NH Catholics for Moral Leadership

Home | Declaration | Contact

 

This page displays articles relating to the sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church.

bullet

Wed, 14-Jan-2004  McCormack must go in light of new documents

bullet

Sat, 13-Sep-2003   Strapped diocese should scrap retreat at lavish resort

bullet

Fri, 12-Sep-2003   Gregoire used by diocese to ameliorate past mistakes

bullet

Sun, 7-Sep-2003   Priest Takes on Bishop

bullet

Sun, 7-Sep-2003   Clerical Doubletalk Raises Doubts About Investigation

bullet

Fri, 29-Aug-2003   "Mixed Messages" from McCormack?

bullet

Wed, 27-Aug-2003  Vatican Appeal Succeeds in Priest Reinstatement

bullet

Sun, 3-Aug-2003    McCormack misses spirit of the law

bullet

Fri, 1-Aug-2003     The Half Truths of Bishop McCormack

bullet

Fri, 1-Aug-2003     NH Catholics, why have you forsaken us?

bullet

Thu, 31-Jul-2003   Canon law allows for resignations of NH bishops

bullet

Wed, 30-Jul-2003  Despite tradition, bishop must go

bullet

Fri, 25-Jul-2003     Group’s petition seeks resignation of bishops

bullet

Fri, 25-Jul-2003     McCormack's reputation continues to plummet

bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003    Yes, someone behaved responsibly in Boston

bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003    Petitioners: McCormack must resign

bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003    Abuse enablers must follow Law into retirement

bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003    Over 1000 Catholics Sign for Bishops' Resignations

bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003    Bishops Invited to Open Forum

bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003    Report: McCormack failed some sex abuse victims

bullet

Wed, 23-Jul-2003   MA Attorney General report on church abuse

                                   Get the Full Report!

bullet

Sun, 20-Jul-2003    Problems won't leave while McCormack is here

bullet

Sat, 12-Jul-2003     Priest Psychiatrist Calls McCormack a 'Liar'

bullet

Wed, 9-Jul-2003    Christian to be Deposed in Sex Abuse Suit

bullet

Wed, 18-Jun-2003  21 Bishops Have Resigned

bullet

Mon, 16-Jun-2003   Bishop O'Brien Arrested in Fatal Hit-and-Run

bullet

Mon, 16-Jun-2003   Keating Resigns from National Review Board

bullet

Mon, 9-Jun-2003    Catholic Teen Retreat Closes in Manchester

bullet

Mon, 26-May-2003  Survivor Support Letter

bullet

Mon, 26-May-2003  McCormack's Presence in Auburn Draws Protest

bullet

Sun, 25-May-2003   Parishioners Blame NH Bishops

bullet

Mon, 19-May-2003  Pastoral Council Calls for McCormack Resignation

bullet

Tue, 29-Apr-2003   Concord Monitor Editorial: Unrepentant

bullet

Wed, 9-Apr-2003   Union Leader: McCormack's Mess: Bishop's

                                  pride continues to divide church

bullet

Wed, 9-Apr-2003   Church Disunity in the Priest Scandal

bullet

Wed, 9-Apr-2003   Boston Globe: Tactics Suit the Guilty

bullet

Fri, 4-Apr-2003      Concord Monitor Editorial: No Trespassing

bullet

Thu, 3-Apr-2003    Telegraph Calls for McCormack, Christian to Resign

bullet

Wed, 2-Apr-2003   CA Diocese Sues Boston Archdiocese Over

                                       McCormack's Classmate Shanley

bullet

Tue, 1-Apr-2003     Diocese Attempts to Bar Access

bullet

Mon, 31-Mar-2003   NH Catholics Call for Resignations

bullet

Sat, 15-Mar-2003    Polls Show Bishop Should Resign

bullet

Sun, 2-Feb-2003     Parish Cites Abuse Crisis for Donation Decline

 

New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership

P.O. Box 84

Nashua, NH 03061-0084

www.nhcatholics.org

 

For Immediate Release

January 14, 2004
Contact: Carolyn Disco, 603-424-3120, cell 603-582-9084, cdisco40@yahoo.com

 

McCormack must resign or be removed in light of new documents

 

Failed to help investigation or warn victim of health risks

NASHUA, NH - New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership (NHCML) reiterates its call for the resignation of Bishop John McCormack in light of documents filed in Suffolk Superior Court last evening that show he knew authorities were investigating a priest in 1994 about molesting a 16 year old boy and he failed to offer information about the victim's identity.

