Posted on 07/05/2019 4:13:58 AM PDT by Morgana
SAGINAW, Mich. (ChurchMilitant.com) - Saginaw county's most highly decorated police officer, with more than 35 years of experience and 50 letters of commendation in his file, was abruptly fired in the wake of his investigation that put Saginaw's popular priest Fr. Robert DeLand in jail.
Cradle Catholic Detective Brian Berg, who spearheaded the four-month covert operation leading to DeLand's arrest and conviction, is now unemployed ever since he was unexpectedly fired last October by Saginaw's police chief, Dennis Green.
Berg sat down with Church Militant to explain what happened the morning of Oct. 17.
"I was called in out of the blue. ... The chief said, 'I want to see you,'" recounts Berg. The chief, according to Berg, then curtly told him, "You're done. You're fired."
"I asked why," recalls Berg, and the chief's response was simply, "We're told we don't have to give you a reason." Free episode from CHURCH MILITANT Premium WATCH MORE LIKE THIS
While investigating DeLand, Berg was getting pressured by his superiors to drop the case. But Berg told Church Militant he never let DeLand's popularity or internal resistance from within his department derail his investigation.
Asked about the pressure that arises from having members inside the police force being friends with the popular priests like DeLand, Berg said, "That's very prevalent in a small community. But in my 35 years, I've tried to never let that influence me. Because at the end of the day, I look in the mirror and [ask] did I do the right thing."
The conspiracy of silence among members inside and outside the Church is even more prevalent within small communities, Berg noted.
"There is a mindset especially in smaller communities where, uh, 'keep it quiet; let's just make it go away,'" he said.
Getting blackballed is common when some won't look the other way. He then recounted what happened when he tried to get a job with another law enforcement department.
"I interviewed recently for a police chief job and I didn't get it when I revealed what happened," he said.
Speaking of his recent firing following the DeLand case, Berg said, "But I told them exactly what happened. If you want to hire a police chief that's going to look the other way, I'm not your guy."
In a written statement issued shortly after his firing last October, Berg clarified that he wouldn't be complicit in covering up any crime, including clerical sex abuse:
As a proud Christian and dedicated police officer of 35 years, with 50 Letters of Commendation during my career, I will never be deterred from doing the right thing, regardless of the costs associated with doing what is right.
A detective should not be expected to look the other way, be labeled too effective, or be told the township does not like media attention. The recent high-profile cases Tittabawassee Township has experienced is not something I personally sought out. However, when presented with such crimes I will always investigate the cases thoroughly and bring the criminals to justice.
I laud the Saginaw County Prosecutor's Office for their hard work and courage to handle such a high-profile case as the Father DeLand case. Many other prosecutor's offices would simply have covered it up.
Berg is not alone. Retired police officers from Buffalo, New York recently confirmed to media that they were directed by superiors to not arrest Catholic priests involved in sexual misconduct. They were told instead to hand such priests over to the Buffalo diocese for special treatment.
Former vice squad detective Martin Harrington revealed, "The department's unwritten policy was that Catholic priests did not get arrested."
"I never had any experience with priests who molested children," he continued. "I never heard of any priests molesting children. But we had priests we caught with pornography or masturbating in the city parks, and our orders were to turn them over to the Buffalo diocese."
"The diocese would deal with them," he said, "but they would not be arrested."
Church Militant reported on the tragic case of Buffalo's priest Fr. Joseph Moreno, who was murdered in 2012 while trying to blow the whistle on the conspiracy of silence between Church officials, law enforcement, corrupt judges and even politicians.
Moreno's sister, Susan Moreno, told Church Militant that a few days before her brother's death, he was going to unveil the homosexual corruption in Bp. Richard Malone's Buffalo diocese.
Susan Moreno related, "My brother told me Tuesday, after the meeting with Bp. Malone, that he was going to blow the whistle on the abuse, the homosexuality activity that was happening in the diocese of Buffalo, as well as other corruption that he saw at St. Lawrence and at St. Jude." The details of Moreno's faked suicide indicate a cover-up involving local law enforcement.
