Priests In Trouble – Page 165

May 4, 2013May 4, 2013

Cardinal ordered into exile by Vatican

CARDINAL Keith O’Brien has been told by the Vatican to leave the UK amid concerns of wreaking further damage on the Catholic Church in Scotland.

By Gerry Braiden
Friends of the cleric have said he has been told by Rome to shelve his plans to retire to a church-owned cottage in East Lothian and instead leave the country.

The Herald understands Cardinal O’Brien was given the news yesterday afternoon, three days after being photographed moving his personal belongings from his official residence in Edinburgh to the residence in Dunbar where he had been spending regular weekends over the past few years.

The parish priest in Dunbar, Canon John Creanor, is understood to have voiced upset at the Vatican’s move against his “dear friend”.

It is the clearest indication yet of the Vatican’s unwillingness to let the matter drift and concern that the Cardinal’s admission of gay activity over decades and allegations of abuse towards trainee priests continues to damage the Church.

Investigations also continue into claims made by a serving priest in Lanarkshire of a “gay mafia” running seminaries in the 1980s and naming leading Catholic figures.

The Herald revealed on Thursday Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia was behind an appeal to the Vatican to intervene after Cardinal O’Brien’s re-emergence in Scotland this week.

Cardinal O’Brien remains the only cardinal in Britain and Scotland’s most senior Catholic churchman, leaving UK clergy powerless to act. However, he is not without support. One source last night said: “The cardinal has been advised not to relocate to the parish in Dunbar and has been told he should leave the country. That’s extremely disappointing and not a Christian way to treat someone. There’s clearly pressure from within and outwith the Church and no show of unity.

“People expect some sort of jail sentence for Keith O’Brien or at least a desire to see him retired to monastic life. It would certainly be convenient for them. Personally, I find it an atrocious way to treat someone who has been facing up to their responsibilities.”

A recent petition organised by the parishioners of Our Lady of The Waves in Dunbar saw more than 90% of those attending the Saturday vigil and Sunday mass signing a statement declaring “our support and affection for Cardinal Keith O’Brien”.

But, while leading historian Professor Tom Devine said the cardinal should be left alone, senior figures in the Church said he was “still causing immense damage”.

Yesterday, Cardinal O’Brien, 75, was reported to have admitted the scandal had been difficult and humbling. The former Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh was forced by Pope Benedict XVI to retire after admitting “inappropriate behaviour” with four priests and a seminarian.

He was quoted as saying: “I’m just trying to do my best to live a good Christian life myself now. Many people have been helping me to go back on the right path and that’s what I have to do. But I haven’t always managed to live that in my own life.

“I have been supported by many good Christian people and many people of no religion at all who realise I have said sorry for anyone I have offended. If Christianity is about anything at all, it’s about forgiveness. That’s what I have to do as a cardinal priest – just forgive the wrongdoer and help them go back on to the right path.

“It’s been quite a difficult, quite a humbling experience for me. It’s very difficult for them [the men whose complaints led to his retirement]. That is why I have apologised for being a teacher who has not been able to live up to the teaching of the Church.

“We know what’s against God’s law. Consequently, we should try to live by God’s law. I’ve apologised for my failures in that respect.”

Asked about any Vatican investigation, he said: “It’s up to those who are responsible in Rome for me to answer that sort of question.”

Complete Article HERE!

April 29, 2013April 29, 2013

Newark Archbishop John Myers must go: Editorial

For background story see HERE!

By Star-Ledger Editorial Board

After all the Catholic Church has been through, it is beyond infuriating that Newark Archbishop John J. Myers can be so neglectful of his duty to protect children from sexual predators.

He should resign immediately and apologize to the families whose children he left exposed, barring some stunning new disclosure that could exonerate him in the face of the damning facts presented by The Star-Ledger’s Mark Mueller in today’s edition.

The case concerns Michael Fugee, a priest who was convicted in a sexual abuse case in 2003 after he confessed to fondling a 14-year-old boy, and being a compulsive masturbator obsessed with penis size.

The conviction was overturned when a higher court found the judge had given improper instructions to jurors. Instead of trying Fugee again, as they should have, prosecutors allowed him to avoid jail by joining a program for first-offenders.

Part of the deal was an agreement that Fugee signed, along with the archdiocese, committing all parties to keeping Fugee away from minors.

Fugee was not to work in any position involving children, or have any affiliation with youth groups. He could not attend youth retreats, or even hear the confessions of children.

With the full knowledge and approval of Myers, Fugee did all of those things. Look at the picture of him clowning around with children in today’s paper, and it makes you want to scream a warning. The agreement was designed to prevent exactly that.

This is not the first time Myers has shown contempt for the safety of children in his flock. While many bishops are making a sincere efforts to rehabilitate the church, Myers has shown a pattern of leniency toward pedophiles, indifference to potential victims, and a haughty disdain for those who dare to question his judgment.

Before this latest flare-up with Fugee, Myers had promoted him to an influential position in the church as co-director of the office that helps guide young priests, sending precisely the wrong message. Earlier this year, Fugee was found to be saying Mass and living at the rectory of a church in Rochelle Park. Parishioners had not been told of his criminal past, so again, children were exposed. In 2009, Myers appointed Fugee chaplain of St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark, again without telling the hospital about Fugee’s restrictions.

