O.C. [Orange County] Bishop Sues Charity Administrator Who Accused Catholic Leader of Wrongdoing

Los Angeles Times ^ | 11/1/20 | Harriet Ryan

[marshmallow]

The Roman Catholic bishop of Orange County is suing a former charity administrator for libel, an escalation in the prelate’s dispute with influential church philanthropists who have complained to the Vatican about his firing of a nonprofit board.

Bishop Kevin Vann and the Diocese of Orange’s chief financial officer are seeking a retraction, financial compensation and punitive damages from the ex-administrator for an email in which they contend she gave a “false narrative” that suggested that charity funds might be used to cover clergy sex abuse claims.

The Superior Court suit filed earlier this month is the latest development in the bishop’s ongoing conflict with a group of high-dollar donors and other church insiders. Vann terminated the group from the independent Orange Catholic Foundation board in June after they rebuffed his request for millions of dollars in emergency pandemic funding. The board members reported the bishop to the Holy See for allegedly acting beyond his authority and violating state and church law, accusations the bishop denies.

The suit does not name any of the well-connected real estate developers, attorneys, corporate executives or others tossed from the board or the misconduct accusations they made to church officials in Rome and Washington, D.C. It focuses instead on an email written by an administrator ousted after the board firings.

In a July note with the subject line “You can’t make this stuff up,” Suzanne Nunn, a longtime philanthropy consultant who had served as the foundation’s interim executive director, gave 47 peers at Catholic dioceses and organizations around the country a behind-the-scenes account of the dust-up with the bishop.

She laid out Vann’s March request for money to cover an $8-million shortfall related to COVID-19, the directors’ decision to reject the request based on their fiduciary duties and the subsequent firing of........

[ebb tide]

Vann, 64, has a less visible role as well – he’s one of the nation’s leading advocates for immigration reform.

Vann heads the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., or CLINIC, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for low-income immigrants.

In September, Vann was one of two bishops who wrote a letter, on behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, to the Department of Homeland Security, urging executive action to protect the nation’s estimated 11.5 million residents living here illegally. In March, Vann hosted Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles and San Bernardino Auxiliary Bishop Rutilio del Riego at the local Christ Cathedral, where they signed a joint letter to Congress urging comprehensive immigration reform.

https://nhclc.org/biblical-duty-or-crossing-the-line-orange-countys-bishop-kevin-vann-walks-an-immigration-tightrope

“Underhanded tactics”

[Fedora]

Fort Worth – Bishop Kevin Vann apologized profusely Wednesday for sexual abuses by priests of the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese, but he repeatedly declined to criticize the cover-ups that left some clergymen in ministry and sometimes enabled them to hurt more people. "Not being here at the time those decisions were made, I can't say they should have done this or that," said the diocesan leader, who succeeded the late Bishop Joseph Delaney last year. His remarks, made at a news conference, angered victims of the seven priests whose personnel files were unsealed Tuesday after a 19-month court battle by The Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star-Telegram.: Bishop Apologizes for Priest Abuse but Not for Cover-Ups: Victims Angry over Response of Fort Worth Diocese (11/29/2006)

It's been almost a year now since Kevin Vann became bishop of the Diocese of Orange, and what has he accomplished? There was a profile in one of the Orange County Register's magazines that read like a press release. He approved the removal of memorial stones at the former Crystal Cathedral, memorial stones that the sheep of the Rev. Robert H. Schuller spent thousands to install under the idea they'd be up there for centuries. And now he's joining his fellow bishops in trying to defeat a California State Senate bill that seeks justice for child-abuse victims. SB 131 would open a one-year window lifting statutes of limitation so that victims of pedo-priests can file civil lawsuits against the Catholic Church regardless of when their abuse happened. A similar window occurred in 2002, exposing the Church as a pedophile factory. And that's why Vann doesn't want it to happen again.: Orange Diocese Bishop Kevin Vann Doing His D*****est to Stop CA Bill That Would Help Child-abuse Victims (08/30/2013)

[Fedora]

A priest of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Father Boyle has publicly dissented from and mocked Church teaching on homosexual “marriage,” women “priests” and worthiness to receive Holy Communion. . .Some Catholics decided to draft a petition after expressing their concerns to the diocese and getting insufficient response. Their hope is that Bishop Kevin Vann will reconsider inviting Father Boyle to its event for catechists. Vann has served as bishop since 2012, having been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. . .LifeSiteNews inquired with the diocese regarding Father Boyle’s appearance and received the same statement issued to the concerned local Catholics. In the statement, the diocese admitted that Father Boyle’s comments were “indeed disturbing,” but downplayed his remarks. It said in part: "We understand that there is concern about video footage in which he appears to contradict Church teaching on women’s ordination and same-sex marriage. While this is indeed disturbing, Rev. Boyle will not be speaking on these topics. In fact, he has frequently participated in events in Orange County to promote the good work of his ministry and to inspire others in their ministries. Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J. is a priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and is in good standing.": Diocese refuses to cancel pro-gay priest’s speech despite lay protests: Fr. Greg Boyle has dissented from Catholic teaching on same-sex 'marriage and women's ordination, but will speak at a pastoral ministry event in California. (10/2/2017)