Posted on 08/17/2007 10:43:08 AM PDT by NYer
Former Lafayette (Louisiana) Bishop Gerard Frey died Thursday at 92. He was among the most outrageously negligent of the abuser-shifting bishops and the first to watch his diocese get buggered into bankruptcy.
Frey's most notorious protegee was the multiple molester Gilbert Gauthe. Gauthe began abusing boys almost immediately after his ordination in 1971, but managed to deflect complaints until 1974, when Frey was constrained to order him into therapy. As Jason Berry tells it:
Bishop Frey has stated in deposition, "A young man stopped me and told me he had been counseling a young man who had emotional problems and in the course of counseling he'd found out that he had a sexual—homosexual contact with Gauthe."
The bishop said his source "seemed to be disturbed by the thing and I didn't want to pursue it with him." The bishop confronted Gauthe. "This was while he was in New Iberia. I talked to Gauthe, and he admitted that he had made a mistake, that he had been guilty of imprudent touches with this young man, that it was an isolated case, incident, that it would never happen again," he said.
Upon his return from therapy, Frey appointed Gauthe chaplain to the Boy Scouts and gave him a series of new parish assignments, providing opportunities for sexual predation that continued until 1980. Back to Berry:
Again in 1976, Gauthe's behavior came to the attention of other clergy. According to depositions, Msgr. Richard Mouton, the Abbeville pastor, met with two parishioners who complained that Gauthe had licked their sons on the cheeks in his camper. Mouton called Msgr. Henri Larroque, vicar general of the Lafayette Diocese, who said Gauthe should receive treatment.
Mouton confronted Gauthe. Mouton has stated Gauthe said, "I am not a homosexual." "Well," said Mouton, "whatever you are, you'll have to go for treatment."
Gauthe remained active as an Abbeville priest while seeing Dr. David Rees, a Lafayette psychiatrist, for six sessions culminating in February 1977. The diocese paid the bill. Mouton never inquired of Gauthe about his treatment. Asked why by attorney Simon in deposition, he replied, "I am trained as a priest to forget sins."
Mouton did take two prudent steps: He forbade Gauthe to have youngsters in the rectory, and he moved his bedroom to the upper floor. Meanwhile, Gauthe continued camping trips and outings with boys. He also traveled to Puerto Rico with the Biddy Basketball team.
Said Gauthe, "I am not a homosexual." Now there's a man who knew his DSM! As your Uncle Di has averred before concerning the abuse crisis, the problem is not homosexuals, but men who sodomize persons of the same gender. Bishop Frey and I weren't about to go off on a witch hunt, after all.
In 1985, Bishop Frey issued one of those fuzzy non-apologies, not asking forgiveness for his wrongs, but regretting the pain of those who underwent it.
"I deeply regret and am distressed by the suffering that has taken place because of the tragic events in the diocese over the past several years."
True, perhaps -- but it's a statement that could come equally well from the mouth of the victims.
Gauthe eventually admitted to having abused 37 minors, though the real number is unknown. Frey blithely coasted to an honorable retirement at age 75, the Diocese of Lafayette went belly up, Jason Berry wrote down the whole story in painful detail, and by 2004 Bishop Wilton Gregory pronounced the crisis "history."
Bishop Frey's favorite salad dressing was creamy ranch. Let it be reckoned unto him as righteousness.
Please remember him in your prayers.
I would say, the second of the worst.
Nothing came from Rome about this shame.
"Where the bishop was present, there was the Catholic Church"
Thank you, St. Ignatius of Antioch. I’m sure the holy bishop Ignatius would have had no problem applying Matthew 13:24-30 in explaining this sort of thing, even if a bishop turned about to be the weed among the wheat.
I imagine the little bugger is feeling the heat right about now. And deservedly so.
I’m not feeling very Christian about him right now.
I shall remember him in my prayers. He is going to need them.
I am also glad we are getting the kind of thoughtful responses that we have come to expect from the Protestants at FR.
Prayers for this bishops, regardless of his sins.
And then there is this quote:
“The walls of hell are lined with the skulls of bishops.”
Saint John of the Cross
“The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.”
Attributed to St. Athanasius, St. John Chrysostom, and St. John Eudes. Probably all three said it, but I like to give credit to Athanasius because he was the earliest.
There are only two bishops currently buried in the Cathedral. Former Bishop Frey will be the third bishop buried there.
Though Bishop Frey had a brother who is a Monsignor (Andrew), the best of the three Frey brothers who became priests is probably the one who is only known as Reverend or Father (Jerome) Frey.
Father Frey administers to the poor of Acadiana and the religious order that he founded is very devote and poor.
There is an article on the funeral in the local paper:
THE DAILY ADVERTISER - [former Bishop] Frey to be laid to rest in humble service
Thanks for that information on the brothers, FREY.
That name is a very common name here in Catholic circles also.
The Catholic FREY family of New Orleans that the late Bishop Gerard Frey was from was into Meat Packing.
