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Posted on 03/26/2010 9:38:33 PM PDT by Salvation
Today's front-page story in the New York Times suggests that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), under the direction of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, failed to act against a Wisconsin priest who was accused of molesting scores of boys at a school for the deaf.
Is the story damaging? Yes. Should the Vatican have acted faster? Yes. Should the accused priest have been laicized? In all probability, Yes again.
Nevertheless, before assigning all blame to the Vatican, consider these factors:
1. The allegations of abuse by Father Lawrence Murphy began in 1955 and continued in 1974, according to the Times account. The Vatican was first notified in 1996: 40 years after Church officials in Wisconsin were first made aware of the problem. Local Church leaders could have taken action in the 1950s. They didn't.
2. The Vatican, following the standard procedures required by canon law, kept its own inquiries confidential. But the CDF never barred other investigations. Local Church officials could have given police all the information they had about the allegations against Murphy. Indeed they could have informed police 40 years earlier. They didn't.
3. Milwaukee's Archbishop Cousins could have suspended Father Murphy from priestly ministry in 1974, when he was evidently convinced that the priest was guilty of gross misconduct. He didn't. Instead he transferred the predator priest to a new diocese, allowing him to continue pastoral work giving him access to other innocent young people. And as if that weren't enough, later Archbishop Weakland made sure that there was no "paper trail." There was certainly a cover-up in this case. It was in Milwaukee, not in Rome.
4. Having called the Vatican's attention to Murphy's case, Archbishop Weakland apparently wanted an immediate response, and was unhappy that the CDF took 8 months to respond. But again, the Milwaukee archdiocese had waited decades to take this action. Because the Milwaukee archdiocese had waited so long to take action, the canonical statute of limitations had become an important factor in the Vatican's decision to advise against an ecclesiastical trial.
5. In a plea for mercy addressed to Cardinal Ratzinger, Father Murphy said that he had repented his misdeeds, was guilty of no recent misconduct, and was in failing health. Earlier this month Msgr. Charles Scicluna, the chief Vatican prosecutor in sex-abuse cases, explained that in many cases involving elderly or ailing priests, the CDF chooses to forego a full canonical trial, instead ordering the priest to remove himself from public ministry and devote his remaining days to penance and prayer. This was, in effect, the final result of the Vatican's inquiry in this case; Father Murphy died just months later.
6. The correspondence makes it clear that Archbishop Weakland took action not because he wanted to protect the public from an abusive priest, but because he wanted to avoid the huge public outcry that he predicted would emerge if Murphy was not disciplined. In 1996, when the archbishop made that prediction, the public outcry would--and should--have been focused on the Milwaukee archdiocese, if it had materialized. Now, 14 years later, a much more intense public outcry is focused on the Vatican. The anger is justifiable, but it is misdirected.
This is a story about the abject failure of the Milwaukee archdiocese to discipline a dangerous priest, and the tardy effort by Archbishop Weakland--who would soon become the subject of a major scandal himself--to shift responsibility to Rome.
Weakland was removed.
**This will NEVER be covered on the alphabets!!**
Nevertheless, we can post it here.
And, hopefully, some of the dimocrat Protestants who are posting the infamous accuasation about Pope Benedict can stop and desist in their postings. (Wishful thinking?)
Sexual Abuse of Children by Protestant Ministers
Report: Protestant Church Insurers Handle 260 Sex Abuse Cases a Year
Abuse by Protestant Ministers of Every Denomination
Child Sexual Molestation by Various Protestant Clergy
"Yeshiva" of Brooklyn also Guilty of Child Abuse
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teachers and Pedophilia - In YOUR Backyard
Washington Post -- D.C. school officials reported 220 abuse allegations against teachers
Sex Abuse by Teachers Said Worse Than Catholic Church
WHEN BOYS ARE MOLESTED BY TEACHERS AND OTHERS IN POSITIONS OF AUTHORITY
Sadly, I think that Weakland wasn’t disciplined (other than being forced to retire early) because of the fact that he has lots of friends in high places (liberal American bishops and cardinals) and perhaps because of misguided kindness. Weakland - well, actually, wealthy donors who were friends of his - paid back the money he stole for his boyfriend and was supposed to go live in retirement at a monastery.
This initially failed because the monastery in question didn’t want him. They finally found some other place for him, and unfortunately, proving that no good deed goes unpunished, he has devoted his new leisure hours to attacking the Pope and orthodox Catholicism in whatever way he can.
I wish that the head of his order would at least silence him, but some of the Benedictines are pretty bad and are probably on his side.
livius, what we need now is another St. Francis of Assisi;
“Francis, rebuild my Church”
One of the most humbling memories I have is seeing the frock and sandals of St. Francis. Unforgettable.
And we need another Lepanto.
May all of us who are called Catholic by name be in prayer from noon to 3 this coming Good Friday.
The Lord will hear us.
**And we need another Lepanto.**
I firmly believe this will happen, but it will be a Miracle of New York, Washington D. C................you can choose the city.
Say the Rosary to end abortion.
Does anything else matter?
ABSOLUTELY. The primary responsibility of those in authority, bar none was to find who all the victimes were and make things right. That wasn't even attempted.
No song and dance about any other aspect of this matters.
Period.
Interesting summary.
What is the hanging question? What was the archbishop then accused of doing ... which this story brought up, but didn’t explain?
The archbishop (Weakland) was gay and probably knew about this and other cases long before 1996, when he claims (an unsubstantiated claim) that he reported it to the Vatican. If he did so, it was only because he had some suspicion that it might come out for some reason and he wanted to cover his episcopal posterior. However, I doubt that he ever did report it.
The Church must be ever vigilant and must always be cleaning house. We will all be a lot better off when the generation of priests ordained in the 60’s retires.
There is a whole wolf-pack of them about his age. All who haven’t, will soon retire.
Thankfully, many of the Bishops who caused all the problems with their push for the changes in the "Spirit of Vatican II" are retiring.
Thank you for posting this!
:-)
I’ve been so disappointed with people WHO SHOULD KNOW BETTER and their knee-jerk reactions, without hearing both sides.
So what about all those naughty teachers?
We judge the Catholic Church by the actions of a few priests, but do we judge the public schools by the actions of a few teachers?
No, it’s hushed up and under the radar of the media. LOL!
PS. For what it’s worth............don’tcha know that the media hates the Catholic Church?
Yup.
The Church is an idea conceived by Jesus and handed to Peter to implement. The Church, therefore, has a structure composed of human men with all their wants and desires and failings that cloud their own spirituality and good judgment.
Jesus never intended for his church to be corrupted by these men and I believe He is extremely disappointed and dismayed in these failings. After all, these failings hurt other people which violates the Great Commandment. What Jesus founded has been tarnished by men is some serious ways.
So this does not, nor should it reflect badly on what Jesus founded and the concepts that are meant to be taught and observed. In other words, when matters like this come up, I believe we have to separate what Jesus intended from what the church is now.
You say you’d believe anything the Church says over the NY “Slimes”. I’m sorry to say I can’t say the same as the history over the centuries in this church of corruption by men continues to demand some kind of second-guessing in earthly matters such as these.
Setting the record straight in the case of abusive Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy
Long Applause for New York Prelate Who Defends Pope
NYT UNFAIRLY CITES POPE'S ROLE [Catholic Caucus]
Scoundrel Time(s)
The Pope and the Murphy case: what the New York Times story didn't tell you
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