[Bishop] Adamec irked at loose lips in diocese [,planning to punish good straight priest]

THE TRIBUNE-DEMOCRAT ^ | June 30, 2002 | SUSAN EVANS

[Polycarp]

Angered by information leaks, Bishop Joseph Adamec abruptly canceled planned transfers of priests this week, The Tribune-Democrat has learned.

The cancellation affects a Centre County priest who has publicly disagreed with the bishop’s stance on homosexuality in the priesthood, and whose brother is a conservative Catholic activist and harsh critic of the bishop.

Both brothers declined to comment, and Adamec was tight-lipped about his orders, issuing only terse written responses to a reporter’s questions.

The cancellations appear to be the latest tear in the widening fissure between Adamac’s administration of the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese and his conservative critics.

Events leading up to the cancellations began June 18, when Altoona businessman George Foster’s laity group sponsored a visit by conservative author Michael Rose, whose book “Goodbye, Good Men” is critical of the Altoona-Johnstown diocese.

Several priests attended a reception for Rose, and there were conversations of pending transfers and moving arrangements.

On June 19, the Centre Daily Times newspaper carried a front-page story about Foster’s brother James, a Bellefonte priest, being reassigned next month to another parish, and diocese officials denying political motivations.

On June 21, Adamec wrote to all parishes, telling priests that “a number of transfers scheduled to take effect on July 10, 2002, have been put on hold. There are several reasons for that, including breaches of confidentiality.”

A new list of transfers was developed last week, but dated for release on June 28.

Foster’s transfer was not included in the new list.

In his letter, Adamec apologized to “those not contributing to the situation.

“I am sorry that this places an unexpected inconvenience on those who were prepared for a move on July 10,” he wrote.

When a reporter asked what motivated the letter, Adamec replied with a short, written answer: “It’s in the letter.”

When asked if a copy of the transfer list obtained by The Tribune-Democrat early last week, but dated June 28, was a complete list, Adamec replied, “I don’t know.”

Reassignments announced by the diocese on Friday were:
• The Rev. Dennis Kurdziel, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes in Altoona, to medical leave of absence.
• Msgr. Paul Panza, [a priest with a known history of active homosexuality!--Polycarp] to temporary administrator of Our Lady of Lourdes.
• The Rev. David Becker from pastor of St. Stephen in McConnellsburg to chaplain at the Veterans’ Administration Hospital in Altoona.
• The Rev. Alan Thomas from medical leave to administrator at St. Stephen.
• The Rev. Joseph Nale [who apparently refused to show up for Holy Orders last year because of persecution for his conservative views in seminary as well as while serving here as a transitional deacon--Polycarp] from leave of absence to St. Francis Xavier in Cresson.

Sister Mary Parks, spokeswoman for the diocese, declined to comment on Foster’s situation.

But Adamec and Parks have clashed with the priest in the past over the issue of homosexuality.

Some dioceses, such as Philadelphia, will not accept homosexuals as priests, and the Vatican bans homosexual priests.
But the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese does not. Adamec’s position is that homosexuals may be priests as long as they are celibate.

The homosexual lifestyle has been the subject of an ongoing debate at Penn State University in State College. Foster voiced his conservative views and was chastised by the diocese.

That debate began in October 2000, with a Penn State ceremony titled, “A Service of Affirmation of the Human Dignity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People.”
The Rev. Joseph Hlubik, Penn State Roman Catholic Community campus minister, said that although some Bible passages speak negatively of homosexuality, there are positive images as well.

Hlublik then wrote an essay saying:

“Fortunately, with a few positive thought-provoking images of gays portrayed on television and movies and maybe even encounters with gays in our own lives, it is becoming common enough to be a topic of discussion.”

Conservative Catholics, including priests like Foster, were outraged. Foster wrote a response calling Hlubik’s statements “false teaching.”

Then Parks wrote back, rebuking Foster:

“It is highly inappropriate for a Catholic priest to criticize publicly one of his brothers. [but its OK for a feminist nun to publicly criticize a priest--Polycarp] It is canonically inappropriate for a priest to suggest publicly that the diocese (ergo his Bishop) is somehow colluding to lead souls astray.”

