FutureChurch Backs Pilla on Scandal [Group Fears Possible Replacement]

(A letter from Chris Schenk, Executive Director of FutureChurch. Thanks, Chris.)

I spoke with Kathy Burke [Editor's note: Kathy heads up St. Malachi's Task Force on Sexual Abuse.] about FutureChurch's positions re: the Bishops' scandal and said I would send along our thinking so far. But first let me say that I am glad to see the Community (as usual) is monitoring this important issue in the life of our Church

Here is a copy of our media release [Editor's note: It follows this letter.] that went out right before the Bishops' meeting. It pretty much delineates our position. We are also committed to monitoring the implementation of the new norms as approved by the Vatican. I believe, media hype aside, they may actually close a few more loopholes than people have been led to believe, as well as provide for the due process we would all expect for ourselves if we were the ones accused.

Of course the closed clerical system remains just that, but that is another aspect of our mission...for now, we must try to work with the system we have while sowing seeds for a broader systemic change which will serve the 21st century church.

We are in the process of assisting in the development of a concrete "checklist" of what should be happening to implement the norms in dioceses all over the country. This "checklist" will be vetted by canon lawyers who are also trying to implement the new norms in their dioceses, so it should be comprehensive and doable. I will be happy to pass it along to you once it is completed.

We have also called for financial disclosure by all dioceses (already fulfilled by Baltimore and Louisville and one other that I don't recall at the moment) and hope our Cleveland diocese will address this directly at an early opportunity since there is at least some anecdotal data that Mass attendance in our diocese is down as well as collections in some parishes.

I spoke last week with a canon lawyer from the Cleveland diocese who is on the Denihan Commission. She tells me she does not expect the new board and new rulings to become operational until June (the norms themselves do not become law until March). In June the lay review board and tribunal will begin to address the disposition of people placed on administrative leave.

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She thought some people felt the Community should call for Bishop Pilla's resignation. May I say that FutureChurch would not support this...

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Perhaps it would be wise to address our expectations about who should serve on the lay review board...and list them (see media release) as a way of being both proactive and constructive about the present situation. Kathy mentioned that she thought some people felt the Community should call for Bishop Pilla's resignation. May I say that FutureChurch would not support this for the reasons I list below:

1. Even though deplorable, the Cleveland diocese situation is not even close to the same ballpark as Boston when it comes to egregious. Unlike Boston, the Cleveland diocese did implement new written policies governing clergy sexual misconduct in 1984 and updated them in 1993 as developed by the U.S. Bishops conference. This is why most of the cases are old cases here. In no instance were serial predators reassigned to parishes after 1984 as far as I know...which was an inexcusable practice in Boston. Cleveland's egregious behavior was not in callus reassignment but in the hardball tactics of diocesan attorneys who intimidated victims in an attempt to minimize legal settlements. The immediate responsibility for this practice would seem to me to land at the desk of Bishop A.J. Quinn who as a civil attorney and a canon lawyer, handled these cases.

Undoubtedly, Bishop Pilla still bears final responsibility, but we must be aware that the grand jury did not find criminal intent on either Bishop Pilla or Bishop Quinn's part. Did they meet the pastoral expectations we have a right to expect from our Bishops and from our Church? Clearly no. The practice of diocesan attorneys was unconscionable even to other attorneys. It was not however, illegal. The scandal for us is that the Bishops apparently forgot they were pastors first. Instead they became attorneys and administrators first.

2. Unlike Boston, Bishop Pilla met with victims (albeit after the media hype...but at least he met with them) and fully cooperated with all requests from the civil authorities. I would venture to say that not another diocese in the country cooperated as fully and completely and quickly. Many dioceses (Cincinnati comes to mind) either have or are engaging in intricate legal maneuvers to avoid turning over records.

3. Unlike Boston, Bishop Pilla did make a public attempt to acknowledge sorrow by washing the feet of a victim on Holy Thursday and having a healing service. So there was public acknowledgement of wrong doing even if it didn't do all it could have... (hence the need for our Liturgy of Lament!) If there is need for further public apology, I think the silence of Bishop Quinn is rather deafening at the moment (this is my own opinion and not necessarily that of the FutureChurch leadership).

