ABC 7 Exclusive: Pornography Found in Arlington Churches

ABC 7 Exclusive ^ | September 09, 2002 | Reporter: Greta Kreuz

[narses]

ONLY ON 7 TONIGHT, SHOCKING NEW ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PRIESTS IN THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF ARLINGTON.

AN UNSEALED COURT DOCUMENT REVEALS CONFISCATED PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIAL, IN THE RECTORIES OF MORE THAN ONE CHURCH.

ABC SEVEN NEWS REPORTER GRETA KREUZ HAS DETAILS.

Story:

A SCATHING SIDEBAR HAS EMERGED FROM THE RECENT DISMISSAL OF A 5-MILLION-DOLLAR LAWSUIT AGAINST THE ARLINGTON DIOCESE -- A SUIT BROUGHT BY A MAN WHOSE PASTOR HAD AN AFFAIR WITH HIS WIFE.

A DEPOSITION TAKEN IN THAT CASE OF FATHER JAMES HALEY REVEALS EXPLOSIVE ALLEGATIONS, NOT ONLY OF WIDESPREAD SEXUAL ACTIVITY AMONG GAY PRIESTS, BUT ALSO OF EXTENSIVE PORNOGRAPHIC MATERIALS AT LEAST TWO LOCAL PASTORS ALLEGEDLY KEPT IN THEIR LIVING QUARTERS. ONE INCLUDED GAY MAGAZINES, VIDEOS AND SEX TOYS.

FATHER HALEY TESTIFIED HE WAS SHOCKED, AND WENT TO BISHOP PAUL LOVERDE IN JUNE OF 2001 WITH SOME OF THE PHOTOS, EXPECTING ACTION.

"SO I GAVE HIM THE KEY TO THE RECTORY AND TOLD HIM TO SEE FOR HIMSELF," HALEY SAYS, "AND HE REFUSED."

HALEY WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO ANOTHER PARISH, WHERE HE SAYS IT WAS JUST AS BAD. THIS TIME, HE SAYS, THE PASTOR HOARDED COLLECTIONS OF SADOMASOCHISM, SEXUAL TORTURE, PORNOGRAPHY INVOLVING SHE-MALES, MATERIALS SOMETIMES MAILED TO THE RECTORY ITSELF. AGAIN, HE SAYS HE APPEALED TO THE BISHOP, AND THIS TIME "THE BISHOP TOLD ME THAT I HAD BETTER WATCH OUT, THAT I DID NOT KNOW WHAT HE WAS CAPABLE OF DOING."

GREG MURPHY, FATHER HALEY'S ATTORNEY: "To our knowledge, he's never done anything. The only he did was punish Father Haley for coming forward with the information."

THE BISHOP WAS UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT TODAY, BUT SPOKESWOMAN LINDA SHOVLAIN RELEASED A STATEMENT SAYING, "THE DIOCESE WILL INVESTIGATE ANY SUCH ALLEGATIONS OF MISCONDUCT BY PRIESTS THAT COME TO ITS ATTENTION. BISHOP LOVERDE EXPECTS ALL PRIESTS TO LIVE THEIR PRIESTLY COMMITMENTS."

Greta Kreuz on set:

FATHER HALEY, BY THE BISHOP'S DECREE, HAS BEEN STRIPPED OF HIS FACULTIES -- NOT ALLOWED TO CELEBRATE MASS OR THE SACRAMENTS IN PUBLIC. HE AND HIS ATTORNEY SAY THEY PLAN TO PRESENT THEIR EVIDENCE TO BISHOP GREGORY, HEAD OF THE U.S. BISHOPS' CONFERENCE, IN HOPES OF GETTING SOMETHING DONE TO STOP WHAT THEY SAY ARE IMMORAL AND ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES."

Anchor:

GRETA, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE PRIESTS IN QUESTION?

Kreuz:

WE'RE STILL TRYING TO GET THOSE ANSWERS FROM THE DIOCESE. ONE PASTOR WAS REMOVED, ACTUALLY FOR EMBEZZLING PARISH FUNDS ... WE'RE NOT SURE WHERE HE IS ... AND THE OTHER WE HEARD JUST RESIGNED LAST WEEK. BUT FATHER HALEY'S DEPOSITION SUGGESTS THIS IS PART OF A LARGER SORDID PROBLEM THE DIOCESE HAS TURNED A DEAF EAR TO.

[narses]

Ping

[sinkspur]

Loverde is supposedly "orthodox."

Maybe he's a libertarian, too.

[Catholicguy]

And of course you realize that the wronged husband will be prohibited from remarriage - yep, that'll sure motivate him to stay in the fold.....

<> Perhaps there will be a reconciliation. Nah, that would deprive you of another stick with which to beat the Church...Better hope for a divorce

[heyheyhey]

PORNOGRAPHY INVOLVING SHE-MALES

Brrrrrrr...!

These are all sinful things reported by ABC 7 Exclusive, but where is the illegal part?

If the report is about sins, and not illegal activities, then it is terribly hypocritical since ABC's and its parent -- Disney are strong supporters of sexual perversions. Abortions too.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Arlington where? Virginia?

[heyheyhey]

Yes.
According to http://www.catholicherald.com/.

[xsmommy]

he is NOT orthodox, just more conservative than most of the flamers populating the novus ordo. the tridentine church is not recognized in the arlington diocese. i heard of this through private channels yesterday. i am very disappointed to hear it.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

If true, deplorable, horrible, disgusting, but...not entirely surprising. As usual, those who report such irregularities end up suffering worse than the guilty parties. Same old story. Sad. Pathetic. Where are the real Catholics among the hierarchy?

[Palladin]

GRRRRRRRR!

And what the hell is a She-Male?

[restornu]

hermaphrodite; One having the reproductive organs and many of the secondary sex characteristics of both sexes. 2. Biology. An organism, such as an earthworm or a monoclinous plant, having both male and female reproductive organs. 3. Something that is a combination of disparate or contradictory elements. –

[Desdemona]

"Where are the real Catholics among the hierarchy?"

Either hiding or are out-shouted by the liberals. Or they are slowly making their way up the ladders. The big problem is the liberals in the way (the ones not displaying cojones unless someone gets in their way).

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

The operative word of relevance in all these stories being
"hell." Of course!

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

"Either hiding or are out-shouted by the liberals. Or they are slowly making their way up the ladders. The big problem is the liberals in the way (the ones not displaying cojones unless someone gets in their way)." 15 posted on 9/11/02 1:32 PM Pacific by Desdemona

I really don't understand what is going on out there. There was an article quoting the local bishop here crying out against blaming homosexuals for the sex abuse scandals. Duh...the majority of the cases involving sodomy of some type...Makes you wonder, is someone putting something in their water or food to make them brain-dead? How many more hundreds of millions in damages to gut the church do these guys think is reasonable before common sense returns?

[John Locke]

Perhaps you would like to join the society I have just founded. Our mission is to put heterosexual pornography in every church in the US, in order to save our priests from the sin of sodomy and guide them back to the true path.

We call ourselves "The Hefners".

[Salvation]

"Where are the real Catholics among the hierarchy?"

Not hiding out. They are doing their job as it is supposed to be done. Shepherding their flocks.

Good stories don't make it to the TV or airwaves, remember. The media is only interested in bashing the Catholic Church, not writing about the good things that are done!

[TotusTuus]

Makes you wonder, is someone putting something in their water or food to make them brain-dead?

Makes others of us wonder something else about these 'men'...