BREAKING: Church uncovers [NEW!!!] file on Shanley NAMBLA activity

Boston Herald ^ | 4-25-2002 | Maggie Mulvihill and Robin Washington

[Notwithstanding]

Church uncovers file on Shanley NAMBLA activity

by Maggie Mulvihill and Robin Washington
Thursday, April 25, 2002

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In the latest example of the Boston archdiocese's chaotic record-keeping on problem priests, church officials acknowledged yesterday their discovery of new records detailing allegations of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley's involvement in NAMBLA - the North American Man-Boy Love Association.<!ENDSUMM!>

The documents, part of a larger group a judge earlier this month ordered turned over to Roderick MacLeish, a lawyer representing several alleged victims of Shanley, were located late last week by an unnamed archdiocesean staff member, the Rev. Christopher Coyne, said an archdiocesan spokesman.

``It's terribly embarrassing at this late date to come out and say this,'' Coyne said in addressing reporters on the lawn of the Brighton Chancery.

``No one knew that the files were around,'' Coyne said. ``It wasn't just one letter that was overlooked. It's another bad thing. It makes us look like we are not being honest. It's just awful.''

The Shanley file released to date - more than 800 pages of secret records - detailed the priest's long history of alleged sexual misconduct, and, on some pages, his admissions of the actions.

But more damning were numerous documents revealing that Bernard Cardinal Law, his predecessor, Humberto Cardinal Medeiros, and other archdiocesean officials were aware of Shanley's behavior as far back as 1967, but continued to assign him to posts that put him in direct contact with children.

Coyne appeared visibly angry as he revealed the discovery of the documents, saying there is no question now that there had been numerous written complaints made in past years to chancery officials about Shanley's behavior.

MacLeish, who will receive the papers today, said he was furious with the discovery.

``If they're NAMBLA materials, as they say they are, then it's absolutely appalling. I can't believe it,'' he said, adding that he intends to investigate how the documents were missed.

``We are taking the deposition of (the church officials) involved in this document retrieval. The truth will have to come out,'' he said.

In the initial document release three weeks ago, records showed that Shanley spoke in favor of sex between men and boys at a December 1978 Boston convention that led to the founding of the intergenerational sex advocacy organization.

But a Shanley supporter who organized the meeting and later co-founded NAMBLA insists that it has been mischaracterized, and that many different points of view on the subject were presented.

``It certainly was not some kind of a man-boy group,'' said the man, who goes by the pseudonym of Socrates.

``There were social workers, psychiatrists, ministers and even law enforcement personnel. At that time, these issues could be discussed in an objective forum. You can't do that now.''

More germane to the accusations of MacLeish's clients is Socrates' contention that it would have been totally out of character for Shanley to have had violent sex with a 6-year-old.

In his suit and in a criminal complaint to Newton police, Gregory Ford, 24, claims that Shanley yanked him out of CCD classes and repeatedly fondled and raped him as a child in the rectory of Newton's St. Jean's Parish for six years beginning in 1984. ``I don't believe it, based on what I know of him,'' Socrates said, insisting that the priest would never have had sex with a pre-pubescent boy. ``I don't believe he ever did anything by force.''

MacLeish vehemently disputed that, saying, ``They say he wasn't violent. That's absolute total nonsense.''

``I have a forcible rape case against Paul Shanley from 1990 involving a 13-year-old. This notion that you're either interested in pedophilia or ephebophilia (sex with teens) is absolute nonsense,'' MacLeish charged.

MacLeish also said Ford and a second alleged victim, Paul Busa, who attended the classes with Ford but hasn't seen him in years, could not have collaborated to fabricate their allegations.

``NAMBLA has as much credibility on this as Ken Lay does on suggestions to reform Enron,'' MacLeish said.

[BlackElk]

This is not as farfetched as it might seem. Bernard Cardinal Law, at the very least, was aware of Fr. Shanley's activities and kept passing him along. If the allegation of the forcible rape of a 13-year old boy OR the six year pattern of repeatedly raping a boy who was 6 years old in 1984 when those rapes began is true, then Law is guilty of misprision of a felony which is itself a felony, probably of equal degree to Shanley's underlying felony. Vatican rules are that a diocesan bishop or archbishop must submit his resignation on or before his 75th birthday. I reckon that would come relatively early in the first of many consecutive twenty-five year terms for such a felony. Do Massachusetts authorities, usually so proud to be practicing heathens, have the spine to put their court system and their jail cells where their mouths are? If Law is merely indicted, that will be the cause of an immediate resignation. If he is jailed, he can expect little sympathy under the circumstances and he deserves none.

A second means of toppling Law is for those in his neighborhood to prove what is quite provable: Boston College has referred many coeds for abortions during his tenure; (2) He knew it; (3) He refused to even verbally criticize Boston College for fear of loss of revenue from Boston College alumni. If you topple him, you probably get a Catholic archbishop in his place. Do it.

[zarf]

God is within. Choose your mythology, but don't judge the efficacy of my moral compass.

[Endeavor]

Yes.

[DoughtyOne]

Glad you enjoyed it. What a disgusting situation. Just when you hope that the church has come clean, more comes out. I hope this doesn't get worse before getting better.

[EdReform]

"... church officials acknowledged yesterday their discovery of new records detailing allegations of the Rev. Paul R. Shanley's involvement in NAMBLA - the North American Man-Boy Love Association."

This is primarily a homosexual sexual abuse problem, so it's no surprise that NAMBLA is linked in some way. I wonder how many of the homosexual priests are also NAMBLA members.

