"Father Doyle said, "The diocese will be in a process of continually reviewing his situation and seeing whether and when he might be ready to go back to ministry."
Excuse me? That's exactly the crap that got the Church into this mess in the first place.
Men who suffer from SSAD must not be ordained. If ordained, they must be laicized when discovered. Nothing less can even pretend to address the problem.
From the Herkimer Evening Telegram
(
http://www.herkimertelegram.com/articles/2004/04/21/news/news01.txt) Abuse victim speaks out in Little Falls
By JOE PARMON-Telegram Staff Writer
LITTLE FALLS - A California man who was sexually abused at the hands of Little Falls priest Charles Celeste in the mid-1980s traveled to Little Falls yesterday to talk about the effect the abuse has had on his life.
Randall Sweringen, who now resides in Berkeley, Calif., met Celeste while he was pledging to the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Rochester, where Celeste was chaplain. The abuse began during Sweringen's freshman year at RPI and continued during his undergraduate studies. Sweringen also alleges that Celeste, who had presided over Holy Family Parish in Little Falls, had inappropriate sexual encounters with at least one other fraternity member.
Celeste was granted a leave of absence by Bishop Howard Hubbard of the Albany Catholic Diocese in November shortly after Sweringen spoke out about the abuse.
Although Celeste has admitted the abuse took place, during a press conference yesterday across the street from the Little Falls Police Department Sweringen said he wanted a sincere apology from Celeste acknowledging the pain inflicted by his actions.
Sweringen also called on the Albany Catholic Diocese to take steps to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
"I want them to take concrete steps to make sure this does not happen to anyone else," said Sweringen.
Calling himself a "deeply-closeted" gay man, Sweringen said Celeste "used that vulnerability to exploit me." Sweringen stated that his sexual relationship with Celeste left him a depressed individual who has spent years in therapy dealing with the abuse.
"I had a loss of trust in people for years, even with my therapist," said Sweringen, who is currently the director of a non-denominational Christian seminary in Berkeley.
Sweringen said he was speaking yesterday in part to encourage others who have been abused by members of the clergy to step forward. He added that he was encouraged to make his abuse public by other high-profile cases involving abuse by clergy members.
Sweringen's attorney, John Aretakis, said that victims of sexual abuse by clergy members are often silenced by those in authority.
"We will not let bishops, priests, and law enforcement silence us any further," said Aretakis.
Also Tuesday, Aretakis filed three complaints against Gloversville Police Capt. James Lorenzoni involving two rallies last fall that were held in front of Holy Family Parish protesting against clergy sexual abuse.
Aretakis claimed that Lorenzoni, a Little Falls resident, used abusive and threatening language toward a picketer during one of the rallies. Aretakis also said Lorenzoni sent a threatening email to a picketer, Marianne Barone Trent, following a Nov. 10 rally. Sweringen also filed a complaint citing fear for his physical safety in the Little Falls area due to Lorenzoni's position within the department.
Little Falls Police Chief Greg DeLuca said the incidents were investigated and information regarding the case was forwarded to Herkimer County District Attorney John Crandall. But DeLuca added that not enough evidence was presented to warrant charges being brought against Lorenzoni.
"The issue is did a criminal offense occur? Based on everything we had, we felt it didn't," said DeLuca.
DeLuca said a verbal confrontation took place during a Nov. 16 rally between Lorenzoni and David Leonard, a member of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, which organized the picket. Leonard was present at the press conference Tuesday.
"It was investigated at the scene and the officer's report indicated, based on the information available and after interviewing both parties involved, there would be no criminal charges. The matter was closed," said DeLuca.
DeLuca said that by distributing business cards and literature during the rallies, the protesters were opening themselves up for phone calls or emails that were in opposition to their point of view.
"Having that information distributed, they assumed the risk that somebody might choose to contact them, and the person that contacts them doesn't agree with them. And it doesn't mean they're breaking the law," remarked DeLuca.
"It's not a disagreement with the group and it's not whether or not the victims of sexual abuse deserve compassion," said DeLuca.
Still, Aretakis said Lorenzoni should be held accountable for his actions.
"Let justice play out," said Aretakis.