anybody who supports the church of being a rapist. How do I resolve this situation? I don’t want him to feel I don’t support him, even if it is true at times.
—Angry at the Church