A group of Catholic nuns condemned Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on Sunday for saying that he had “seen” the murders of their sisters in El Salvador in 1980.
Three American nuns and one lay worker were abducted, raped, and shot dead by a military death squad that year. On his radio and television programs, O’Reilly has previously said “I’ve seen guys gun down nuns in El Salvador” and that he “saw nuns get shot in the back of the head.”
After recent reports questioned these statements, O’Reilly told Mediaite that he meant he had seen “images” of nuns being killed, not that he had witnessed them himself.
Two of the victims O’Reilly said he “saw” gunned down belonged to the Maryknoll Sisters. On Sunday, the congregation offered its thoughts on O’Reilly’s remarks in a statement to CNN’s “Reliable Sources.”
“Maryknoll Sisters were deeply saddened when our Sisters were killed in El Salvador, and shocked when we learned of Mr. O’Reilly’s statement inferring he witnessed their murder,” the statement said.
“This is, of course, untrue and we hope Mr. O’Reilly will take greater care in the public statements he makes in the future,” it added.
The Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland also offered a statement, calling for reporters covering the tragedy to do so with a spirit of “integrity and honesty.”
Watch the video, courtesy of CNN:
