Excerpts from dispute between bishop, suspended priest

Erie Times-News/GoErie.com ^ | 7/3/2003 | Ed Palattella

[sinkspur]

I agree. Trautman's reaction to Triglio's words is totally out of proportion.

There's no "scandal" in words in a book that wasn't widely read outside of Catholic insiders.

[RobbyS]

What bothers me is the possibility that Bishop Murphy is lying, because the laxness reflects on his stewardship.Of course, Trigilio may have told the writer what he wished he had said. Maybe he did use "grave"languagewhen he taled to the bishop , and this enabled the bishop to pretend all was really OK. Reminds me of the instruction for getting the attention of a mule." First, yo' picks up a 2X4...."

[B Knotts]

The more a cleric praises the fruits of the reform, the more likely that he is one.

ROTFL

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

If one were to tear the mask off what has been happening in the church, it would have to go beyond just the sodomites in the seminaries. The bishops would be wise to investigate Catholic colleges and universities where members of anti-Catholic societies have infiltrated Catholic institutions and wage war against Christ and His Church from within.

What Fr. Trigilio alleges is fairly minor to what would be discovered if a thorough and honest investigation were pursued vigorously by real Catholics.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Trautman's reaction to Triglio's words is totally out of proportion. There's no "scandal" in words in a book that wasn't widely read outside of Catholic insiders. 21 posted on 07/03/2003 7:18 PM PDT by sinkspur

Agreed.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

There isn't a perfect correlation between homosexuality and heterodoxy in the clergy, by any means. But if Michael Rose's book and recent events are anything to go by, the two are not entirely unrelated, either.

It is very probable that some, along with other anti-Catholic elements, pose as orthodox and conservative. Like the KGB mole who joined Opus Dei.

[narses]

Ping.

[narses]

I was agreeing with Deacon Sinkspur. :)

[BlackElk]

Thanks for the e-mail address to Trautman. The sound that you are hearing in Boston is of the screaming of Donald Trautman in Erie, Pennsylvania over the expert removal of every layer of his skin. Candy apple "bishop."

[BlackElk]

I agree with you on the wisdom of closing minor (high school) seminaries but, as to Rose's book: Goodbye, Good Men, there is no scandal in the truth. Trautman feels persecuted because the truth is told. It is long past time for Trautman to evaporate. It is time and long past time for him to go and take his ilk with him.

When you say that Trautman's reaction to Father Trigilio's words is totally out of proportion, you are right and consistent with many others of your postings. Either all the bishops can be held to account or none will be so held. The Signatura can fix this mess and it can fix Trautman as well. May Fr. Trigilio avail himself of the services of the St. Joseph Foundation in San Antonio to take his case for restoration and other relief to the Vatican.

[Polycarp]

Don't forget, Fr. Trigilio is a priest of the diocese of Harrisburg, PA, not Erie. He has full faculties in the diocese of Harrisburg and is paster of a very good conservative parish there that annualy hosts a wonderful Catholic homeschooling conference. I haven't talked to him in over a year now, but I've had the pleasure of hearing the stories about his seminary days firsthand. My Bishop Adamec once demanded Fr. Trigilio's bishop discipline Fr. Trigilio for an answer to a question I had emailed to him, which he subsequently posted on EWTN's Ask The Experts forum.

He grew up in Erie, but was forced out of their program to be a priest. The year he was to be ordained, the former bishop told him (I'm not sure of the exact words, but the "truck driver" comment is true) "I don't think you have a calling to the priesthood. Maybe you should consider being a truckdriver." He subsequently left the Erie diocese and was eventually ordained to the priesthood in the Harrisburg.

Incidentally, Fr. Trigilio's friend and mentor and cohost of their EWTN TV program, Fr. Bob Levis, has also been persecuted by Bishop Trautman. He received a letter from Bishop Trautman in which he was forbidden to say mass at Mother Angelica's EWTN network chapels.

Incidentally, around here Troutman is referred to as Bishop Troutperson because of his obsession with inclusive language.

[Polycarp]

From the Catholic World News blog:

Outrage and Adventitious Amnesia in Erie

A story in last week's Erie Times-News reports on an instructive conflict. Father John Trigilio was suspended of his faculties to preach, teach, and hear confessions in the Diocese of Erie. Caught exploring diversity issues in a gay bar, perhaps?

Nothing of the kind. He gave an interview in which the remarks he made were such that he was charged with "gross impudence bordering on scandal." Well then, he must have derogated the Blessed Virgin, or impugned the reliability of Scripture, or dissented from Catholic doctrine regarding contraception, abortion, divorce, or the nature of the Eucharist. Or perhaps, given the expression "gross impudence," he joined forces with the growing number of priests who openly flout Church teaching on homosexuality, right?

Wrong. Referring to a seminary he attended, Trigilio told author Michael Rose, "If you wore a cassock, you were a reactionary 'daughter of Trent.' If you wore women's underwear, they'd make you seminarian of the year."

