Murdered Catholic Priest Knew Too Much?

Catholic Online ^ | March 3, 2004 | Matt Abbott

[NYer]

The Rev. Alfred J. Kunz was a priest known and consulted by many in the Catholic Church. He was a canon lawyer, meaning he had thorough expertise in the laws of the Church -the Code of Canon Law, as it is known. He also was a staunch defender of orthodoxy, not much liked by Catholic liberals (at least, those who actually knew of him), and a thorn in the side to those who desire to see authentic Christianity wiped off the face of the earth.

In March of 1998, Fr. Kunz was found murdered. Brutally murdered. And his murder remains unsolved. For a little background of the case, I give you the following text, provided by Detective Kevin Hughes of the Dane County Sheriff's Office:

"On March 4, 1998, at 7:00 a.m., the body of Fr. Alfred J. Kunz, DOB 4/15/30, was found in the hallway of St. Michael School. The school is in the Village of Dane, population approximately 600, located in rural Dane County 5 miles northwest of Madison, Wis., the state capital.

"Fr. Kunz was the victim of a homicide. His throat was cut with an edged weapon severing the carotid artery. He died as a result of blood loss. The body was discovered by a teacher arriving at the school and was found lying in the hallway near the door to the father's living quarters in the school. All the doors to the school were locked and there was no sign of forced entry.

"Fr. Kunz was a traditional Roman Catholic priest, who had served at St. Michael Church for 32 years. He had strong traditional orthodox Roman Catholic views that were evidenced by the fact that he conducted Latin Masses as well as English Masses. He was an expert in canon law, the law of the Church, and as such many people nationwide consulted with him.

"On the night prior to the homicide, Fr. Kunz participated in the taping of a religious radio talk program, which was to be aired at a later date. After the taping, at 10:00 p.m., he was dropped off at St. Michael Church/school by another priest. Subsequent to that, at about 10:30 p.m., he had a phone conversation with another priest.

"Investigators believe the killer is someone that Fr. Kunz knew and is familiar with the village and St. Michael's. Fr. Kunz was probably not fearful of the killer. The attack was cowardly, unprovoked, and unexpected. The particular motive is unknown but may be related to jealousy, revenge, betrayal, or any other issue which was personal to the killer...."

There are, of course, at least a few theories about who, or what, might have been behind Kunz's murder. The prominent theory is that Kunz was killed because he "knew too much." About what? About the sexual misconduct of some men of the cloth. Men who were able to cover up their misdeeds for years, even decades. Men who formed the underbelly of the American church.

A significant aspect of that underbelly is the homosexual network, a network that has existed for a long time but is seldom if ever discussed in politically correct circles. Actively homosexual priests who seek to destroy the Church from within. This is the homosexual network. "Never underestimate the power of this network," Kunz reportedly once told a close associate.

Kunz was an advisor to the Illinois-based Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF), headed by lay Catholic activist Stephen Brady. RCF investigated the misdeeds of the now-former bishop of Springfield, Ill., Daniel Ryan. (For more information about RCF's work, visit www.rcf.org.)

The police are, understandably, very tight-lipped about the status of their investigation into the Kunz homicide. But, to my knowledge, the investigation continues. In fact, press reports have stated that the police have interviewed over 2,000 people during the course of their ongoing investigation.

So if and when the case is finally solved, we'll know for sure. We'll know the full story. But, until then, all we have is speculation. Educated speculation, that is. And, I would submit, a little educated speculation - coupled with a lot of prayer - can go a long way.

[johnb2004]

Listen...I hear a hair splitting. The Vatican, for reasons that no one seems to know, allows error to be taught and tolerated without sanction.

[Viva Christo Rey]

While we're getting paranoid, let's not forget the sudden demise of JPI. That too was strange.

As long as you brought up the subject of JP1's 1978 fatal "heart attack", I thought I should mention the fatal heart attack suffered in JP1's chambers exactly one week before by the Russian Orthodox Metropolitan of St. Petersburg/Leningrad who was the number two ranking Orthodox prelate in the U.S.S.R. - and also a KGB Colonel.

JP1 had planned to move to clean up the Vatican Bank scandal - especially against Abp. Marcinkus its head. When JP1 died, and embalmed before any autopsy - it was all brushed under the table by JP2 and Marcinkus was kept in place. (He has now quietly returned to the U.S. and is hiding out in Arizona.)

Speculation for JP1's hit seems to point at the Masons involved in the bank scandal and perhaps the Russian KGB Metropolitan just "intercepted" the first attempt at a hit.

JP1 had a custom of reading in bed and turning the pages after wetting his fingers, and it is assumed that a poison was administered to the pages of the book and that was what caused his death.

