Seven Months Into Scandals...Priests Disappear And Lay Church Emerges

The Wanderer ^ | 7/11/02 | Paul Likoudis

[Aquinasfan]

This story is still being effectively spun (by Bishops) and the Wander seems to be reporting the results of the spin:
- pederast priests are being blamed
- civil/criminal proceedings will only be directed at pederast priests
- Bishops are sacrificing accused priests to appear responsive
- Bishops are containing the damage to a 'priestly pederasty problem'
- The larger incidence of homosexuality is as yet unaddressed
- The homosexual agenda to liberalize the church continues unabated and is spinning further liberalization as the solution to the problems.

That's the way I see it too, so I expect this to get worse before it gets better.

[NYer]

No longer do they need to envision a better life in the hereafter. They have one now.

The Albany Diocese is rife with the likes of Turley. However, I do believe that Dante Alighieri has reserved a special place for Hubbard and his henchman, Sr. Turley, in his Inferno

[eastsider]

San Diego is following the lead of San Francisco, where District Attorney Terence Hallinan ordered the Archdiocese of San Francisco to turn over to him all information pertaining to sex abuse by clerics. On Sunday, June 30, Hallinan — one of the city’s more prominent Catholics — participated in the city’s Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered Pride Parade, under the theme: "Be Yourself, Change the World."

First, the "gay" Catholics do their darndest to subvert the Church's moral teaching that homosexual acts are intrinsically evil by recruiting predators like Shanley to set up Dignity. Then when the bad tree bears bad fruit, Shanley's progeny do their darndest to distance themselves from the scandal, claiming that homosexuality is totally unrelated to clerical abuse of minors.

To see just how disingenuous their argument really is, first click the "Other Links" on Dignity/San Francisco's homepage, then go to the bottom of the page and check out the LYRIC After School Program calendar of events. Note the "Drop in group for 18 & under" listings. LYRIC is an acronym for Lavender Youth Recreation & Information Center, and is youth recruitment, plain and simple.

If being "gay" has nothing to do with clerical abuse of minors, why does Fr. Mike of Dignity/San Francisco allow Dignity/San Francisco's website to link to "gay" programs for kids 18 & under?

[Antoninus]

Looks like you've read your Francis Parkman (The Jesuits in North America). What those men accomplished in their lives, and the fates they suffered at the hands of the Iroquois and other Northeastern tribes makes the current North American Church seem absolutely trivial and ridiculous in contrast.

Isn't that the truth. What I wouldn't give for a few dozen Jesuits of that stripe leading the order today.

Actually, I haven't read Parkman yet, though it's on my list. I'm actually about 9 volumes into the Jesuit Relations themselves.

[Antoninus]

That's the way I see it too, so I expect this to get worse before it gets better.

I agree also. Indeed, things will not start getting better until we can push a few of the biggest dominos over. Weakland was a good start but he was on his way out anyway. Outting that "homosexual Cardinal" who was hinted at before the Dallas conference would go a long way toward turning things around, IMHO.

[ThomasMore]

I'm totally convinced of the complicity of bishops on issues like these. Their passivity is telltale. How many and who are two vital questions.

[livius]

Disgusting. There'd be plenty of good priests had it not been for the likes of Sister Turley and her buddies and the poisonous things they brought into the Church.

Now they're rubbing their hands together gleefully, thinking that they're finally going to get their way, unopposed.

[eastsider]

I'm totally convinced of the complicity of bishops on issues like these. Their passivity is telltale.

I've concluded from my research that the bad bishops and the good bishops share the same M.O. -- they send out surrogates to do the dirty work for them. For example, Bishop Pilarczyk of Cincinnati is sending out auxiliary bishop Moeddel to address the NACDLGM conference this coming September, just as Cardinal Egan sent out Msgr. Clark to preach about homosexual practices in St. Patrick's Cathedral while Egan was on his way to Rome with the other U.S. cardinals to meet the pope.

