To the people of faith in the Roman Catholic
Diocese of Manchester,
Brothers and Sisters:
As Catholics from parishes throughout the Diocese, we call
on our fellow Catholics in the spirit of faith, hope, and charity, to seek
truth and justice, and to work for the cleansing of our Church. As people
of faith we have been shamed by those priests who sexually abused children, and
betrayed by the bishops who covered up that abuse. As parishioners, we
have watched the undeserved humiliation of good priests, and witnessed the
rapid erosion of the moral authority of our Church. As committed members
of the laity, we have been astonished by the arrogance and duplicity of our
bishops, and remain today mortified and outraged by the ongoing scandal of
injustice.
Consistent with Canon Law and the teaching of the Church, we understand that
the laity “have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred
pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to
make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful.” We are
moved by conscience to speak out on matters essential to the good of the
Catholic Church in our Diocese. In the belief that silence and inaction
implicate those who do not oppose deceit and corruption, we beseech our fellow
Catholics to search their hearts to discover the truth, and to find within
themselves the courage to defend the Church we all love. In this effort,
we ask the protection of our Blessed Mother, and of St. Joseph, patron of our
Diocese. In all we undertake, we seek only the greater glory of God, and
pray constantly to do only the will of our Blessed Savior.
Witnessing an ongoing scandal in our Diocese, we behold especially a crisis of
moral leadership. In suffering through our pain and revulsion at the
horrible accounts of sexual abuse, we have come to see clearly a systematic
conspiracy by patronizing bishops to cover up crimes against children and the
Church. In reply to our cries and gasps of astonishment we hear hollow
words uttered by deceitful men, who say just the right things only after being
caught. Amidst the maneuvers of lawyers and the tortured language of
public relations, we still discern a grave injustice. The people of our
Diocese cry out for a moral leadership, yet the occupants of the Chancery,
promising a recent conversion, cling stubbornly to power.
We believe our Church can be better than this. We believe that Catholics
of good conscience know the source of our current distress. We believe
our diocese is endangered by its current leadership. We believe that
truth has been a casualty of this scandal, sacrificed on the altar of episcopal
power. We believe that a grave injustice continues in this crisis,
perpetrated by those who have not answered for their misconduct. We
believe that abusive priests and deceitful bishops both must be held
accountable. We believe the people of faith deserve new, moral,
leaders. We believe that John McCormack and Francis Christian must resign
as bishops, or be removed by Rome. Not without sadness do we rebuke these
failed prelates.
Not without hesitation
do we embark on a mission to rid our Diocese of the deceitful men who
endangered children and damaged the Church. Still, we go forward on this
day, convinced of the righteousness of our cause, having come to the awful
conclusions that:
John McCormack and Francis Christian protected
known abusers.
John McCormack and Francis Christian assigned abusers to parish work.
John McCormack and Francis Christian mistreated and deceived those who reported
abuse.
John McCormack and Francis Christian failed to warn parishioners about abusers.
John McCormack and Francis Christian failed to report child abuse to civil
authorities.
John McCormack and Francis Christian lied to abuse survivors and their
families.
John McCormack and Francis Christian lied to concerned parents and civil
authorities.
John McCormack and Francis Christian knowingly endangered innocent children.
John McCormack and Francis Christian misled the people of faith in this
Diocese.
John McCormack and Francis Christian have failed to forthrightly acknowledge
their sins.
John McCormack and Francis Christian are stumbling blocks in the path to
healing.
John McCormack and Francis Christian have humiliated good priests.
John McCormack and Francis Christian have scandalized the faithful.
John McCormack and Francis Christian have brought disgrace upon the Church.
John McCormack and Francis Christian have abandoned principles of truth and
justice.
John McCormack and Francis Christian have endangered souls.
John McCormack and Francis Christian must resign.
In the name of a just and merciful God, we call
on John McCormack and Francis Christian to resign immediately for the good of
the Church. In the name of Christ our Savior, we call on the priests of
this Diocese to step into the light and defend, with courage, His Holy
Church. In the Name of the Holy Spirit, we call on all the people of
faith in this Diocese, to demand that these bishops be held accountable and
resign.
In Christ we sign our names, and to His Church we pledge our devotion:
Steve Banester, St. Theresa, Rye
Joannie Barrett, St. Joseph Cathedral, Manchester
Peg Boucher, St. Thomas More, Durham
Anne Coughlin, St. John the Evangelist, Concord
Carolyn Disco, St. John Neumann, Merrimack
James Farrell, St. Mary, Dover
Maggie Fogarty, St. Thomas More, Durham
Tyler Foss, St. Mary, Dover
John Grimes, St. Mary, Dover
Ed Kirby, St. John Neumann, Merrimack
John Miskus, St. Thomas More, Durham
Rose Miskus, St. Thomas More, Durham
Bob Morton, Mary Mother of the Church, Newton
James P.
Nadeau, Jr., St. George, Dover
Mike Neyens, St. Patrick, Jaffrey
Click here to sign your name to this Declaration now
or print it, fill in the following form and mail to NHCML, PO Box 84, Nashua, NH 03061
First Name: ________________ Last Name: ______________________
City: _________________________ State: _____
Phone: _________________________
E-mail: ________________________________________________
Parish: ________________________________________________
Family members should sign individually ________________________________________
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