The authorities wanted to determine if the youth was a minor under the law or if coercion and rape were involved, according to the Boston Globe. With questions hanging, McCormack was aware the Rev. Barry Robinson, 53 at the time, was leaving the country for his native Australia, and had a history of "the same difficulty" in Australia and Chile. He was told, "the priest has done this before 'but was not caught'," in notes from Sr. Catherine Mulkerrin. She also wrote that Robinson admitted he "molested a boy."

There is also no indication McCormack sought to learn if others in Boston were molested as well. This was in keeping with his refusal numerous times to authorize Sr. Mulkerrin to seek out potential victims in parishes where abuse had occurred.

"The corruption of John McCormack in handling this case is further testament of his horrific record of protecting priests at all costs," said Carolyn Disco, a founding member of NHCML. Robinson is currently assistant pastor at St. Mary's of the Immaculate Conception in the diocese of Melbourne, Australia, reportedly under restrictions.

The documents show that Robinson, who served at Blessed Sacrament parish in Jamaica Plain, MA in the early 90's, admitted abuse to his therapist. The therapist reported it to authorities in accord with the law. As a result, McCormack quickly became involved in a cover-up that kept vital information secret so Robinson could depart from the United States unhindered.

After Robinson's return to Australia, McCormack continued to monitor developments, writing to a colleague in Melbourne, "assure Barry that no further steps have been taken regarding any civil complaint," and later, that "At one time, the civil authorities were looking for further information about him but were unsuccessful, to my knowledge."

McCormack then went on to seek legal advice about the possibility of Robinson's arrest should he return to the United States for treatment, learning it was "minimal." The fact an arrest was feared indicates the gravity of the offense.

In addition, McCormack knew of Robinson's high-risk behaviors and that there was an exchange of bodily fluids. Yet he never warned the youth over the last ten years of possible serious health risks from the danger of his developing hepatitis C or HIV AIDS infections.

"The travesty in all this is that the bishops have never been held accountable for their evasions and deceit. It is past time for the Vatican to remove these compromised men from office," Disco added. A Zogby poll released just two months ago revealed that 82 percent of lay Catholics want bishops complicit in the sexual abuse scandal to resign and be removed from office. http://www.eppc.org/docLib/20031117_zogbypressrelease.doc NHCML will continue to make that case in whatever ways it can. New Hampshire Catholics can express their desire for resignation by signing a declaration to that effect on www.nhcatholics.org.

####

New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership (NHCML) was formed in March 2003 by 15 Catholics from across the state solely to seek the resignations of Bishop John McCormack and Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian. NHCML published a declaration that calls the bishops to account for their failure to protect children from sexual abuse by priests. Its website, www.nhcatholics.org, has gathered over 1,500 signatures of New Hampshire Catholics who support its goals, and includes extensive documentation on the crisis in the Church.

Back to Top
 
bullet

Fri, 12-Sep-2003   Gregoire used by diocese to ameliorate past mistakes

To the editor:

In his editorial response, Mr. John Miskus did not go far enough in explaining the extent of Bishop John McCormack’s duplicity regarding the removal and reinstatement of Fr. Paul Gregoire. Not only Bishop McCormack, but Bishop Francis Christian, and Fr. Edward Arsenault, the bishop’s delegate for sexual misconduct, said repeatedly for months, publicly and privately, that the accusation against Fr. Gregoire was "credible."

Only two days after Fr. Gregoire’s removal, diocesan spokesman Patrick McGee (according to Foster’s) was telling the people of Dover "the Diocese’s Office of the Delegate and Diocesan Review Board agreed that the accusation was credible." The next day later, Bishop Christian informed parishioners at St. Charles that "the Rev. Paul L. Gregoire was prohibited from ever performing priestly functions again" (Foster’s 12/9). When inquiries were made to the diocese, Fr. Arsenault said to those who asked, "The act of sexual misconduct of a minor by Fr. Gregoire occurred with no doubt in the mind of the Diocesan Review Board or Bishop McCormack." In March, Bishop McCormack wrote to the St. Charles Parish Council telling them, "The accusation has been determined to be credible by the Diocesan Review Board after a thorough investigation. By the Office of the Delegate ... I think you should know, that in light of the above reasons, I have no plan to assign him to ministry."

These bishops and their spokesmen maintained that position up until the last minute when a Vatican appeal vindicated Fr. Gregoire and rightly returned him to his parish ministry. They recommended Fr. Gregoire’s removal to the Vatican and maintained that position for nine months even though from December onward, they had in their possession evidence that exonerated Fr. Gregoire.

Still, as late as June 4, Mr. McGee was quoted in the Foster’s saying it was a "credible accusation" and that the case of Fr. Gregoire was "out of the diocese’s hands." Only after their case was overturned and a Vatican review recognized the terrible injustice done to Fr. Paul did the Diocese of Manchester begin to claim that their investigation was "ongoing" and that the bishop had determined the evidence was "insufficient."

