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This page displays articles relating to the sexual abuse crisis in the Roman
Catholic Church.
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Wed,
14-Jan-2004
McCormack must go in light of
new documents |
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Sat, 13-Sep-2003 Strapped diocese should scrap retreat at
lavish resort |
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Fri, 12-Sep-2003 Gregoire used by
diocese to ameliorate past mistakes |
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Sun, 7-Sep-2003
Priest Takes on Bishop |
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Sun, 7-Sep-2003
Clerical Doubletalk Raises Doubts About Investigation |
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Fri,
29-Aug-2003 "Mixed
Messages" from McCormack? |
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Wed,
27-Aug-2003 Vatican
Appeal Succeeds in Priest Reinstatement |
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Sun,
3-Aug-2003
McCormack misses spirit of the law
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Fri, 1-Aug-2003
The Half Truths of Bishop McCormack |
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Fri, 1-Aug-2003
NH Catholics, why have you forsaken us?
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Thu, 31-Jul-2003
Canon law allows for resignations of NH bishops |
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Wed, 30-Jul-2003 Despite tradition,
bishop must go |
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Fri, 25-Jul-2003
Group’s petition seeks
resignation of bishops |
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Fri, 25-Jul-2003
McCormack's reputation continues to plummet |
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Thu, 24-Jul-2003
Yes, someone behaved responsibly in Boston
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Thu, 24-Jul-2003
Petitioners:
McCormack must resign |
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Thu, 24-Jul-2003
Abuse
enablers must follow Law into retirement |
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Thu, 24-Jul-2003
Over 1000 Catholics Sign for Bishops'
Resignations |
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Thu, 24-Jul-2003
Bishops Invited to Open Forum |
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Thu, 24-Jul-2003
Report:
McCormack failed some sex abuse victims |
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Wed, 23-Jul-2003
MA Attorney General report on church abuse
Get
the Full Report! |
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Sun, 20-Jul-2003 Problems won't leave while McCormack is here |
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Sat,
12-Jul-2003 Priest Psychiatrist Calls McCormack a
'Liar' |
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Wed, 9-Jul-2003
Christian to be Deposed in Sex Abuse Suit |
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Wed, 18-Jun-2003 21
Bishops Have Resigned |
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Mon, 16-Jun-2003
Bishop O'Brien Arrested in Fatal Hit-and-Run |
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Mon, 16-Jun-2003
Keating Resigns from National Review Board |
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Mon, 9-Jun-2003
Catholic Teen Retreat Closes in Manchester |
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Mon, 26-May-2003
Survivor Support Letter |
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Mon, 26-May-2003
McCormack's Presence in Auburn
Draws Protest |
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Sun, 25-May-2003
Parishioners Blame NH Bishops |
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Mon, 19-May-2003
Pastoral Council Calls for
McCormack Resignation |
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Tue, 29-Apr-2003
Concord Monitor Editorial:
Unrepentant |
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Wed, 9-Apr-2003
Union Leader: McCormack's Mess: Bishop's
pride continues to divide church |
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Wed, 9-Apr-2003
Church Disunity in the Priest Scandal |
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Wed, 9-Apr-2003
Boston Globe: Tactics Suit the Guilty |
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Fri, 4-Apr-2003
Concord Monitor Editorial: No
Trespassing |
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Thu, 3-Apr-2003 Telegraph Calls for McCormack,
Christian to Resign |
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Wed,
2-Apr-2003 CA Diocese Sues Boston
Archdiocese Over |
McCormack's Classmate Shanley
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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Copyright 2003 AP
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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