As hard as they try to keep their hands clean, the fact remains that they bear ultimate responsibility for what is taught -- by word or example -- within their jurisdictions. The buck stops with the bishops. And it's up to us to hold their feet to the fire.

[Antoninus]

Now they're rubbing their hands together gleefully, thinking that they're finally going to get their way, unopposed.

Honestly, I don't think too many of those bitter aging radicals are too gleeful at this point. My theory as to what precipitated this scandal finally going national was a perceived conservative/traditionalist movement among the Catholic laity and the Vatican. Perhaps the dissenter crowd felt that this was their last and strongest card in their attempts to radically change the Catholic Church before a reaction set in. They're certainly attempting to play it to the hilt, but their credibility is pretty thin at this point, particularly after some of their leaders have gotten knocked off already.

We've got to keep on them. Based on their responses to my letters, emails, and posts, they're defensive, frustrated, demoralized, and in some cases running scared.

[eastsider]

We've got to keep on them. Based on their responses to my letters, emails, and posts, they're defensive, frustrated, demoralized, and in some cases running scared.

I love the sound of implosion in the morning ...

[saradippity]

Maybe we should start by trying to determine in which dioceses the priests dying of Aids came from. When we find some with a high frequency we should approach the bishop on his own ground;the natural world and the primacy of a self developed conscience.

I imagine letters to them saying'"dear bishop,it seems to me that you have had many of your priests die of Aids,you claim you are compassionate,loving and forgiving and we should be too." "Yet you permit men who behave in ways that are very hurtful,to themselves and to those they have infected,to their families,who mourn their untimely deaths and to society in general,who must pick up the monumental costs to pay for research,treatment and education for those so afflicted,to enter seminaries and be ordained priests." "I do not know if you ever had Faith,or if you lost the Faith somewhere along the way,or if you still believe and are confused or intimidated so I won't appeal to the "sensus catholica" a good Bishop should have."

"No,I will just ask that you look at the facts with hard,cold eyes and recognize that if you think you are an enlightened, man of reason,you are not;reason would have forced you to speak out about the connection between homosexuality and Aids." "Or maybe,you believe that you are a compassionate,loving person who believes that tolerance and non-judgementalism will cause us to feel that emotional 'high',that little fuzzy faith feeling,that is god.Well,you are not that either,look at the suffering and pain you have caused".

"In conclusion,I just want to say that it seems you have lost your Faith in God and instead think man's intellect or emotion can replace Him".Well,you have demonstrated that sans Faith,brains or heart,nothing works."If you are too busy you don't have to take the time to respond,I would rather you think about what I have said and do something to right your relationship with God and man.Thankyou."

This is pretty rough but I think that since the clergy will not speak out to society in general with the truth,we may have to bring it to their attention.We are fortunate in that we can pray and call on all the angels and saints to implore the Triune God to help us.Any thoughts?

[livius]

You may be right. But I did notice that they wasted no time in clamoring for a married clergy or priestesses as a "solution" to the clergy shortage and the problems within the clergy. And of course, supported by the press, they are holding fast in an attempt to keep anyone from examining the problem of homosexuals in the clergy and heirarchy.

Personally, I think the traditionalist side is going to win on this one, although it's not going to be easy or fast. The Sister Turleys of this world still have a lot of power and a lot of friends in high places, as well as the aforementioned support of the press and people who aren't even Catholic. So keep up the pressure!

[eastsider]

The first consideration when writing to a dissident bishop should be to be know the result one wants to achieve. Form follows function. IMO, there is little to be gained by a righteously indignant screed beyond the temporary satisfaction of venting.

As to identifying the dissident bishops, certain "gay-friendly" bishops are easy to spot, like Keeler of Baltimore, Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, Mahoney of Los Angeles; however, most carry on their mischief under cover. There are various ways to spot them, such as your suggestion for the incidence of AIDS among the priests under their jurisdiction, but I'm much more inclined to coax them into revealing themselves by eliciting a response from them directly.

