The Rev. Donald Cozzens, a Roman Catholic priest who challenged the church on its culture of secrecy and its denial that it protected priests who molested children, died on Dec.
9 in Mayfield Heights, Ohio. He was 82. His sister, Maryellen Dombek, said the cause was complications of pneumonia brought on by Covid-19.
He had been vaccinated, she said, and was healthy, still playing racquetball and riding his bike, when he succumbed to the virus in a hospital in a matter of days.
Father Cozzens, a diocesan priest, seminary rector and counselor to priests and seminarians, was best-known both in and outside the church for his candid writing.