NEW YORK BISHOP RESIGNS

AP Wire | June 11,2002

[NYer]

NEW YORK (AP) _ A high-ranking priest in the Archdiocese of New York resigned his positions as church pastor and auxiliary bishop after admitting to several affairs with women, the archdiocese announced Tuesday.

Bishop James F. McCarthy, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak in Westchester County, admitted to the affairs after they were brought to the attention of archdiocesan officials in a letter that arrived Saturday. ``I take this opportunity to express my personal care and concern for all involved in this situation, in particular any women and their families who may have been hurt, and Bishop McCarthy as well,'' Archbishop Edward Egan said in a statement.

The affairs took place over the course of several years, according to the archdiocese. Church officials will cooperate with prosecutors if any legal issues arise from the affairs.

The Westchester district attorney did not immediately return a call about the case.

Just two months ago, McCarthy had spoken about how the ongoing scandal involving sexual abuse by priests had eroded the relationship between priests and their parishioners.

Throughout the metropolitan area, at least 11 priests accused of sexual misconduct have been suspended from front-line duties in Roman Catholic Church parishes and schools. Officials in the New York archdiocese have given prosecutors in

formation on 35 years worth of sex abuse cases. In the neighboring Brooklyn Diocese, officials gave prosecutors information on more than 30 priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors over the past 20 years.

AP-ES-06-11-02 1352EDT

[AmishDude]

In the larger political context, however, this is an unwelcome distraction. I wonder if the church will deal with this priest in an inappropriate and unwise manner in an effort to look tough and be PC at the same time.

[patent]

As regrettable as this is, this priest is not part of the problem.

Hogwash. If you want to define the problem ever so narrowly that the definition forces agreement with your view, fine, then he isn't part of the problem of pedophilia. The real problem though, is priestly formation which tolerates and in some cases encourages laxity in sexual morals. Tolerating heterosexual dalliances leads to tolerating homosexual dalliances, which as should be obvious right now leads to pederasty. A bishop subject to blackmail for his own sins will have a harder time cracking down on the pederasts and pedophiles. At the moment we have too much of all of these things. This priest certainly fits smack dab into that.

Priests who violate celibacy have always been with us, but the numbers that we see today are a direct result of attitudes like this, that some sex is OK. If you have vowed to be a celibate priest, it isn't.

Violate that vow and you are very much a part of the problem for the Church today.

patent

[AmishDude]

Of course, the real reason he's not part of the problem -- he at least had the good sense and judgement to resign. As an ironic result, he will be treated more harshly than the pederasts.

Be careful of the slippery slope argument. The Church will never be able to guarantee 100% adherance to celibacy vows. Is pederasty therefore to be expected and just another sin?

[Thorondir]

At the very least, our bishops should be above reproach when it comes to obeying their vows...

They all take a vow of obedience, and then they almost universally flaunt the breaking of that vow in the face of the Pope by refusing to obey him on most matters, like Cannon law and the Church's general rules for the Mass. The situation in America is sick. The hardest thing for a good Catholic in America is finding a Catholic church that is actually Catholic, or even resembles something Catholic.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

But seriously - I admire McCarthy's integrity - if each Bishop - who was involved in a sinful relationship - male or female - they should resign - it would make for a much better meeting in Dallas!

Bishop James F. McCarthy, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak in Westchester County, admitted to the affairs after they were brought to the attention of archdiocesan officials in a letter that arrived Saturday.

Integrity?! Give me break. He doesn't have any. He resigned only after someone dropped the dime on him. He got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His conscience didn't turn him in. It's a safe bet that if the archdiocese doesn't get the letter Saturday this clown is still masquerading as a priest today.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

At least it was a woman! One case of normal heterosexual sex. Maybe he should convert to Episcopalianism, marry, and return as a Catholic priest in the Anglo-Catholic mode. [ sarcasm, irony alert ]

[eastsider]

A high-ranking priest in the Archdiocese of New York resigned his positions as church pastor and auxiliary bishop after admitting to several affairs with women, the archdiocese announced Tuesday.

[NYer]

got a link?

Sorry ... we have direct feed from the AP Wire at work, and that story was breaking at 13:52 EDT. However, I did locate the woman's story at the following link: THE JOURNAL NEWS

[frogandtoad]

I met Bishop McCarthy a number of times. He is a fine man. He was Cardinal O'Connor's previous secretary. Many of us hoped he would be the next Archbishop of New York. He is rather young for a bishop. While I cannot condone what he did, and it was a violation of his celibacy, it should be noted that it was with adult women, and probably consensual.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

re: "several affairs

So, you think he would stand a better chance as an unreconstructed Youngite Mormon schismatic or Muslim?

[eastsider]

The problem here is statutory rape.

"Woman: Affair with priest began when she was 16."

[eastsider]

LOL. Definitely. : )

[RooRoobird14]

It's time to clean house of every lousy priest who broke their vows and betrayed trust. Get rid of them all!!!! I don't care if that means 2000 priests get the axe. I'm SICK of all this.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Or better yet, maybe Fordham or Georgetown will offer him a position to teach Ethics and Theology with commentary appearances on MSNBC and CNN?

[eastsider]

I think the state DAs should call him as an expert witness in the upcoming SNAP trials.

[The Old Hoosier]

AMEN.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Not on the heterosexual "affair" cases, of course, but certainly with regard to the homosexual ephebophile and pedophile cases, one wonders precisely what the FBI has been doing to uncover these cases. These networks would seem to provide a gold mine of criminal intel about how pedophiles and ephebophiles operate, the names of their conatcts and organizations and so forth. More than likely, there have been instances of theft of church funds as well. Weakland's payment of $450K to that guy was, shall we say, highly questionable. Who thinks it was worth $450,000 (that we know about) to keep Weakland in office for several more years? Sounds like blackmail AND stealing, both of which are illegal and immoral. They should also be defrockable offenses.

[Palladin]

Exact-a-mente, ROO!

This guy used the cover of his office and the prestige of the uniform to "get chickc". And he dated them on our money. The wine, the roses, the dinners at fine restaurants--WE paid for it. At least one was underage; no doubt some were other men's wives.

And some of you probably think this guy is a better priest than a totally continent and abstinent homosexual priest!

[Palladin]

Oops, another typo. That should read "chicks".

[eastsider]

The stupid ones (1) volunteered for youth ministries: (2) had insider information via the confessional.

The "smart" ones took their show on the road -- they didn't mess around in their own parishes, and probably won't be caught.