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.

[GirlShortstop]

One can be a devout and orthodox Catholic and still question the way JPII has handled dissent.

I agree when your point is taken literally:  QUESTION being the key verb.  In my observation, that is not the simple reality of FR posts though.  Do you agree?

Why is it so wrong to ask questions?

Nothing wrong with that; in fact, because there isn't time for seeking out specifics to respond to your questions, I'll take them as "food for thought".  Afer pondering them, I will probably say a prayer or two.  I know I'll pray for JPII.

...I think the pope wants orthodoxy, but he does allow and does do things that seem...

More questions!  :-)  Marking for later to see what comes of them.  FReegards.

[Desdemona]

Oh ye of little faith.

The evidence is there if you want to see it. You have to look beyond the headlines or right at them. It's there, it's just quiet. Nobody believed Woodward and Bernstein, either. It's like piecing together a puzzle. It's not all in one place, but it's there and there are no pat answers for figuring out who's involved.

I cannot say why JPII hasn't simply removed people other than I suspect he wants them to self-destruct, to demonstrate that their heterodoxy, corruption and error leads to sin and destruction, so that when people are looking to see what they should really do with their lives, they see that the teachings of the apostate bishops is NOT the way to go. The last bishops named to large archdioceses have ALL been conservative. Every last one. The liberals and their suggestions have been ignored in the placement of these men.

The letters are, yes, emphemeral, but they will stand as church teaching beyond our time. We see all of these problems as current, just as those in Renaissance and the Middle Ages saw them as current, but in the larger history of the church it's a drop in the bucket.

We may not agree with the tactics, but there is a war being fought and none of us are in charge. This pope is winning the war in the same way that the liberals started it - by slowly replacing one sort of bishop with bishops of the more desired sort, thus putting a footprint on the church for a few generations to come, hopefully, quite a few. The liberals are screaming about this. They are none too happy, but too bad.

The other thing to remember is that there is a learning curve to knowing your subordinates and it seems that there was a 5-6 year learning curve for the appointment to the office of the Papal Nuncio who replaced Jadot in 1979. He had to meet and figure out the people. Once he did the nature of the episcopal appointments changed, and once Bernardin died, they REALLY changed.

Trust in the Lord that He won't let His church go completely astray. There is cause for hope.

[johnb2004]

I agree when your point is taken literally: QUESTION being the key verb. In my observation, that is not the simple reality of FR posts though. Do you agree?

When they are my posts you may take them as questions. When they come from others...well, it depends on the tone and source.

I would like to see some prominent Catholic or group, like EWTN, get someone from the Vatican to come on TV or in print, and answer why so little is done. There is no sin in that. No sin!!

[old and tired]

It's difficult trying to convince a lot of people on this board that there is a clandestine war going on inside the church

It looks like I upset a lot of people with my last post. I'm sorry. I'm keeping my total computer time to one hour a day and I suppose I'm not being very thoughtful in my comments.

It's not that I don't believe a clandestine war is going on - the existence of RCF is proof enough of that. I guess where I part company with many here is that the pope is somehow the head of this invisible CIA. Spiritually, of course he's the head of our church and surely destined for sainthood. I don't know if it's his age or his style, but something has surely been lacking in his fight against the lavender mob.

It became very obvious to me way back in the 1980's that just about every priest who was then under forty was a flaming homosexual who cared little about traditional Catholic spirituality or values (i.e. the Rosary, the sanctity of life, marriage, the human body as a temple, etc.) We left McCarrick's Metuchen in disgust to return to Cardinal Krol's Philadelphia where Satan had not been so busy. Couldn't the Holy Father see this as well? Apparently not, because he ultimately made McCarrick the Cardinal of Washington,D.C.

I know the gates of hell will not prevail against the Bride of Christ and things are slowly, but surely turning around. But during this time, millions of souls have been lost through poor leadership and catechesis.

JPII has always been a personal hero of mine and it hurts when I see him being so ineffective in dealing with the likes of Mahoney and Bernadin's boys. Why not call Mahoney to Rome and put him at a desk job? How hard would that be? That way the pope could put an actual Catholic at the helm of LA.

Saradippity is right to say the publishing of the new catechism is a tool that can prevent more error from being taught. And I would be remiss if I didn't point to the luminous mysteries as another powerful weapon in the war against Satan.

So do I believe St. Michael the Archangel is leading the battle against Satan in our Church? Absolutely. Do I believe the Holy Father has a secret service spying for him? No. Because if he were doing any kind of concrete management of the crisis, he could have done more than give the laity weapons to fight the very hierarchy that rule at his pleasure.

Sadly, my time is up and I won't be able to check back here until tomorrow.

[Desdemona]

I would like to see some prominent Catholic or group, like EWTN, get someone from the Vatican to come on TV or in print, and answer why so little is done. There is no sin in that. No sin!!

No, but depending on the investigations going on, it might not be prudent. Not with priests being murdered.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

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. 67 posted on 03/04/2004 5:42:30 PM PST by dsc

Very true. And very sad.

[johnb2004]

My faith is sound. I am making a prudential judgment. The Watergate reporters did not take 20 years to uncover a problem.