And yet, from December to August, when that investigation was supposedly "ongoing," nobody at the diocese, not Bishop McCormack, not Bishop Christian, not Fr. Arsenault, not spokesman McGee, not Fr. Audet (who was so often at St. Charles), nobody ever made an effort to clarify the record for the sake of the parishioners and Fr. Paul. Until they lost their case on appeal, not once did they ever suggest "that the investigation was ongoing," or that the evidence against Fr. Gregoire was "insufficient," or that there was a chance he could be reinstated. Rather, they allowed the parishioners of St. Charles to suffer without their pastor, as they continued to smear the reputation of a good priest whom they had every reason to believe was innocent.

Why? Bishop McCormack, Bishop Christian and Fr. Arsenault were content to use Fr. Gregoire as an example of their tough new attitude toward sexual abuse by priests. Innocent or not, it did not matter. Fr. Gregoire was the make-up call, the overcompensation for past mistakes. He was a convenient show piece for a diocese reeling from bad publicity about Bishop McCormack’s misconduct in Boston, overwhelmed by public outrage at the bishop’s assignment of Roland Cote to a parish in Jaffrey, and sinking fast from the consequence of a state investigation that established how poorly Bishop Christian and the diocese in general had previously handled past sexual misconduct. Indeed, in the same week that Fr. Gregoire was removed, the diocese was concluding its agreement with the state. The report of the Attorney General’s office, which condemned the diocese’s handling of past abuse cases, was published only four days after Fr. Gregoire’s removal.

In short, Bishop McCormack smeared the reputation of a good priest, making him and his parish suffer for nine months, and he did so to save his own sorry reputation. They lied about Fr. Gregoire in December, March and June, and they have lied again recently to cover their despicable effort at character assassination. When habitual liars inhabit a chancery, only a complete house cleaning can usher in truth.

James Farrell

Somersworth

Back to Top
    
bullet

Fri, 1-Aug-2003    The Half Truths of Bishop McCormack

 

By Carolyn Disco

for the Merrimack Journal

 

Bishop John McCormack released a statement to the people of New Hampshire in their bulletins at mass last Sunday as a follow-up to the news this week that the Massachusetts attorney general will not indict him for criminal conduct.

 

The statement is a classic example of half-truths that ignore the record of the bishop as a person intimately involved in sexual abuse investigations from 1984 to 1994, with particular authority the last two years. Our group, New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership continues to add to the 1,100 signatures posted on its website, www.nhcatholics.org, calling for the resignations of McCormack and Bishop Francis Christian.

 

McCormack states he was asked “to assist” in handling investigations, which minimizes his key role throughout. He investigated complaints for various bishops, the man on the scene essentially, culminating in the full time position of delegate for sexual misconduct. Attorney General Thomas Reilly noted “…the Delegate operated with a great deal of autonomy.”

 

McCormack often blames Cardinal Bernard Law as the decision maker, when his own records fail to show recommendations or objections contrary to Law’s actions. In fact, disbelieving victim/survivors, lying to them, preventing outreach to other possible survivors, and refusing to recommend the removal of abusive priests, were hallmarks of his “assistance.”

 

As he learned more, McCormack writes, “My efforts culminated in 1993 with the implementation of the first comprehensive written policy regarding the handling of complaints and the creation of a Review Board of experts from the public.” True.

 

But what is left out in McCormack’s letter is that the key provisions suggested by four experts at Harvard and Boston University medical schools, as well as survivor themselves, were not included in the policy. These included reporting to legal authorities, and not returning priests to ministry since the evidence for relapse was “overwhelming.”

 

McCormack still trumpeted that the policy had been developed with survivor input, leading survivor Ray Sinibaldi to note last year, “I think in the end they used us.” Carolyn Newberger, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School commented, “I am very angry. I really feel betrayed.”

 

The limitations of the policy are evident in the great number of priests removed since the scandal broke, and the fact that it took the actual release of documents in 2002, nine years later, to achieve that effect. Before the ink was really dry in 1993, McCormack was pleading for the return to ministry of one priest who molested a 12-year old boy.

 

McCormack writes further in his statement, “ My desire to help everyone affected and to protect children continues today as the diocesan Bishop of Manchester.” It is regrettable McCormack chooses to use the word, “continue,” since it is not his desire but his deeds that just avoided criminal prosecution.

 

The sharp contrast between desire and actions to implement that desire are criminal in all but the legal sense. A Jesuit psychiatrist who evaluated priests for McCormack said in a deposition, McCormack “is a liar.” He later attempted to soften that wording but an errata sheet in a deposition cannot be used to change what was said under oath; “it is not a take home examination,” according to case law.

