Conservative Catholics' report criticizes White's investigation

The Troy (NY) Record ^ | August 12, 2004 | Robert Cristo

[sidewalk]

LATHAM [NY]- Members of the Coalition of Concerned Catholics in the Albany Diocese released a report Wednesday criticizing attorney Mary Jo White's investigation that found "no merit" in charges of sexual misconduct against Bishop Howard Hubbard.

CCCAD members gathered at the Century House in Latham to discuss the findings of their 13-page report that called White's investigation "false," labeled the lie detector tests conducted on Hubbard and others a sham and criticized the bishop for being friendly to homosexuals.

The ultra-conservative group has been rallying against the bishop for more than a decade on a number of other unrelated issues to clergy sex abuse cases, which include accusing Hubbard of "abuse" of liturgical issues, having a "feminist" agenda that is pro-abortion and working with groups that promote safe sex.

The CCCAD report asserts that White's tactics were solely to "soil" the reputation of the accusers by tying the charges to "a lot of irrelevant" material.

"We just disagree with her report ... all she did was protect the bishop and now we have to pay $2.2 million for it," said CCCAD member Joe Bonville, 76, of Latham. Albany Diocese spokesperson Kenneth Goldfarb said it would be up to White's office to "defend or justify" the report.

But Goldfarb did remind people that the "rumors and accusations" lodged against Hubbard by attorney John Aretakis were "completely unfounded" and that the diocese would rather shift the focus to "paying attention to the true victims" of clergy sex abuse.

"They (CCCAD) say a lot of things. ... I urge any reasonable individual to read the (White) report and see what it says," said Goldfarb. "It was a thorough and independent effort."

A list of questions on the matter was given to White's office in New York City by phone. Marvin Smilon, a spokesperson for White, returned the call only to say the "report and evidence speak for themselves."

The Concerned Catholics also claim that the report relied heavily on lie detector tests that were under the control of White, which they believe renders the results meaningless.

Page eight of the Concerned Catholic's assessment alleges that CCCAD member Philip Kiernan was interviewed by White investigator Anthony Valenti, who allegedly told Kiernan that the polygraph tests would not play a big role in White's report.

"Not only was it part of the (White) report itself, but it was the highlighted feature of the report," said Kiernan in the CCCAD review of White's investigation. They are also requesting the "immediate resignation" of the bishop, based on his "creating an atmosphere" in which they believe "depravity," such as pedophilia, "flourished."

On that point, Goldfarb contends that Hubbard was one of the first bishops in the country to address the problem in 2002 by publicly identifying and removing priests where there was "reasonable evidence" against them. "We're doing as much as, or more than (other dioceses), to deal with this issue," said Goldfarb.

Goldfarb also believes the CCCAD only represents a small portion of the views of Catholics in the diocese and that many of its problems with the diocese have nothing to do with the clergy sex abuse scandal that has stunned Catholics around the world.

"They've been asking for Hubbard to resign for years .... long before the sex abuse cases," said Goldfarb. "They don't represent a significant number of Catholics."

Bonville did not know the exact number of Concerned Catholics, but he did say they send out a newsletter to more than 3,000 local residents.

There are more than 400,000 Catholics in the 13 counties the diocese serves.

[sidewalk]

From the Albany Times-Union:
(http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=275041&category=REGIONOTHER&BCCode=&newsdate=8/12/2004)

New call for bishop's ouster
Albany-- Coalition assails results, cost of investigation of Hubbard

By MICHELE MORGAN BOLTON, Staff reports
First published: Thursday, August 12, 2004

Conservative Catholics again demanded Bishop Howard Hubbard's resignation Wednesday, claiming a $2.2 million investigation produced expensive propaganda for an embattled church leader accused of sexual misconduct.
About 12 members of the Coalition of Concerned Catholics of the Capital Region continued to rip the June report from Mary Jo White, a former federal prosecutor, seven weeks after it cleared Hubbard.

They spoke at the Century House Inn in Latham in a meeting room adorned with religious statues, banners and posters bearing biblical passages. Their renewed demand for Hubbard's resignation came about a week after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany released the cost of White's report.

Members said they plan to ask Hubbard's supervisors in New York City, Washington and the Vatican to demand he step down because he has so far ignored their pleas to do so.

"We don't want to waste any more paper on him," said Phil Kiernan, coalition member. "The situation is too grave."

"This organization doesn't represent a large group of Catholics," said Kenneth Goldfarb, Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany spokesman. "They've said this before. And I'm sure they'll be back in six months demanding he resign for some other reason."

Kiernan and others knocked what they termed Hubbard's pro-homosexual agenda, although they did acknowledge his good works in social action over the years.

"It's a case of a broken clock being right twice a day," Kiernan said. "A lot of harm was done, tolerated and encouraged. We wish him no harm. But it's time to go."

Coalition members also released a 13-page report in which they claimed "weaknesses" in White's investigation included the use of lie detectors, a bent toward soiling the reputation of the accusers and tying fundamental charges "to a lot of irrelevant material."

Over four months, White and a team of investigators from her Manhattan law firm conducted more than 300 interviews around the country and reviewed more than 20,000 documents including all of Hubbard's personnel files, phone records, credit card statements and his personal computer.