COVINGTON, Ky. (CNN/AP) -- A northern Kentucky bishop has apologized for his diocese's reaction to a videotaped encounter last week at the Lincoln Memorial between a group of high school students and Native American marchers.
An initial joint statement from the Diocese of Covington and Covington Catholic High School on Saturday had condemned the actions of the students for the Jan. 18 incident with Omaha Nation elder Nathan Phillips in Washington. The church also issued an apology to Phillips, and a statement released Tuesday said the diocese would initiate a third-party investigation of the incident.
The Cincinnati Enquirer reports the Rev. Roger J. Foys released a statement Friday apologizing to Covington families and to anyone offended by either statement. Foys says the diocese was "bullied" and reacted "prematurely" after "being pressured from all sides to make a statement" about the video clip.
"We are sorry that this situation has caused such disruption in the lives of so many," Foys wrote. "We apologize to anyone who has been offended in any way of our statements which were made with good will based on the information we had. We should not have allowed ourselves to be bullied and pressured into making a statement prematurely, and we take full responsibility for it."
Foys said he especially wanted to apologize to Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann -- the teen featured prominently in the video -- his family and all the Covington families affected by the video.
"Nicholas unfortunately has become the face of these allegations based on video clips. This is not fair. It is not just," Foys wrote.
The students were widely criticized after an online video appeared to show them mocking a Native American activist. Subsequent videos released Sunday showed a more complicated three-way confrontation involving a black religious sect, who identify themselves as members of the Hebrew Israelites, as well.
After those additional videos surfaced showing other vantage points, "the very same people who had put tremendous pressure on us to condemn the actions of the students now wanted a retraction from anyone who had previously issued a statement critical of them," Foys' Friday letter says. "All of this based again on a video."
Foys also wrote that Covington students and their families received death threats. The school was closed Tuesday, but reopened Wednesday morning, according to a letter from the high school to parents obtained by CNN affiliate WCPO.
The diocese is now awaiting the results of the investigation into the incident.
"It is my hope and expectation that the results will exonerate our students so that they can move forward with their lives," Foys wrote.
Speaking out for the first time, on the "Today" show Wednesday, Nick said he doesn't owe anyone an apology, but he respects Phillips and would be willing to engage in dialogue with him. Nick also said neither he nor any of his classmates are racist and they've been mischaracterized based on videos of the scene that unfolded in front of the Lincoln Memorial last week.
Phillips, on the other hand, told CNN this week he felt hatred coming from the young people in the crowd. When asked about Nick standing in front of him, Phillips told CNN he was trying to retreat and the only way he could do so was to go forward.
"When I started going forward and that mass of groups of people started separating and moving aside to allow me to move out of the way or to proceed, this young fellow put himself in front of me and wouldn't move," Phillips said.
Phillips is offering to travel to Covington Catholic High School to talk about the importance of respecting diverse cultures, according to a statement from the Lakota People's Law Project.
Related stories:
- Video shows tension between Native Americans, high school students before viral clip
- Yarmuth standing by controversial tweet about confrontation involving Kentucky students
- Gov. Bevin blames the media for backlash against Covington Catholic students
- Covington Catholic closed Tuesday for security reasons following video confrontation
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