[Campion]

It's happening because in the 21st century, homosexuality trumps religion, morality, common sense, safety and God.

That's just a manifestation of a bigger problem. I mean, abortion also trumps religion, morality, common sense, safety, and God, and don't forget the U.S. Constitution, too. Ditto for euthanasia, where we're headed.

So what's the common denominator? Hedonism and individualism ("my body, my choice"), in contrast to Christian humility ("you have been purchased, and at a price"). Our society has turned from God, and our churches and our attitudes are sufficiently enmeshed in that society that it's tough to keep from turning with it.

That's the long answer. The short answer is that the world and the devil are stronger than they've been in a long time, and the flesh ain't no slouch, either.

[NYer]

Aretakis is making a good move by getting the media in on this. Why? Because even the anti-Church media is more trustworthy and moral than some of these dioceses and much, it appears, of the Vatican.

Speaking of Aretakis, here are some of the comments from the 'exclusive' interview conducted by a local media affiliate with him today.

He was raised Greek Orthodox, is married and they have a 5 year old child. He has 2 law degrees from Albany Law School and Georgetown Law School. He is a trial lawyer.

In 1995, he represented a client on a sex abuse case and won. He became so immersed in the sex abuse scandal through this client that he made a personal commitment to do whatever was necessary to identify those priests who had committed these moral offenses and stop its spread.

For the past 2 years, he has not made a dime and is working off the winnings from that lawsuit. He currently represents 80 clients and expects that there are years of work ahead of him.

When Hubbard stepped up to the microphone on Feb.4, he changed the dynamics of the current situation by making personal statements. At that meeting, Aretakis distributed copies of the 'henry' letter to the media. He said that he had that letter in his possession for the past 1 1/2 years and never knew the identity of 'henry'. Hubbard's own admissions raise serious questions of credibility.

There were no earth shattering revelations. This is the NBC affiiate in Albany. The one that has been on top of the situation is the ABC affiliate - WTEN.

That's it for now.

[PeterdeVerona]

I suppose you believe Karol Wojtyla himself supports the "Lavender Mafia," right? I'm sorry I can't convince you that there are in fact people in the Church fighting this corruption, and have been for a long time now, and that much of what they do is, and must remain, secret. But, as I said before, I don't have proof, I just know certain people. Even if I did have proof of the undercover activities of some individuals I would not post them as evidence in so public a place. I wish I could convince you that trying to court away the conservative laity from communion with Rome does no good and only helps our enemies, but I can't.

[dsc]

"FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, today announced that Executive Assistant Director Kathleen L. McChesney is retiring from the FBI after 24 years as a Special Agent to accept a position with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops..."

Given that the USCCB hired her, and that they hired a woman, my read is that they hired her to help them learn how to cover things up better.

[dsc]

" You have to wonder why people keep giving money to corrupt Catholic institutions."

We often lament the huge drop-off in Mass attendance. Perhaps this was one of the reasons for it.

That would mean that a lot of people agreed with you, and voted with their feet.

[ultima ratio]

The Pontiff has never fired a single bad bishop--yet there is ample evidence these men are networked. The Pope has not even shown an interest in questioning how such corrupt and apostate bishops were chosen in the first place. He does not even seem much concerned about their lack of faith. Recently he awarded the red hat, for instance, to a man of very questionable orthodoxy. Neither has he reformed the seminaries, some of which are still overwhelmingly lavender. He has shown not the slightest concern about remedying the almost universal crisis in catechesis. He does nothing, for instance, to shore up the precipitous decline of Catholic belief in major dogmas--polls have shown as many as 75% of all Catholics no longer believe in the Real Presence and the Resurrection. Yet the source for this decline--the Novus Ordo Mass--remains unreformed after thirty years of failure. This pontificate has focused on one thing only: ecumenical dialogue with other religions. Nothing other than this seems to have occupied his attention the past twenty-five years. Yet the scandals have been washing over the Church all around the globe for more than two decades.

[old and tired]

I suppose you believe Karol Wojtyla himself supports the "Lavender Mafia," right? I'm sorry I can't convince you that there are in fact people in the Church fighting this corruption, and have been for a long time now, and that much of what they do is, and must remain, secret.

You're entirely too cryptic to be believable. I want to believe the Pope's got some undercover spies weeding out the evil, but I don't. I admire, respect, and love JPII. I believe he (along with Ronald Reagan) is responsible for the fall of the evil Soviet empire, but I think he has done a less than stellar job as an administrator.