The pope's appointments, even current ones, are not as conservative as you say. Mahony is a cardinal?? The Scottish cardinal last year is heterodox. Take a look at Eagan or O'malley for example. They were heralded as following the pope to the letter. Mr. Kerry will not be excommunicated. How about the TAT program? Cardinal George in Chicago? Gay priests everywhere.

There are so many scandals that I can't record them all. As I said in another post. There is no reason why the Vatican can't answer some questions about why the faithful have to suffer? As for your comment about liberals self destructing-what happens to the souls they steal in the meantime?

[johnb2004]

What about 10 years ago? 15 years ago?

[johnb2004]

Trust in the Lord that He won't let His church go completely astray.

Never said that. My point is that this pope, seemingly, has done little to excise dissent. All your arguments do not placate me. I know the Church will endure, but what of the souls lost now from inaction?

[tiki]

That is why you have to have trust. God knows every hair on your head and God will not lose any that He has chosen. While the Church IS the "Body of Christ" on earth, it is comprised of sinful humans but God can overcome sin and save who He will.

[johnb2004]

Trusting has nothing to do with inquiry. In fact, it may be sinful not to ask just authority why more is not done to safeguard the faith. When immortal souls are at stake, we need to raise our voices and pray. Prayer and action.

[tiki]

There is nothing wrong with trying to hold the hierarchy to Truth but don't let bad priests or bishops make you lose your faith because God can overcome sin and whatever is going on now, God knows and he will come to our defense. He will never abandon us.

[johnb2004]

Please do not misunderstand my position. I have faith. I bind myself to the barque of Peter! But, faithful Catholics need to point out that clerics and others that teach and promote error can and have lead others to perdition.

The past decades of inaction by the Vatican befuddle me. That does not mean I lost my faith. It means I am angry that souls may be lost every minute because nothing is done to correct dissent.

Various arguments have been put forward as to why the Vatican acts as it does. My position is that the Vatican should come out and say they are fighting traitors or they are not for whatever reasons.

That seems reasonable and safe.

[PeterdeVerona]

It doesn't matter. Personally, I know he is involved, but he is also old. Never the less, it is not only up to the Pope. It is also up to the Christian faithful to provide opportunity. Even when that opportunity is ignored, it must be continually offered, over and over again. I am reminded of the tragic papacy of Adrian VI. Pope during the beginning of the Lutheran rebellion. His one wish was to reform the corruptions in the Church. But, no worldly or ecclesiastical power would help. Instead, he was hounded at every turn by princes who were losing faith, and cardinals who had long since lost it. Eventually he died a broken man after being pope for only a year. Above his tome the inscription reads: "Alas! how much do the efforts even of the best of men depend upon time and opportunity."

How many times should those loyal to the pope provide an opportunity; as many times as necessary.

[PeterdeVerona]

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?

Asking questions is one thing. Being deliberately disobedient and trying to court others away from communion with the pope is totally different.

[johnb2004]

I am not calling for disobedience. Read my posts.

[PeterdeVerona]

I am not calling for disobedience. Read my posts.

Well, I was not suggesting that you, yourself were.

[johnb2004]

Are trying to tell people that JPII could not take stronger action to correct grave abuses?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Yeah--at least I THINK I do. He and Fr. Fiore worked a radio show which was largely catachetical/apologetics. Produced by a guy in south-central Wisconsin (Monroe, I think) who's an acquaintance of BlackElk. IIRC, there's not much on the radio tapes that's in the LEAST bit controversial or exceptional, and certainly not directly germane to this event. 42 posted on 03/04/2004 9:44:51 AM PST by ninenot

Interesting. Anyone know if there are any websites for the Kunz/Fiore radio show discussions?

[NYer]

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Father Fiore Obituary

Fr. Charles Fiore

                                                November 20, 1934 – February 18, 2003

Fr. Charles Fiore of Madison, WI, died peacefully on February 18 th as a result of chronic illness. A traditional Requiem Mass was offered for the repose of his soul on February 22, 2003 at St. Mary Oratory, Rockford, and was attended by almost 300 people.

A friend of the Institute, Fr. Fiore was a pioneer in the international pro-life movement. In 1971, two years before Roe vs. Wade, he created a slide/cassette program entitled, “The Face of Abortion”. He was founder of IDEA, Inc., a non-profit foundation to assist pro-life educational groups, the National Pro-Life Political Action Committee, and the National Catholic Action Conference, who, with Catholics from all walks of life promoted traditional values in public and commerce.

Fr. Fiore wrote extensively for numerous publications including The Wanderer and Catholic Family News . He co-produced “The Wanderer Week in Review” and also taught on “Our Apostolic Church,” a syndicated weekly radio program that was broadcast on several Catholic and commercial radio stations in the U.S.

Father Fiore preaching at St. Mary
during the Requiem Mass
for Fr Alfred Kunz

Fr. Fiore was a talented man of intelligence and conviction. He will be greatly missed by the many whose lives he touched.

 

Requiem Mass for Father Fiore at St Mary Oratory - Rockford