[VaBthang4]

"God is within. Choose your mythology, but don't judge the efficacy of my moral compass."

**LIBERAL ALERT**

[zarf]

Did i say the Hairy Krishnas? I don't hang out at dime store religions. besides, I don't dig the hair style.

[Antoninus]

I don't give a damn if this bastard priest eats dirt for the next hundred years and "truly repents" (whatever the hell that means)....there should be no forgiveness for any pervert who abuses a young child in this manner. No just God would do so.

Fortunately, God and you think differently on this matter. I hope that you have no mortal sins on your soul when you stand before the Judgment Seat. This is exactly what is meant by 'judge not, lest ye be judged.'

Surely, the sins these men have committed are atrocious and abominable. If they have a true conversion of the heart and turn with their whole selves toward Christ, even they may be forgiven. It's a miracle of salvation - even the most hardened sinner may be saved.

[heyheyhey]

...my moral compass...

No such thing outside of religious faith :-)

[Risky Schemer]

I was thinking similar thoughts when I posted #31. One thing I believe the Vatican should have addressed this week is the issue of blackmail. It is only natural for a man to want to have a woman, and celibacy is obviously a huge burden for any normal man.

Any priest who has been involved in adult heterosexual relationships should be told that this is their opportunity to come forward without reprecussions. Everybody steps out of line sometimes, and now if the time to separate the wheat from the chaff. I know parishoners will be understanding; I think many would sleep better at night knowing that the man is straight.

Your reply got me thinking how close this scandal is coming to blowing the lid on the near impossibility of the Catholic vow of celibacy. The true percentages of violations (hetero and homo) might be shocking, and bring the entire tradition and practice into question.

Therefore I wouldn't be surprised if the lid is nailed right back down on this issue, soon, fast and tight.

[Tactical Thunder]

Jesus will forgive him as well as those who have lived a good , clean life.....so does any of this matter? Party On baby!!! Jesus will only forgive you if in your heart you have truned away from sin. Other then that it's the lake of FIRE !!!!!!

[smith288]

ha...you dont understand... it doesnt matter to God what I think.... or what you think...you can consider him to be a dirty scoundrel forever but God knows his heart...he knows if he feels sorry and repents his sin God sees him as forgiven regardless of your opinion of him.

You must think outside of the box regarding God... You relate too much stuff to Earthly things.

[Antoninus]

If I lived in Boston, I'd be getting together with a group of other devout Catholics to form a clandestine committee, the purpose of which is to pool resources to hire a private investigator to look into the actions of suspected active homosexual/pedophile priests, seminarians, and members of the hierarchy. If credible evidence is discovered, it should be presented to the Cardinal. If he takes no immediate action, it should be turned over to the press and if criminal, to the police.

If the archdiocese won't do the right thing, it's up to the laity to force the issue. Get to work!

[BlackElk]

Your idea that all sins are morally equivalent is ludicrous. There is certainly a difference between the serial thief of a pack of chewing gum a day and the serial forcible homosexual rapist of a six-year-old boy a day. Since we are discussing the Catholic Church, its leaders and its priests here, we can apply Catholic moral theology.

If it IS grave matter and the sinner KNOWS it IS grave matter and the sinner nevertheless INTENDS to so act, then it is a mortal sin. If any one of these three conditions is absent, it is a venial sin or no sin at all.

I am going to go out on a limb here and suspect that anyone homosexually raping forcibly a thirteen-year old or serially raping a six-year old or any other kind of rapist whatsoever raping anyone is engaged in a behavior that is grave matter, knows that rape is grave matter, and is quite unlikely to have raped less than intentionally. Likewise, anyone in authority knowingly covering up such a crime. It is something more serious than minor league shoplifting, don't you think? By the way, the Catholic distinction between mortal and venial sin is quite obviously the medieval root of the governmental distinction between felonies and misdemeanors under Anglo-American common law. See Blackstone's Commentaries on the Common Law. See if you do not agree.

[Codie]

thank goodness, my religious faith does not condone nor forgives child rape.

What faith would that be? Just curious.

[Grampa Dave]

Nambla Priests, the predatory homosexual priests and predatory homosexaul ministers in other churches are now starting to realize that the latest homosexual attack on the Catholic Church is starting to backfire on them.

All of their fellow gay advocates who control many of the editoriral boards of many left wing maggot fish wraps can no longer spike these constant new revelations. Nor can they call them pediophelia. A homosexula predator priest who buggers, fondles or abuses a teenager is not a pediaphile. He is a miserable rotten to the core homosexual predator. He became a priest to have a place to be a predator on teenagers!

Thanks to Free Republic and other news sources the real story is out. Now the Catholic Church has to respound or be destroyed. Their Zero tolerance stand is good place to start. Now they need an anti homosexual predator lay czar in each parish and layer of the church. The czars job will be to find, expose and get rid of the homosexual predators in all areas of the Church, from priests to Bishops, Cardinals, Deacons and key layiety.

Then, the other churches must take a zero tolerance stand now. The predatory homosexuals control too many seminaries in America, not just Catholic!

Then, any Christian seminary must run FBI/police checks on all current seminarians and potential ones.

Then they need to ask this simple question to all those in seminary now and before admittance: Do you believe in God, the Birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus? The candidates must sign an oath that they do that is valid for their entire time in the Church. If at anytime it is discovered that they don't in Believe in God, the Birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, they are automatically terminated forever from the Church.