4. The last reason is admittedly self serving: Were Bishop Pilla to be forced out, we would be leaving ourselves open to a new bishop who would most likely be much more conservative and legalistic given the Bishop appointments that have been made in this papacy. The well-known litmus test for being appointed a bishop under John Paul II is that the person must be opposed to birth control, optional celibacy and women priests. I have this information directly from several bishops who are in positions to know. Bishop Pilla is one of the few remaining "pastoral" bishops who were appointed under Archbishop Jean Jadot. If he doesn't outlast the Pope we can expect to have our next Bishop be less open to lay participation in decision making than Bishop Pilla. It will be a given...and something we need to prepare for, IMHO. In any case, why rush things, I say?

Please know we stand ready to work together around both the monitoring and financial disclosure issue as seems appropriate.

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Neither should bishops or the Vatican scapegoat homosexual clergy as a way of diverting attention from their own culpability.

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Futurechurch:

SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN MUST COME FIRST

(Here is the press release Chris mentions in her letter.)

As they meet to approve norms addressing clergy sexual misconduct, U.S. Bishops must remember that their first responsibility is to protect the children of the Church, said Sr. Christine Schenk, executive director of FutureChurch a Catholic organization based in Cleveland. We think the best way to do this is to include parents, lay professionals and victim advocates in assessment of allegations about clergy sexual abuse and decisions about suitability for ministry, she said. In the past there were no procedures for removal of priests who had insufficient evidence for civil prosecution though the weight of the data raised serious doubts about the wisdom of allowing them to continue in ministry. The new norms allow for the removal of such an individual and this is a step in the right direction.

Due process for accused priests is important because there are cases of false allegations said Fr. Louis J. Trivison, FutureChurch co-founder. The norms clarify the procedures for protecting the rights of accused priests, which is a good thing, he said. However to restore credibility, the Bishops will have to fully empower the lay review boards or it will look like we are back to business as usual. For decades bishops protected fellow clergy at the expense of innocent children. This must never happen again.

Neither should bishops or the Vatican scapegoat homosexual clergy as a way of diverting attention from their own culpability Schenk said, citing experts who say that healthy gay priests are no more likely to violate celibacy promises than healthy straight priests. Instead the bishops must accept responsibility for the consequences of a closed clerical culture of secrecy which allowed such abuses to continue without the knowledge of civil authorities or lay Catholics.

We plan to ask our members and all faithful Catholics to become pro active in their dioceses in assuring that the lay review boards have real authority so that the new norms are implemented said Schenk. We want an annual public accounting to all Catholics in each diocese about the number, disposition, and costs of handling allegations. We must expect our dioceses to be accountable to us for how our money is spent or we are not being responsible stewards.

But according to Trivison it must not end there:

Ultimately, bishops must heed the voices of lay people and include them meaningfully on all levels of church decision making.

Polling data shows that the nations Catholics are deeply troubled by the steady decline in the number of priests, said Fr. Trivison, a retired priest from the diocese of Cleveland. An already grave shortage has been exacerbated by the removal from active ministry of scores of priests being investigated for sexual misconduct.

"Once bishops begin to listen to lay people in earnest, they will have to confront issues that church officials have long refused to discuss," said Trivison, "For a long time lay people have been crying out for church structures that are more inclusive and more pastoral - and they have not been heard. They have been crying out for real dialogue on issues such as priestly celibacy and the ordination of women - and they have not been heard."

"Catholics know that the priest shortage has already compromised the regular receipt of the Eucharist in many parts of this world, as well as in our own country," he said. "They also know that there is no shortage of vocations among women and married men who are experiencing a call to ordination."

FutureChurch advocates for the preservation of the Eucharist by opening the priesthood to all the baptized. The organization has called for its members and other concerned Catholics to wear green ribbons as a sign of hope for healing and renewal in a broken church. (FutureChurch, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is a U.S. coalition of 5,000 parish based Catholics striving to educate about the seriousness of the priest shortage, the centrality of the Eucharist (Mass) and the inequality of women in the Catholic Church. FutureChurch makes presentations throughout the country, distributes educational and informational packets and recruits activists who call on Catholic leadership to open ordination to all baptized persons who are called to priestly ministry by God and the people of God. You can write to them at 15800 Montrose Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44111-1804; call them at 216-228-0869; fax them at 216-228-4872; or e-mail them at info@futurechurch.org. If you'd like more information check out their website at www.futurechurch.org.)

