Sadly, the circumstantial evidence against Bernadin seems overwhelming. Not proof, but enough for any Catholic to hold grave doubts about him. Combined with so numerous teenage boy homosexual molestations all over the country, we can only cry and vow to fight.
I've read a number of allegations. I haven't seen any evidence.
And that's the point. Not whether or not it's true. I don't know, and neither do you. The point is that all we're doing here is passing around the same (unproven) allegations and rumors that have been circulating, apparently, for some time. And the more the allegations are repeated, the more people say, "See! It's true!"
The original piece here offers no hard evidence, and the second one by Mr. Brady, in the body of the thread just rehashes some of the same allegations, and adds a few more.
Mr. Brady has done great work actually documenting the evil acts of some of the bishops. We've seen the actual websites involved, we've heard from real people who have come forward, not cloaked by anonymity, to make real, and specific charges.
But against Cardinal Bernadin, it is all allegation and rumor. It is certainly possible that some of the allegations are true. Or all of them. Or none of them.
Many things are possible. Two possibilities are:
Perhaps Cardinal Bernadin was sufficiently clever to sufficiently cover his tracks that it will be impossible to ever overcome a prudent doubt against the charges, and in this life, his reputation will never be successfully destroyed.
Perhaps Cardinal Bernadin was entirely innocent of personal immorality, and that those who hate him will succeed in permanently destroying his personal reputation.
My own preference is that I should avoid the latter by risking the former.
My perspective is that if someone can't produce the evidence, the individual should be quiet.
Frankly, I'm done arguing the point. Re-read the Catechism, Article 8, The Eighth Commandment, starting with paragraph 2464. Especially examine rash judgement, calumny, and detraction.
I'm going to take a break from these threads. I find it devastating to find so many good Catholics so willing to trade in gossip and rumors about our bishops and priests, especially dead ones who can't defend themselves.. Those of you who want to dump on our bishops can do so, and be confident that I'll offer no resistance for now.
I just have a question for some of you: So which cardinal was outed by the NY Times at the start of the Dallas shindig? None? Oh my! And I was just promised that all the rumors would be validated by then!
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