Foster’s brother, George, who is president of the Lay Stewardship Foundation, since has been engaged in a public war of words over the way the diocese has handled sex scandals.

Both Parks and Adamec declined to discuss James Foster’s future as a priest, or any other transfers that might be made.

[Polycarp]

Several priests attended a reception for Rose, and there were conversations of pending transfers and moving arrangements

At a subsequent meeting with some of his priests, Adamec stated, "Those priests that attended Rose's talk, I'm going to get them!" Looking at a retired Msgr., one of whose former parishioners is now a Msgr.our diocese and attended Rose's talk, Adamec shouted, "And that includes your friend too!"

The priest mentioned in this article, Fr. Jim Foster, is a good, orthodox, heterosexual priest. Bishop Adamec plans to take away his faculties to say mass, hear confessions, or otherwise teach or preach in this diocese.

Fr. Foster and his brother George are close personal friends.

Please consider FReeping Bishop Adamec to let him know that he is being watched not only locally but nationally, and that faithful Christians will not tolerate such persecution of courageous and heroic priests such as Fr. Foster, especially when Adamec is still harboring active homosexual priests as well as homopederasts in his diocese.

Click Here To Email Bishop Adamec (via his personal secretary)

[Polycarp]

This bishop is consulting with his canon lawyers regarding taking away this faithful priest's faculties.

(Please ping if you have a list. I do not have access to my ping list on this computer.)

[maryz]

Done -- I deleted duplicates on my list, so people won't be pinged twice.

[maryz]

. . . and the Vatican bans homosexual priests.

Why is The Tribune-Democrat the only media outlet that could track down this elusive piece of information? Do you think they'll get a Pulitzer for it?

[maryz]

Adamec shouted, "And that includes your friend too!"

Imminent apoplexy? Perhaps he should retire for health reasons if nothing else!

[sinkspur]

This bishop is consulting with his canon lawyers regarding taking away this faithful priest's faculties.

Adamec cannnot do this without a canonical trial, even the idea of which would be a public relations disaster.

Adamec is beginning to exhibit publicly signs of a sociopath. His belligerence is ill-advised; if he has any friends they should tell him to can it.

[Polycarp]

even the idea of which would be a public relations disaster. Adamec is beginning to exhibit publicly signs of a sociopath

Privately we're almost hoping he's dumb enough to try such a stunt. We'll have him on the front page of the national newspapers immediately. Imagine the headlines. (The New York Times has already been in contact with George regarding the previous media coverage of Adamec here.)

When I contacted this paper two months ago, I had no idea the determination and persistence and honesty their investigative reporter would put into this. Susan Evans deserves a lot of credit for her efforts and getting her publisher to allow her to report this from a real Catholic perspective. Doubly so considering she is Lutheran.

[johniegrad]

At a subsequent meeting with some of his priests, Adamec stated, "Those priests that attended Rose's talk, I'm going to get them!" Looking at a retired Msgr., one of whose former parishioners is now a Msgr.our diocese and attended Rose's talk, Adamec shouted, "And that includes your friend too!"

He's going to "get" someone for attending a talk? How intolerant of him!!

The Rev. Joseph Hlubik, Penn State Roman Catholic Community campus minister, said that although some Bible passages speak negatively of homosexuality, there are positive images as well....Hlublik then wrote an essay saying: “Fortunately, with a few positive thought-provoking images of gays portrayed on television and movies and maybe even encounters with gays in our own lives, it is becoming common enough to be a topic of discussion.”

At least there are still some places clergy can go to receive education without fearing reprisals.

Polycarp, if you can back up the quotes given in your #1 response to the article, then you should ask the paper to publish them and pursue these matters further. Do you have a corroborating source for your quotes?

[Slyfox]

There is something tremendously cathartic about reading the dirty truth in a mainline paper that very well could've been written in The Wanderer.