I imagine they could have branched out into the Oregon/Washington area...
One that I am not sure what happened to is Bishop O'Donnell, who resigned in 1971.
This is an odd case -- as he was not at the mandatory resignation age of 75.
I just wonder if it was for health reasons that he resigned...
The current bishop is a younster of 62 years of age -- young for a bishop who has been a bishop over two dioceses... (Bishop Michael Jarrell)
They were in the dilemna that there was an INCREASING and ACUTE shortage of priests.
There is also the aspect that once a person is in sin, and repents, he should be forgiven.
In other words, showing mercy to the sinner. However, people who have problems with alcoholism, drug abuse, pedophilia, etc., require special attention.
For example, about the year 2003 in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, a Hispanic priest put his hand on the shoulder of a 7th grade girl -- a very innocent thing, and tame by the name of Hispanic priests (who have a habit of hugging children to show God's affection for them -- and is not a sexual thing).
Because of all the talk of Clergy abuse, the girl was concerned about this.
UNFORTUNATELY, A SEVENTH GRADE GIRL MAY NOT USE PRECISE WORDING IN DESCRIBING SUCH AN INCIDENT.
There were several other 7th grade girls that witnessed what happened, and none was concerned.
The girl in question probably would not have reported this circa 1950 because there was no talk of clergy abuse.
HOWEVER, the girl used the wording that the priest had touched her. The mother without any more information than this reported the incident as inappropriate contact between the priest and the girl.
Because of the STRICT RULES in place because of the clergy abuse reform, the priest had to be re-assigned.
When the TRUE FACTS became known, the priest had already been re-assigned, and nothing could be done.
Both the girl and the mother was heart-broken over what happened to the priest because of over-reaction to an innocent even...
Yes, as I recalled only recently, from the mid-60s through the 70s (the height of actual incidence of abuse, as opposed to its being reported by the press), priests (and nuns) were leaving by the dozen -- or the hundred, most probably to get married, others to "find themselves." The phenomenon was so marked, it even formed the "plot" of a few sitcoms!
There were apparently numerous other priests who didn't leave, but maybe should have -- I recall a daytime talk show and occasional magazine articles on support groups for women romantically involved with priests.
The significance of that is that St. Pius X, as Pope, warned about MODERNISM, which perhaps the clergy abuse could be considered a part of (and maybe not).
Maybe the spread of pornography, the immorality of the sexual revolution, and the liberalism that used Vatican II as a smoke screen, probably symbolize the problems of Bishop Frey.
That latter part of the 20th Century brought some unusual problems to the American Church -- attacks from within...
Just as Diogenes can be harshly critical of of a dead Bishop, I could be even more harshly critical of Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life, whom I worked for in Staten Island, New York. But should I be critical of a priest or bishop?
If I understand Diogenes correctly, the first sign of trouble with any priest, they should be immediately de-frocked the priest. This would definitely cure the CLERGY ABUSE SITUTION.
Of course, there might need to be another 10,000 parishes closed in the United States, and there may be 10,000 to 20,000 innocent priests harmed and de-frocked.
In hindsight, things might have been handled differently by Bishop Frey.
However, to be fair to Bishop Gerard Frey, he is not the only one in a Diocese involved in such affairs -- especially not now.
What was the role of the Vicar General or Chancellor in this situation? When did it become obvious that having a Psychiatrist on staff is probably necessary for every DIOCESE in the country? Or when was it obvious that every seminarian should be screened for SEXUAL ABNORMALTIES?
There were many changes in the 1990's in the area of Clergy abuse. This was after Bishop Frey retired.
Maybe we should all remember:
John 8:1-11 -- It is the story of the Woman caught in the Act of Adultery. Let he (or her) who is without sin cast the first stone at BISHOP FREY.
I LIVE IN THE DIOCESE WHERE THIS HAS OCCURRED. I HAVE GONE TO MASSES AT A NUMBER OF PARISHES AND CONSIDER THE CONDITION OF THIS DIOCESE TO BE BETTER THAN THAT OF MANY OTHER DIOCESES OF THE NATION.
I would say that the Diocese of Lafayette is in better shape than the Diocese of Dallas -- or any Diocese that I am aware of in Texas.
I consider the Archdiocese of New York to be in horrible shape.
I would consider the Archdioceses of Denver and Atlanta to be in fairly good shape. But both of those dioceses have had some terrible things happen recently. One was the priest in Colorado jogging naked early in the morning and getting arrested. Then there was the priest from the Archdiocese of Atlanta that was on a pilgrimmage with a group to Poland, and urged everyone to go to a Gay Pride Parade. This latter incident occurred while Archbishop John Francis Donoghue was still Archbishop of Atlanta -- and he is one of the finest Bishops I have ever known. But even with this reported to the Archbishop's office, this priest still served his parish after the return from the pilgrimmage. However, behind the scenes, I imagine that there might have been corrective action.
The Roman Catholic Church is not perfect, so if Diogenes is without sin, let him (or her) cast the first stone...
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