This approach also makes the most sense to me from a long-term perspective: If a given bishop is incorrigibly permissive as regards notoriously unchaste behavior among the priests under his jurisdiction -- and I think the lavendar triangles, rainbow flags and in-your-face, "we're here and we're queer" mantra of the secular "gay" activists with whom the "gay" clergy have joined ranks is aptly characterized as notorious -- the ultimate remedy as per Mt18:15-17 is going to be taking the matter up with the Church -- that is, seeking canonical relief through the ecclesiastical courts. What better evidence to present to the court at the end of the day than the bishop's own words in writing?

Thus, I would recommend making the purpose of correspondence with the bishops probitive rather than confrontational, written in such a way as to elicit a response, not a toss to the circular file. JMO.

[Starwind]

Saradippity, beloved of God, sadly I believe that your diplomacy and rationality (which would normally be persuasive with people who are struggling with a moral dilema and uncertain as to what course of action to take) in this case are pearls cast before swine.

These people are not stuggling with any moral dilema. They forsook whatever morals they had decades ago and are now engaged in subversion and a criminal coverup. Their motivations at this point are pure survival and control. Their hearts are about as hardened as you'll find.

eastrider:
IMO, there is little to be gained by a righteously indignant screed beyond the temporary satisfaction of venting.

I'm much more inclined to coax them into revealing themselves by eliciting a response from them directly.

I believe you're closer to the mark, but how to elicit any useful response is tricky. Best case might be to verify the known homosexuals and their activities in a given Bishop's diocese and then confront them with their failure to address it in violation of the 1961 encyclical against ordaining homosexuals.

Their responses may be:
- perjurious, which can be used against them later
- explanatory, which implies awareness, possible culpability
- pre-emptive 'we already have a plan', in which case you have them on record as a plan being needed and now you can pursue learning what the plan is...and have proof or greater culpability if it is learned they lied and have no plan.

There is also the danger of alerting them to your scrutiny. A safe 1st step might be to identify freepers sympathetic to your effort in a given diocese, and have them surreptitiously uncover what any 'remedial plans' might be. It is usually best to know what the answers ought to be before you ask the questions. That way you'll not loose much info if you spook them, and you'll be in a better position to detect lies.

the ultimate remedy as per Mt18:15-17 is going to be taking the matter up with the Church -- that is, seeking canonical relief through the ecclesiastical courts. What better evidence to present to the court at the end of the day than the bishop's own words in writing?

Yes. I was curious myself about how a canonical suit would be brought, so I started looking and found this Any thoughts?

[Starwind]

Meant to add, contacting priests already removed and asking them how they feel about being 'sacrificed' by Bishops who 'got away with it' might stir up some additional disclosures.

[eastsider]

I believe you're closer to the mark, but how to elicit any useful response is tricky. Best case might be to verify the known homosexuals and their activities in a given Bishop's diocese and then confront them with their failure to address it in violation of the 1961 encyclical against ordaining homosexuals.

Certainly, the content of a letter to a bishop like Mahoney with a known track record of dissidence concerning the Church's teaching regarding homosexual practices -- and there are clues all over the place -- will be different in terms of specific talking points from a letter to a bishop like Bruskewitz with a known track record of orthodoxy. And while we don't want to shy away in our letters from known abuses, we also don't, as you say, want to spook our targets. I concur that the 1961 encyclical concerning the ordination of homosexuals is one of several excellent talking point to be raised -- in the context of eliciting the bishop's position on that document and others.

I was curious myself about how a canonical suit would be brought, so I started looking and found this Any thoughts?

Not being a canon lawyer, my thoughts on whether the canon law you recite would be an effective theory under which to sue are merely opinion, although I do have the intuitive sense that only Catholics within the dissident bishop's diocese have the standing to bring a suit. I am presently pursuing a few leads concerning canon lawyers and will share anything of value that I learn.