[Slyfox]

Who'd a thunk it? The National Enquirer begins to looks more respectable than the Washington Post and the The Tribune-Democrat prints The Wanderer verbatim. Sounds like the Fat Grey Lady is is fixing to belt out a coupla big ones.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

"The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops." St. Athanasius

If I lived in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese, Adamec would see a sign with that saying on it everyday of the week.

[Siobhan]

Dear Polycarp,
Go to the press with what Adamec said in your first post. Give the news media every little bit even if you don't have corraboration -- that is the journalist's job after all.

Bishop Adamec is clearly coming unhinged. The behavior described in the article and in your post is sociopathic.

I will e-mail Adamec about taking action against the good priest. Adamec must go now.

I'm bumping my father's list and apologize for any duplicate pings.

[Siobhan]

"The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops." St. Athanasius
If I lived in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese, Adamec would see a sign with that saying on it everyday of the week.

Polycarp, what are the billboard rates around the bishop's office? (I am totally serious).

SMEDLEYBUTLER, thank you for an excellent idea for a nation wide campaign.

[Siouxz]

Johnstown bump

[stands2reason]

I was actually surprised. I thought for sure something like this would only be printed in a Catholic newsletter.

[livius]

It does sound as if Adamec is a little unhinged. But what I really don't understand is how he can simply proclaim that, in violation of canon law, what's wrong for the rest of the Church (homosexual priests) is just fine in his diocese.

Each bishop his own Pope, I guess. It's a pity the situation has been allowed to reach this point.

[VOA]

The Rev. Joseph Hlubik, Penn State Roman Catholic Community campus minister,
said that although some Bible passages speak negatively of homosexuality, there are positive images as well.

I'm not Catholic.
Would somebody on this forum PLEASE specifically point me to the Bible Scriptures
(in the usually accepted Bible running from Genesis to Revelation) the scriptures giving
specific, positive images of homosexuality?

[Romulus]

Adamec shouted, "And that includes your friend too!"

Not Toto too!

Adamec's an F.O.D., as they say in his crowd.

[Romulus]

Dig this, from the

ENCYCLICAL LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI:

Sacerdotalis Caelibatus (PRIESTLY CELIBACY)

June 24, 1967

The Unfit

64. Those who are discovered to be unfit-either for physical, psychological or moral reasons-should be quickly removed from the path to the priesthood. Let educators appreciate that this is one of their very grave duties. Let them not abandon themselves to false hopes and to dangerous illusions and let them not permit the candidate to nourish these hopes in any way, with resultant damage either to himself or to the Church. The life of the celibate priest, which engages the whole man so totally and so delicately, excludes in fact those of insufficient psycho-physical and moral balance. Nor should anyone pretend the grace supplies for the defects of nature in such a man.

[Siobhan]

My letter to Bishop Adamec:

Your excellency:

Please be advised that your actions with regard to Fr. Jim Foster and conservative clergy in your diocese are being studied and reviewed via the internet by countless numbers of Catholics throughout the United States and the English speaking world.

Rather than being a time for a bishop to target one's critics for punishment, this is a time in which the wise bishop should be removing from active ministry those priests, deacons, and religious who are engaged in the active homosexual deathstyle.

I encourage you to take a hold of this situation by refraining from reprisals against your critics, immediately terminating the employment of Sister Mary Parks who runs your diocese, and by removing the Rev. Joseph Hlubik, a known pro-homosexualist activist.

You have it in your hands to continue to divide your diocese so that the Vatican must intervene, or you can change the direction of your reign, bring your diocese into conformity with the Holy Father and the Magisterium, and heal the wounds caused by the fundamentally anti-Catholic pro-homosexualist agenda that has caused your diocese to deform down to the nadir of its existence.

You can change it all and become a great hero by revitalizing your diocese with the authentic Catholic faith (as expressed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church), or you can continue on the present course unabated and be numbered with a list of men who are not recalled for their sanctity or devotion to Holy Mother Church.

Be a great hero, Your Excellency. Renew your diocese through the faithful teachings of Pope John Paul II and the Catechism, and cast out of your diocese all those who are at odds with the Holy Father.

Sincerely,