 

McCormack continues: “My ministry during the last five years as the Bishop of Manchester has enabled me to implement important new steps to ensure the protection of children and young people…to strengthen the Diocese of Manchester’s sexual abuse policy.” This was the same kind of strengthening that marked the Boston policy noted above: all procedures still resulting in abusive priests in service – until the press broke the story and McCormack hurriedly responded.

 

McCormack then lists review board, staff, and task force additions, training sessions and survivor support group initiatives. But the listing of these actions, which really qualify as forced virtue after being caught, exemplifies McCormack and Christian’s owning of the solution but not the crisis.

 

Pass over the crisis with pallid statements about mistakes made and harm done, but where is the deep public penance that seeks to correct a grave moral imbalance in the Body of Christ? Not one word of contrition is in a letter occasioned by Attorney General Reilly’s scathing report.

 

NHCML asks where is the acknowledgement from the bishops that 1) we are guilty of criminally endangering children, 2) that their bodies and souls were molested by our decision to protect our positions and our reputations, 3) that in the words of the New Hampshire attorney general we were willfully blind, consciously ignorant and flagrantly indifferent to the dangers priests posed to children?

 

This is the plain truth that the bishops skirt with public relations like McCormack’s letter.

 

   Carolyn Disco is a founding member of New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership. The organization was founded in March 2003 by 15 Catholics from across the state solely to seek the resignations of Bishop John McCormack and Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian.

 

Back to Top     

 

 
bullet

Thu, 31-Jul-2003  Canon law allows for resignations of NH bishops

In responding to calls by more than 1,000 New Hampshire Catholics for the resignations of Bishops John McCormack and Francis Christian, the diocesan chancellor, the Rev. Edward Arsenault, remarked that in his view, “they’ve proposed a solution to the crisis in the church that’s not part of our tradition” (Telegraph, July 25).

Rev. Arsenault is wrong. The resignation of Cardinal Law and other bishops shows that such remedies are clearly within the tradition of the church.

Indeed, canon law states specifically that “a diocesan bishop who, because of illness or some other grave reason, has become unsuited for the fulfillment of his office is earnestly requested to offer his resignation from office.”

Is canon law within the tradition of the church? Are there any bishops anywhere less suited to the fulfillment of their office than McCormack and Christian?

Rev. Arsenault went on to remark that “faithful, accountable service to the church is leadership.” True enough, but that’s hardly what we’ve seen from these corrupt bishops.

According to the Massachusetts attorney general, McCormack personally “failed to properly supervise people that he and church officials knew were dangerous and presented a risk to children.”

Moreover, our current bishop was a chief participant in a systematic “mistreatment of children so massive and so prolonged that it borders on the unbelievable.”

Bishop Christian, for his part, was guilty of similar misconduct in New Hampshire, a central player within a “tradition” here that led New Hampshire’s attorney general to seek indictments against the diocese on charges of willful child endangerment.

Is this the type of “faithful accountable service to the church” of which Rev. Arsenault spoke? Is the endangerment of children now “part of our tradition?”

Indeed, Rev. Arsenault’s tortured apologetics on behalf of the criminal class in the chancery would leave most ordinary Catholics to wonder whether truth and justice were any longer “part of our tradition.”

Rather, most would agree with the National Catholic Reporter, which maintained that “Any other institution in this society - government, business, nonprofit - would rightly show these men the door.”

New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership simply asks that these bishops face consequences for misconduct that, to borrow the words of Rev. Arsenault, “that’s not part of our tradition.” Catholics who agree can add their name to the 1,150 who have already demanded resignations: www.nhcatholics.org

James Farrell

Somersworth

Back to Top     
bullet Thu, 24-Jul-2003  Bishops Invited to Open Forum

July 24, 2003

New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership
invites

Bishop John B. McCormack
and
Auxiliary Bishop Francis J. Christian
to take part in an open forum on
Leadership in the Diocese of Manchester.

 

We invite you to participate in a forum, open to New Hampshire Catholics, the public and the media, to discuss the question of your leadership within the Diocese and the Catholic Church, and the reasons why so many New Hampshire Catholics believe you cannot remain in leadership positions and effectively lead this Diocese.  These are public questions of grave importance to Catholics and citizens in New Hampshire.   They are questions that need to be raised openly, frankly, honestly, and directly.

This forum would take place in a public setting, at a time convenient to all involved. In addition to Bishops McCormack and Christian, two members of New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership would take part in an open discussion of this vital question. We would be happy to discuss the specific logistics of this event with you at any time.