[saradippity]

I think that contacting priests who were "sacrificed" by their bishops is a very good idea.

With regards my original thoughts,I probably should have added that I would have prefaced the letter with the facts and figures concerning the priests who died of Aids in his diocese. And then gone on to include the commonly accepted figures on how many parties they probably infected with the disease,then continued with a cost analysis and concluding that part with a short commentary on the effects of premature death on families and friends.

My next section would address the very close connection with homosexuality and Aids.Included in this section would be a little statistical information about the comparative frequency of sexual encounters between persons with same sex proclivities and those attracted to persons of the opposite sex.

Then I would follow that with my "screed"(which was not)pointing out that they lead without faith,without reason and without charity.And the fact is,that I don't believe they could defend their oversight of the flock and don't think they could do much anyway except resign or apologize,so I would not want to tax them with thinking a response is expected.

My purpose is more to alert society and the hierarchy to the the folly and the tragedy that is implicit in this acceptance of behaviors that are contrary to nature and sinful.To assure at least a little thiinking about the problem I would send courtesy copies to the Papal Nuncio and the Secretaries of the Congregations of Priests,of Bishops,and,of the Doctrines of the Faith.I would probably also copy my pastor,a couple of other pastors that might need a morale boost and a couple that might need to know what people are thinking.Then I would copy the Director of the diocesan Stewardship department and the Diocesan Charitable Appeal Fundraiser and the priest in charge of the Priestly Ministry to homosexuals and lesbians.

You know my most fervent hope is that the Church will be what Jesus Christ intended it to be,a light in the darkness,a leaven to society,the purveyor of Truth,a shelter from the turbulence and all the wonderful things it has been for me through some terrible times.It will take quite a while for that to happen since they tossed so much out the window when they let the spirit in,but in the meantime they must recognize what a diservice they do to all society by not addressing the one thing they can address,the genesis of the present "scandal" and that is the acceptance of a lifestyle that is dangerous,often criminal and always sinful.

Maybe I will just use the figures that the National nonCatholic Reporter used and generalize and send it to all bishops. In that way,I won't be accusatory to anyone person but a general "if the shoe fits wear it" kind of thing.

Again my motivation is to wake up everybody,that hasn't already thought about this and argue from the position that not speaking the truth about the matter is wrong whether the silence is based on Faith,or reason or charity.

As I so often say,I practice on you guys and I appreciate all criticism and thoughts you have.Thanks.

[Starwind]

Could the following information be assembled on at least one diocese, if not more?

- names of victims ignored/settled by diocese
- names of priests accused/convicted of abuse
- names of priests dead/diagnosed with aids
- names of priests removed as per Dallas policy
- number of times each/any of the above were transferred
- number of priests total transferred by this diocese
- seminaries from which above priests graduated
- seminaries from which Bishop graduated
- dioceses were Bishop previously served
- homosexual ministries/seminars/workshops sponsored or funded by the diocese

Maybe start with whatever diocese you think would be easiest in terms of collecting as much info as possible.

See what kind of story is built up. If you get it for several dioceses, a picture of their influence by certain seminaries may emerge as well.

Based on your judgement, some info may need to be discarded after you deem it unrelated to homosexual problems (i.e. innocent transfers, retirements, etc)

Ultimately, your 'letter' would ask for an explanation of the story uncovered in light of encylical's and criminal law to the contrary. That story (if factual) and its 'explanation' (if implausible) could set a numbers of things in motion.

[Starwind]

Lists of graduating classes by year for each seminary would also be useful.

If you identify a 'target priest', you could see who he graduated with, and then follow the other graduates to see what they've been up to.

This might require some computer tracking if you find it fruitful. Minimally a spreadsheet, possibly a simple database. Could become an information resource for the rest of you, if the data can be collected and proven reasonably reliable.

[Starwind]

BTW, those were ideas, not instructions :-)

I am curious as to what kind and how much info is available.