Pennsylvania was another area showing collusion between local law enforcement and corrupt Church officials in covering up clerical sex abuse. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro noted this collusion when introducing his now-famous Pennsylvania grand jury report.
The report showed a "failure of law enforcement," said Shapiro.
Former Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham said part of the problem involved Catholic policemen.
"It was a different time," she said. "You didn't remonstrate with the guy who's giving you absolution."
Learn how you can help Detective Brian Berg.
Watch the panel discuss the conspiracy of silence that safeguards priestly predators in The Download—Catching a Homopredator Priest.
This guy is my hero. He did the right thing, my hunch is he knew the consequences and did it anyway. With his record, commondations etc, I'm guessing he's got one hell of a lawsuit to file and is going to retire comfortably as a result.
That’s about right I’m afraid. So when is it going to be that blackballing will be treated like a crime, like stalking? You aren’t going to get rid of corruption until that happens.
They will protect the pedophiles if they are in the schools or law enforcement too.
What a freaking mess.The homo mafia has wrecked the church and damned near everything else it touches.I hope the detective retires a multi millionaire.
“Every time we turn our heads the other way when we see the law flouted, when we tolerate what we know to be wrong, when we close our eyes and ears to the corrupt because we are too busy or too frightened, when we fail to speak up and speak out, we strike a blow against freedom and decency and justice.” Robert Kennedy
That’s a fine quote.
“You didn’t remonstrate with the guy who’s giving you absolution.”
There’s the problem. A man can’t give absolution any more than the wizard could give the cowardly lion courage. Only God can forgive sins.
How crazy is it to believe that someone worse than you can judge, and/or give absolution for, your sins? Basic logic is all it takes to figure it out.
This guy deserves a huge settlement which allow him to retire comfortably since he’s not a young man anymore.
When not doing the right thing gets you fired; the problem is not with the employee. The problem is with the system and its corruption.
Sadly this kind of thing is too common. There should be a way to combat it and get those who are corrupt fired. See how they like it.
“The homo mafia has wrecked the church and damned near everything else it touches.”
Bingo.
I eagerly await the pendulum swing.
And it will swing.
Church attendance is way down in north America, biblicaly speaking, salvation has nothing to do with church.
Enough with these damned priests already ;/
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when he had said this, He created on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
The Apostles weren't turned into perfect people. They still sinned. Peter was called out by Paul for his treatment of the gentiles in Galations. The clergy of the Church have never been perfect... only God's Grace is perfect. Basic reading is all it takes to figure it out.
Ironically, your objection was the same one leveled against Jesus by the Jews:
Luke 5:17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” 25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
John 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." 22 And when he had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."
The Apostles weren't turned into perfect people. They still sinned. Peter was called out by Paul for his treatment of the gentiles in Galations. The clergy of the Church have never been perfect... only God's Grace is perfect. Basic reading is all it takes to figure it out.
Ironically, your objection was the same one leveled against Jesus by the Jews:
Luke 5:17 One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. 18 And some men were carrying on a bed a man who was paralyzed; and they were trying to bring him in and to set him down in front of Him. 19 But not finding any way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down through the tiles with his stretcher, into the middle of the crowd, in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” 21 The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this man who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” 22 But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But, so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic—“I say to you, get up, and pick up your stretcher and go home.” 25 Immediately he got up before them, and picked up what he had been lying on, and went home glorifying God. 26 They were all struck with astonishment and began glorifying God; and they were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Tip of the iceberg.
Only God knows how many lives have been destroyed by pedophile priests.
The church’s actions in all of this are reprehensible beyond belief. The complicity of law enforcement in some of this warrants very hard time in prison. Which isn’t going to happen.
“The Apostles weren’t turned into perfect people. They still sinned.”
And the Apostles didn’t forgive sins, or say they could.
Hey, Bobby, care to explain how this DOESN’T apply to your brother??
Thank you for your post.
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