Got that? Trigilio wasn't pushing the lavender agenda. His crime was protesting against the gay dominance of the seminary, albeit sarcastically. Bishop Donald Trautman spat the pacifier across the room when he read Trigilio's criticism, and trained all his heavy artillery on Trigilio in his ensuing letter:

"I am frankly shocked by your outrageous comments. That statement alone is outrageous and unworthy of any priest. It reflects poor judgment and gross impudence bordering on scandal. Because of your allegations and the scandalous manner in which you have publicized your thoughts, I hereby forbid you to exercise any priestly ministry in the Diocese of Erie until further notice."


Quite a display of fireworks. One detects a more wistful note in Trautman's dealings with another Erie priest, embroiled in a different kind of difficulty. A techie repairing Fr. Robert Bower's computer was shocked to find on the hard drive "three photo images ... of an adult man sodomizing a 5-year-old boy." Bower was subsequently arrested and charged with possession of child pornography.

To the editors of the Times-News, Trautman wrote:


When Rev. Bower was arrested in 1999 he was placed on administrative leave while charges were pending. I sent him to counseling and, based on recommendations from medical experts, he was entrusted with supply work [i.e., saying mass in various parishes]. The former charges against him were dropped. There is no evidence of misconduct known to the diocese on the part of Rev. Bower from 1999 to the present. He appears to be a person who has put his life in order.


Trigilio can't preach in Erie; Bower could. Clearly Trautman views Trigilio as the greater threat to his diocese. Speaking ill of seminary life merits two uses of "outrageous" in a single paragraph, which, by the way, put us in mind of another product of Trautman's pen, his censure of chaplaincy secretary Sally Beres for her "outrageous claim" that the Erie Diocese stiffed her when she reported in 1982 that -- how's this for a coincidence? -- her boss Fr. Robert Bower was stashing gay porn.


When [Beres and her friend Ann Caro] went into Bishop Murphy's office, the women said, they sat in a row in front of the bishop's desk. They said Beres went to hand Murphy the materials she had found in Bower's office, but that Murphy did not take them. "He refused to even touch them," Beres said. "He refused to even look at them. He just said, 'We cannot let this get out.'" Caro and the other woman at the meeting confirmed Beres' account. "He refused to look at anything," Caro recalled. "He lectured us on love and what it means to love." ... Murphy said he does not remember the meeting, which would have happened shortly after he became bishop of Erie on July 16, 1982.


By yet another astonishing coincidence, Bishop Murphy's memory again failed him regarding Trigilio's complaint:


Retired Bishop Michael J. Murphy, in an interview with the Erie Times-News, said he recalled meeting with Trigilio and several other young seminarians when Trigilio was in the seminary. Murphy, 87, said he recalled discussing only religious concerns with the seminarians. He said he recalled no discussions about allegations of immorality in the seminary.


The moral of the story might be put in the form of a riddle:


Q: What do you get when you cross a bishop with the Seminarian of the Year?
A: I don't have a clear recollection.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Something Triglio said hit way too close to home here

Exactly what I thought.

[ninenot]

WIth "bag swabs" that sensitive, it would seem most reloaders are going to be suspects, as well.

That's good for the factory-ammo people, eh?

[ninenot]

Your comment is approximately similar to mine. At the same time, Trautman is a bad guy--and should learn to lighten up.

Somewhere down the line, this will bite him because he didn't laugh it off.

[ninenot]

Even the Institute of Christ the King (a very new Order with a reputation for orthodoxy) had a problem-priest in Wisconsin.

But no longer. Took them about 5 minutes to strip the collar, cassock and shoes from the guy and send him home to mama.

[rogator]

I knew Trautman was a politically correct liturgical vandal, but was unaware of his efforts in protecting potential pedophiles such as Bower. Trautman isn't 1/10 the man Trigilio is. He (Trautman) should be drummed out of the clergy along with a whole gaggle of his fellow traveler bishops.

[jobim]

Your chronicles of your experiences are jewels. You, sir, are a man of true courage.

[NYer]

The Catholic Caucus has been awfully quiet the last couple days.

Summer vacation? Personally speaking, I took a few days off from work to take care of household chores. Others with small children, will be checking in intermittently throughout the summer, until school resumes. That is when they will be back with a vengeance.

I literally live in the forest, so I'm not real comfortable with shooting flaming stuff into the sky here.

You are a most considerate 'citizen'. Here in Albany NY, there will be fireworks tonight from all directions. No need to leave home since we'll be surrounded! Besides, I have to keep the basset boys comforted as the rocket's red glare lights up the sky and the explosions ricochet in "surround sound". Enjoy your quiet 4th!

[dsc]

"Trautman is a bad guy--and should learn to lighten up."

Do you really think it's at all likely that he will in this life learn enough to become morally fit to walk the streets, much less serve as priest or bishop?

These men must go. They must be laicized.