It seems to me the Vatican acts with astonishing speed when it comes to disciplining the FSSP, but all sorts of atrocities are committed "in the Spirit of Vatican II" and the Vatican remains silent.

Jesus didn't say "let's convene a meeting to discuss this whole temptation thing." He said "get thee behind me Satan!" And in that vein, the pope doesn't need double top secret undercover spies to disband the USCCB, censure the Jesuits, tell that idiot bishop out in California that the Gospels are a true account, and excommunicate Mahoney for diminshing the Real Presence.

It saddens me to say so, but I don't think it can be denied that Satan's AmChurch grew and flourished under JPII's reign.

[dsc]

"the pope doesn't need double top secret undercover spies to disband the USCCB, censure the Jesuits, tell that idiot bishop out in California that the Gospels are a true account, and excommunicate Mahoney for diminshing the Real Presence."

A story like that would make a great next movie for Mel Gibson. He could call it "Road to Damascus Warrior."

[Barnacle]

Given that the USCCB hired her, and that they hired a woman, my read is that they hired her to help them learn how to cover things up better.

I hate to be so cynical, but maybe it's justified.

[dsc]

Is it cynical to expect bad people to do bad things?

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Speculation for JP1's hit seems to point at the Masons involved in the bank scandal and perhaps the Russian KGB Metropolitan just "intercepted" the first attempt at a hit.

Yes! He dropped dead after sipping a cup of tea set down in front of him and JPI. That tea was likely meant for JPI.

JP1 had a custom of reading in bed and turning the pages after wetting his fingers, and it is assumed that a poison was administered to the pages of the book and that was what caused his death.

Interesting. I've read another theory his bedside blood pressure medication or water glass was poisoned. Both disappeared that morning when Villot entered the room.

[Barnacle]

Is it cynical to expect bad people to do bad things?

No. That's merely realistic. I was hopeful when I heard of an FBI agent taking the position to investigate abuse.

I am not up to speed on exactly what the USCCB is and what they're about. But, based on the comments of those I respect here on FR, I have the impression that they are a part of the problem. I also have the impression that not all the American bishops belong to it. It's something I want to learn more about.

[ultima ratio]

There was plenty of evidence on Bishop Ryan--which Rome ignored. The Vatican's non-reaction was as scandalous as the bishop's behavior--more so, in fact, since it has the greater responsibility, having permitted Ryan's elevation in the first place--one of Bernadin's boys.

[Desdemona]

It's difficult trying to convince a lot of people on this board that there is a clandestine war going on inside the church. I believe you, if no one else does - and I don't know much of anybody.

[saradippity]

I know that you are right,it is just so sad that we,who love the Church,keep fighting with each other.Very intelligent folks on this forum just can't seem to separate things that do change from things that don't. Only God and human nature remain the same.

The Church led by the Pope has to navigate through these ever changing world,technological,governmental,and political situations and circumstances to bring us home to the Father and all some can do is criticize every move he makes.

They don't even recognize the great treasure he has given us,the Catholic Catechism,to ensure that the enemy would NOT be able to say everything had changed. In the absence of that document it would be quite simple to take a whole lot of official and semi official documents,and claim that modernism,progressivism new agism? was now "official".His critics don't seem to notice that if one takes the Catechism to a Renew,RCIA or whatever class they "new catholics" are presenting and knows how to use it,they can effectively block the infiltrators from spreading their lies.

My heart breaks for our Pope.

[johnb2004]

I am no rad/trad, but UR makes some good points. Old and tired, also made excellent points. One can be a devout and orthodox Catholic and still question the way JPII has handled dissent. Why is it so wrong to ask questions? As for a secret war...well that is a fairy tale until someone can produce proof. I think the pope wants orthodoxy, but he does allow and does do things that seem like he caters to dissent. Why make Mahony and that Scottish bishop cardinals? Why not crack down even a little on heresy? Why does he publish great letters, then have bishops disobey and then not punish them?

Finally, why can't the pope just say a little about why he does not make greater effort to enforce the "rules"? He is the chief. He can do almost anything.

[GirlShortstop]

The Church led by the Pope has to navigate through these ever changing world, technological, governmental, and political situations and circumstances to bring us home to the Father and all some can do is criticize every move he makes.

Thank you for nicely saying what needed to be said.  FReegards.  

[johnb2004]

Jesus didn't say "let's convene a meeting to discuss this whole temptation thing." He said "get thee behind me Satan!" And in that vein, the pope doesn't need double top secret undercover spies to disband the USCCB, censure the Jesuits, tell that idiot bishop out in California that the Gospels are a true account, and excommunicate Mahoney for diminshing the Real Presence.

Well said.