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[15800 Montrose is the address for St. Mark's parish in cleveland]

Akron's summary of the Cleveland Diocese:

From futurechurch:

The well-known litmus test for being appointed a bishop under John Paul II is that the person must be opposed to birth control, optional celibacy and women priests. I have this information directly from several bishops who are in positions to know. Bishop Pilla is one of the few remaining "pastoral" bishops who were appointed under Archbishop Jean Jadot. If he doesn't outlast the Pope we can expect to have our next Bishop be less open to lay participation in decision making than Bishop Pilla. It will be a given...and something we need to prepare for, IMHO. In any case, why rush things, I say?

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The official logo for the Diocese of Cleveland Gay and Lesbian Ministry [Warning: This is not a joke]:

Go see for yourself:

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/mission/index.htm

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From previous stories on Bishop Pilla:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1060132/posts

In March, 2002, about two years after leaving the diocese, Charlie [the bishop's former lawyer] says he met again with Bishop Gries. “I met with Bishop Roger and I told him as a friend that he needed to tell Pilla to step down. That's all I said.”

I prod him to continue. “Because of the manner in which all of this had been handled.”

Charlie later says, “The thing that really fried me was the way the church in Cleveland has agreed to ‘infanticize' Anthony. It's like he's a child. ‘Oh, he didn't know this, he didn't know that.' Wait a minute, oh merciful God. Then what's he in charge of one million Catholics for? Yes, Quinn did crazy stuff, but he was a lieutenant, you are the general. Why didn't you stop it?

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/762432/posts

The following appeared in "The Wanderer's" From the Mail Section.:

In Cleveland, which has been racked with the most damaging sex abuse scandals outside of Boston and Los Angeles, diocesan officials, including Bishop Anthony Pilla, maintain a stiff upper lip as some homosexual activists in the chancery and parishes continue to transform parishes into gay-friendly communities. Consider:

The Diocese of Cleveland's official web site (www.dioceseofcleveland.com) greets the viewer with a rainbow flag, and gay activists at the diocese's Gay and Lesbian Family Ministry (GLFM) office are way out and way proud.

One member of the GLFM recorded his experience on an area gay web site of his participation in the Cleveland Gay Pride Parade, informing, "The catholic group had a very nice sized contingent. There were a whole ton of other religious groups as well...Oh, did I mention that I am in the same video as a pornstar?!...Our table was almost across from The Grid's table, so we got to watch Matt Rush shirtless signing autographs and posing for pictures most of the afternoon. I felt so uncouth ogling a pornstar and trying to be a respectable representative of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland...

"The Stonewall Democrats had the booth next to The Grid, and they had some mighty fine shirtless guys sitting at their table, too. After we took down our table at the pride festival, seven of us from the Catholic group went out to dinner...We also had the same waiter that we had last time...the cute one with attitude."

The author of that revealing letter is the apparent friend of Brian Halderman, a longtime gay activist of the Diocese of Cleveland who recently announced that he is joining the Society of Mary (Marianists) in Dayton.

In another Internet chat thread sent to FTM by a Cleveland reader, Halderman revealed that while a parishioner at Ascension Church (a church plagued by a number of predator priests), he was a chatechist involved in the sacramental preparation of second graders.

Reader, does all this help you understand what bishops such as Clark and Hubbard and Pilla mean by the "lay-run church.

You can contact the diocese of Cleveland toll free at 1-800-869-6525 or by e-mailing:

info@dioceseofcleveland.org

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The following exchange appeared in an article on a gay convicted priest here in Cleveland. [Note: Burkhart is a gay detective and McBride is the gay priest]:

Burkhart and McBride dined on crab cakes and chatted lightly. After dinner, McBride turned the conversation to the recent Catholic Church scandal. He hoped that, when it was all over, the church would recognize that priests are sexual beings too -- and that some are gay.

"Back in the 1960s, would you have ever come to a place like this?" Burkhart asked. "I mean, in this town, where you were working?"

"Probably not, no," McBride said. "Realistically, in 1960, no."

"And in certain places it looks like the seminary on Saturday night now," Burkhart joked.

"Yeah, that really is how it is," McBride said.

They compared notes on seeing clergy in gay bars. Then Burkhart stammered as he asked McBride a personal question: "So, whenever you had sex . . . were you bound to go to confession and confess it before you said Mass, or . . .?"

"Well, you were supposed to, yes," McBride said.

"Do you think all these priests do?"

"No," McBride said. "I think they changed their minds and decided it's not a sin."

The full article can be found at this link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/992919/posts

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