Please RSVP: Maggie Fogarty (749-9165), James Farrell (692-7927), or in writing to

New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership, P.O. Box 18, Nashua, New Hampshire, 03061-0018.

Back to Top    
bullet

Thu, 24-Jul-2003  Over 1000 Catholics Sign for Bishops' Resignations

For Immediate Release
July 24, 2003

MANCHESTER - New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership (NHCML) today delivered the names of more than 1,000 New Hampshire Catholics calling for the resignations of Bishops John McCormack and Francis Christian to the Diocese of Manchester.

The list represents practicing Catholics from across New Hampshire who signed in support of NHCML's declaration outlining the reasons McCormack and Christian should resign. The signatures were gathered on the group's website (www.nhcatholics.org) by online entries or by US mail at NHCML, P.O. Box 84, Nashua, NH 03061.

"This is an amazing milestone," said NHCML founding member Maggie Fogarty at a press conference in Manchester. "We secured more than 1,000 signatures in less than three months through a movement that has grown of its own accord.” Despite spending very little money, and with no public relations firm behind the effort, NH Catholics is meeting the needs of those hurt by the bishops’ presence as emblematic figures in the sexual abuse scandal. The hierarchy has not faced a public outcry of this magnitude before.

Catholics speaking out forcefully on the quality of their bishops’ leadership is a new experience, and one that is undertaken in the face of significant obstacles. NH Catholics was barred from spreading its message at parishes around the state, and not allowed to post its web address in parish bulletins. The group appealed directly to Chancellor Edward Arsenault on May 9, 2003 to reverse his instruction to pastors to "refrain from allowing NHCML from distributing any material” on parish property. That letter has gone unanswered.
 
In response to Rev. Arsenault’s continuing statements that resignation is not a part of the Church’s tradition, NH Catholics points to five bishops from around the world who have resigned for mishandling abuse allegations: Australia - Bishop Ronald Mulkearns, Ireland - Bishop Brendan Comiskey, U.K. - Archbishop John Aloysius Ward, Canada - Archbishop Alphonsus Liguori Penney, and the U.S. - Cardinal Bernard Law.

NHCML members refer to the change of leadership in the Archdiocese of Boston as an example of how replacing tainted leaders can improve morale in a church that has lost respect, donations, and many members in the course of this crisis.

"Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston have hope for the first time in a long time," said Farrell. "While still supporting survivors of abuse, new leadership is allowing the Church in Boston to move forward in a way that wasn't possible before. We want to see those same winds of change blow through New Hampshire."

NHCML members pledge to remain committed to their goal and said the Diocese should not imagine it can wait them out or wear them down. All that was necessary for the triumph of evil was for good bishops and priests to do nothing but adhere to their code of secrecy. “Silence is not an option,” said Fogarty "We will continue to gather names, speak out, and use every other means available to us to achieve the resignation or removal of these bishops. This is essential to the healing of our Church.”

Back to Top    
 
bullet

Wed, 18-Jun-2003      21 Bishops Have Resigned

 

(06-18) 05:29 PDT (AP) -- The Associated Press
Twenty-one Roman Catholic bishops, 10 of them Americans, have resigned since 1990 in the context of sex scandals.


 U.S. cases:
   * The late Archbishop Eugene Marino of Atlanta, in 1990, upon admitting involvement with a woman parishioner.
   * Archbishop Robert Sanchez of Santa Fe, N.M., in 1993, after confessing relationships with adult women.
   * Bishop J. Keith Symons of Palm Beach, Fla., in 1998, after admitting past molestation of five boys in three parishes.
   * Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann of Santa Rosa, Calif., in 1999, when a priest claimed sexual coercion after Ziemann learned he had stolen parish funds. Ziemann said their relationship was consensual.
   * Bishop Anthony O'Connell, Symons' successor in Palm Beach, in March 2002, after admitting repeated abuse of an underage student at the
Missouri seminary he led. Others filed later suits.
   * Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee in May 2002, following news that his archdiocese paid $450,000 to a man claiming Weakland attempted to sexually assault him. Weakland admitted an "inappropriate relationship" but denied abuse.
   * Auxiliary Bishop James McCarthy of New York, on June 11, 2002, after apologizing for affairs with adult women.
   * Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington, Ky., on June 11, 2002, following allegations he abused two minors and an 18-year-old decades ago,
which Williams denied.
   * Cardinal Bernard Law, archbishop of Boston, on Dec. 13, 2002, following months of criticism for his mishandling of sex abuse claims against
priests.
   * Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien of Phoenix, on June 18, after he was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He had recently struck a deal
to avoid indictment for allegedly sheltering molesters in the clergy.


   Elsewhere:
   * Archbishop Alphonsus Penney of Canada, in 1990, after a church commission criticized him for failing to prevent extensive abuse of
orphanage boys.
   * Bishop Eamonn Casey of Ireland, in 1992, upon admitting he fathered a child and used church offerings to pay the mother secret child support.
   * Bishop Hubert O'Connor of Canada, charged in 1992 and imprisoned in 1996 for sexually assaulting two teenage girls as principal of a boarding
school.
   * The late Cardinal Hans Hermann Groer of Austria, sent into exile in 1995 following molestation claims from former high school boys. Neither Groer
nor the Vatican directly admitted guilt.
   * Bishop Hansjoerg Vogel of Switzerland, in 1995 after admitting he had impregnated a woman following his appointment to the hierarchy the
preceding year.
   * Bishop Roderick Wright of Scotland, in 1996, a week after he disappeared with a woman parishioner.
   * Archbishop John Aloysius Ward of Wales, in 2001, after charges he ignored warnings about two priestly molesters.
   * Archbishop Juliusz Paetz of Poland, in March 2002, amid allegations he had sexually harassed several priests, which he denied.
   * Bishop Brendan Comiskey of Ireland, in April 2002, after apologizing for not preventing a priest's serial abuse.
   * Auxiliary Bishop Franziskus Eisenbach of Germany, in April 2002, after a woman accused him of sexual abuse and injuries during an exorcism. The
Vatican said resignation was no admission of guilt.
   * Archbishop Edgardo Storni of Argentina, on Oct. 1, after a book said he abused at least 47 seminarians, though a 1994 Vatican investigation found
insufficient evidence to act. Storni said his resignation did not signify guilt.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2003 AP

Back to Top    
bullet

Mon, 16-Jun-2003   Bishop O'Brien Arrested in Fatal Hit-and-Run

Dennis Wagner and Judd Slivka
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 16, 2003 01:55 PM

After more than four hours of questioning, Phoenix police this afternoon arrested Bishop Thomas O'Brien in the fatal hit-and-run of a pedestrian this weekend.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m., the bishop left in a plain-clothes police car. Police said he was under arrest and being booked on a count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, a Class 4 felony. He's expected to be arraigned later Monday.

O'Brien is accused of hitting and killing a 43-year-old pedestrian as the man was jaywalking across Glendale Avenue near 19th Avenue, authorities said.

The pedestrian, Jim L. Reed, was pronounced dead at John C. Lincoln Hospital-North Mountain following the accident, which occurred about 8:35 p.m.

A Phoenix police spokeswoman said two cars struck Reed, the first identified by witnesses as a four-door, tan Buick Park Avenue. The car was later traced to O'Brien, said the spokeswoman, Sgt. Lauri Williams.

The drivers of both vehicles fled.

During police questioning, O'Brien told investigators that he was the only person with keys to the Buick and that he was driving in the area Saturday night following a church mass in Buckeye.

According to Williams, the bishop said "he was driving the vehicle (Saturday night) and he might have hit something, but we don't know more."

The right front end and windshield of O'Brien's car sustained damage. Police took away the Park Avenue on a flat-bed truck as evidence.

O'Brien recently avoided possible criminal prosecution for obstruction of justice in connection with alleged sexual misconduct by Catholic priests in Arizona during the past two decades. He has been beleagured by calls for his resignation because of that scandal.

Police said O'Brien, who has a perfect driving record in the past 10 years, is cooperating with the fatality investigation, authorities said, and some details of the accident remain sketchy.

On Monday afternoon, Richard Moyer, vigar of the Diocese of Phoenix, issued a statement: "I sincerely regret reports I've received about Bishop O'Brien being involved in a fatal accident. The sympathies of all of us at the Diocese of Phoenix as well as our prayerful support go out to the victim's family. The Diocese will cooperate fully in any police investigation. No further statement will be made while the investigation proceeds."

A police search warrant has been served at O'Brien's house in north-central Phoenix.

Greg Leisse, in-house consul for the diocese, said after meeting with the bishop Monday at his house, "He seems upset, but he seems well." He didn't elaborate.

Leisse also said that the church is "trying to find out what happened and see what, if anything, the diocese needs to do so we can do the right thing."

Police are still trying to track down the second vehicle.

Back to Top    
bullet

Mon, 16-Jun-2003   Keating Resigns from National Review Board

Text of Keating's Letter, Bishop's Reply

By The Associated Press

The texts of the Monday resignation letter from National Review Board chairman and former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating to Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Gregory's reply:

___

Dear Bishop Gregory:

As I have shared with you over the last two months, I intended to relinquish my chairmanship of the National Catholic Review Board on the first year anniversary of the creation of the Board. That time is this week.

During the last year, we accomplished much. Under your leadership and with the bishops' own mandate, we have begun the causes and context, scope and audit processes. The audit is the most significant. Never again will any bishop be able to hide or avoid the scandal of sex abuse in his diocese. As a former FBI agent and U.S. attorney, I am convinced that pouring law enforcement and audit resources annually into each diocese will reclaim Catholic lay confidence. All of us can be assured of zero tolerance, transparency and criminal referral because outsiders will make sure that that is the case. We also created the Office of Child and Youth Protection, headed by a law enforcement professional. Our message was clear. Sex abuse is not just a moral lapse. It is a crime that should be fully prosecuted.

As I have recently said, and have repeated on several occasions, our church is a faith institution. A home to Christ's people. It is not a criminal enterprise. It does not condone and cover up criminal activity. It does not follow a code of silence. My remarks, which some bishops found offensive, were deadly accurate. I make no apology. To resist grand jury subpoenas, to suppress the names of offending clerics, to deny, to obfuscate, to explain away; that is the model of a criminal organization, not my church.

The humiliation, the horrors of the sex scandal must be a poisonous aberration, a black page in our history that cannot ever recur. It has been disastrous to the church in America.

Most of America's bishops are fully supportive of the board's efforts. They have led and led well and have stood up for virtue. Your own leadership has been extraordinary and courageous. You are a model of the Good Shepherd.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve our faith. Frequently, it was an agony, but with humility and a devotion to the simple truths of the New Testament, good will always prevail.

Sincerely,

Frank Keating

___

Dear Governor Keating:

I have received your letter in which you offer your resignation as chairman and as a member of the National Review Board. I accept your resignation with an awareness of the enormous contribution you have made to the church in the United States and to the board as its first chairman.

A little over a year ago the bishops passed the ``Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People'' in which we recognize the necessity of having significant lay participation in assessing whether we are living up to what we pledge in the Charter. I will always be grateful to you for your immediate and generous willingness to contribute to this unprecedented endeavor.

Both as a devout Catholic and as a governor who met the challenge of leading his state through the tragedy of a devastating act of domestic terrorism, you struck me as having the qualities needed to take on the task that I gave to you. Your work this past year only served to confirm my earlier intuition.

Because the task you took on was unprecedented and had to be carried out in an intense environment which gives rise to strong emotions under the close observation of the media, there were bound to be moments of difficulty. At such times I found you open and responsive to my assessments of the situation.

The board's contribution to resolving the sexual abuse crisis depends on its willingness to offer an honest appraisal of the steps being taken by the bishops to protect children and young people. I know it was in this spirit that you sought to lead the board during its first year, and I am sure it will continue in this fashion.

With heartfelt gratitude for your contribution and with prayers and best wishes for you and your family, I am

Sincerely yours in the Lord,

Bishop Wilton D. Gregory

AP-NY-06-16-03 1846EDT

Copyright 2003, The Associated Press. The information

 Back to Top  

  

bullet

Mon, 9-Jun-2003     Catholic Teen Retreat Closes in Manchester

                        Click here to view article

Back to Top    

 

bullet

Mon, 26-May-2003    Survivor Support Letter

May 26, 3002

To the editor:

New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership (www.nhcatholics.org) supports the 61 survivors of clergy sexual abuse who recently settled their cases with the Diocese of Manchester. Their courageous action in coming forward makes the Diocese accountable for its failure to protect them as children against predatory priests. It also brings a measure of justice in response to the grievous molestation of their bodies and souls. We are all in their debt for bringing the truth to light.

It is disappointing that in their press release, Bishop John McCormack and Rev. Edward Arsenault, his delegate for sexual misconduct, refer only to "many people who reported being sexually abused," or "report being harmed," or "made claims that they were harmed." Survivors are mentioned as "complainants" or "these individuals;" a sexually abusive priest is an "accused person." In other words, a frank admission of any diocesan liability never appears, though the New Hampshire Attorney General's report is based on it. Nowhere is it stated that "survivors" actually experienced sexual abuse at the hands of priests who committed crimes. The pale, self-serving language of public relations is the Diocese's modus operandi.

According to press reports during the course of the survivors' lawsuits, the Diocese invoked the statute of limitations and the Fifth Amendment, refused to turn over personnel records or allow the questioning of Church officials, and simply ignored their attorney's request late last year to keep their names confidential. The court does not publicize the names of survivors, and the press generally defers to their requests for anonymity; so it was the Diocese refusing to say it would honor confidentiality if the lawsuit, versus a settlement, went forward. This violated McCormack's own statements about the importance of survivor confidentiality in what is another disconnect between his words and actions.

While the Diocese has the right to use any legal maneuver afforded by litigation practices, it cannot claim the moral high ground in doing so. Rev. Thomas Doyle, the noted canon lawyer who has testified on behalf of hundreds of survivors, advises the Church must never step out of character as a sensitive, caring and responsible entity, including in the actions of its legal counsel. This was not the experience of the 61 survivors represented by Attorney Mark Abramson, who responded angrily in the press at the time of the Diocese's countermoves.

The delay and intimidation by the Diocese contradict its claim that it used "a caring approach with every individual who has approached the Church in New Hampshire in the last year." Such is not the case, given these tactics. We agree that favorable court rulings for Abramson's clients weighed more heavily than pastoral concerns in reaching agreement.

The settlement resolves these matters, but does not negate the pain the Diocese caused in its interim strategies under the authority of Bishop John McCormack. NHCML agrees with those survivors who state that a truly satisfactory resolution of their cases includes the resignation or removal of McCormack.  It continues to maintain that his presence and that of Bishop Francis Christian compromise the genuine healing necessary for all to move forward. The spiritual and financial disaster their malfeasance enabled must be forthrightly acknowledged and redressed.

Sincerely,

NH Catholics for Moral Leadership

Back to Top

 

bullet

Mon, 26-May-2003   McCormack's Presence in Auburn Draws Protest

                                               Click here to view article

Back to Top

 

bullet

Sun, 25-May-2003    Parishioners Blame NH Bishops

                                               Click here to view article

Back to Top
bullet

Mon, 19-May-2003 Pastoral Council Calls for McCormack Resignation

May 19,2003

 

St. Charles Pastoral Council

577 Central Avenue

Dover, NH 03820

 

An open letter to Bishop John McCormack:

 

Dear Bishop McCormack,

 

Last November, while you were embroiled in multiple lawsuits in Massachusetts, while you were negotiating with the New Hampshire Attorney General to save the Diocese from criminal prosecution, and while you were under pressure to resign as Bishop, you removed our Pastor, Father Paul Gregoire from active ministry based on what you said was a credible allegation which occur-red over thirty years ago.  We support Father Gregoire and believe that he is not being treated fairly by you and the Diocese.  We wrote to you expressing our concerns and your reply was polite, but missed the point entirely.

 

It is our opinion that you should not be the person who sits in judgment of Father Gregoire or of any priest who is accused of wrongdoing.  Your actions, along with others in your prior assignment in Massachusetts are the cause of the crisis in our church.  The Catholic ministry is for people who want to help people and assist in converting others to our Faith.  You must admit that your actions have caused a lot of pain to a lot of people and a lot of the people no longer attend church nor contribute financially.  With the pressures you had last November, this allegation against Father Gregoire gave you the opportunity to deflect scrutiny.

 

Father Gregoire, who spent over forty years as a priest with no allegations of wrongdoing prior to this accusation, deserves to be judged by someone who is not part of the problem.  Can you imagine the uproar if Governor Benson appointed Amanda Bortner as head of the Children's Protective Services?  Is this any different than you holding on to your position?

 

PLEASE, Bishop McCormack, take your baggage, step aside and let somebody who is credible judge Father Gregoire and rebuild this Diocese.

 

Respectfully,

 

St. Charles Pastoral Council

Richard Valliere - Chairman

Thelma Anne Gitschier

Jean N. Angers

Pauline Bonneau

Suzanne K. Christenbury

Robert R. Emond

Priscilla L Guppy

Robert L. Hamilton

Yvonne Hamilton

Mark J. Hebert

Susan M Kilday

James J. Rousseau

                             

Back to Top
 
bullet

Wed, 29-Apr-2003    Concord Monitor Editorial: Unrepentant

                                               Click here to view article

Back to Top
bullet

Wed, 9-Apr-2003    Union Leader: McCormack's Mess: Bishop's

                                  pride  continues to divide church

                                             Click here to view article

Back to Top
bullet Wed, 9-Apr-2003    Church Disunity in the Priest Scandal

                                             Click here to view article

Back to Top
bullet Wed, 9-Apr-2003    Boston Globe: Tactics Suit the Guilty

                                             Click here to view article

Back to Top
bullet Fri, 4-Apr-2003    Concord Monitor Editorial: No Trespassing

                                             Click here to view article

Back to Top
bulletThu, 3-Apr-2003  Telegraph Calls for McCormack, Christian to Resign

                                             Click here to view article

Back to Top
bullet

Wed, 2-Apr-2003      CA Diocese Sues Boston Archdiocese     

                                         Over McCormack's Classmate Shanley       

                    Click here to view article

Back to Top