Unlike some other bishops, Myers will not release the names of priests who have been credibly accused of abuse.

In 2004, he wrote a letter of recommendation to six dioceses in Florida for one priest, a week after learning the priest had been accused of assaulting a woman after breaking into her house. The same year, he banned one priest from public ministry after investigating an allegation that he had abused a boy, but did not notify laypeople or other priests. In 2007, he did not tell laypeople about a credible finding of molestation against a priest working in Elizabeth and Jersey City, information that was finally turned up by a victims’ group.

Fugee is, or at least was, the real danger. He seems to think he can break the rules. It is Myers’ job to stop him, and he is instead enabling him.

He is refusing to discuss any of this. Our hope is the prosecutors press him to do so. He is a part to the agreement on Fugee, which was signed by the archdiocese’s vicar general on behalf of Myers, and which has clearly been broken.

In the meantime, for the sake of the children, Myers should step down.

Complete Article HERE!

April 29, 2013

O’Brien scandal: Vatican calls halt to new bishops

The Vatican has called a halt to the appointment of any more Scottish bishops until a full investigation into the Cardinal Keith O’Brien scandal is completed by Rome.

By Gerry Braiden

In the first known move in relation to the crisis since the election of Pope Francis, Scotland’s leading Catholic cleric Philip Tartaglia was given the news at a meeting in the Vatican this week.

Cardinal O’Brien resigned from his position as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh two months ago amid confessions of gay sexual activity spanning decades.

The move by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, one of the front-runners in the recent conclave to elect a new pope, means three dioceses – Paisley, Dunkeld and Edinburgh – will not have their vacancies for a bishop filled.

Another two with ageing bishops, Motherwell and Galloway, will not have their churchmen replaced.

Canadian Cardinal Ouellet is the current prefect of the Congregation for the Bishops, which oversees the selection of new bishops.

Serving and former trainee priests have claimed to have been abused by Cardinal O’Brien, who remains a cardinal.

In another move, it is understood the Congregation for the Bishops has instructed the Pope’s ambassador in the UK to keep the book open on Cardinal O’Brien and continue to gather evidence. The demand is another indication Pope Francis is turning his attention to the crisis engulfing the Catholic Church in Scotland.

It also wants evidence on the allegations of a “gay mafia”, sexual bullying and open sexual relationships in seminaries made in a recent book by a serving priest in Lanarkshire, Father Matthew Despard.

Meanwhile, it is understood Cardinal O’Brien has been seeking clarification from the Papal Nuncio in London as to the status of the investigation into the claims.

He has been given assurances no decision has as yet been taken to remove him from the clergy or demote him.

There have also been discussions in Church circles that the Catholic hierarchy was of the view the storm around Cardinal O’Brien had passed and that it wanted to brush the matter under the carpet.

There have been claims that, having removed himself from public life, the only punishment he would face was not having a burial at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh.

However, the moves in recent days gave a clear indication the Vatican has not closed the book on the Cardinal O’Brien fallout and has extended its interest into Father Despard’s claims.

One source said: “Philip Tartaglia was meeting with Ouellet over the situation Scotland has faced for several years. It needs new bishops.

“But Ouellet’s made it clear: no new broom until Rome gets to the bottom of all that’s happened here. Scotland’s not the Holy Father’s priority, but this book and the Cardinal have brought disgrace to the Church. Utterly discredited it in the eyes of the world and Francis wants cleansing.”

Another said: “Were the Congregation for the Bishops simply to give the nod for new blood now, the Church would face ever more accusing of trying to sweep things under the carpet. It doesn’t want that here.”

The Vatican did not respond to a request for an update on the investigation into Cardinal O’Br ien. No-one was available at the Papal Nuncio’s office.

Cardinal O’Brien was also contacted but he was unavailable.

A spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Media Office said: “Since the complaints against the Cardinal went directly to the Vatican it will be for them to deal with and decide what action to take.”

Three priests and a former priest made allegations of “inappropriate” behaviour against Cardinal O’Brien. He apologised and asked forgiveness from those he had offended as he stepped down.

Complete Article HERE!

April 4, 2013

Milwaukee archdiocese to release sex abuse files

By Dinesh Ramde and M.L. JOHNSON
The Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Wednesday that it will release thousands of pages of documents tied to sexual abuse lawsuits, including depositions with some former top officials.

The archdiocese, which had been fighting the documents’ release, made its announcement the day before the matter was to be decided in US Bankruptcy Court in Milwaukee. The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2011 to deal with about 500 sex abuse claims. Lawyers representing the men and women who filed the claims had been seeking the documents’ release.

The documents include depositions by New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who previously led the Milwaukee archdiocese, as well as by former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland and retired Bishop Richard Sklba.Victims’ advocates have accused archdiocese leaders of transferring abusive priests to other parishes and concealing their crimes for decades.

Jerry Topczewski, the chief of staff for current Archbishop Jerome Listecki, said the archdiocese will post the documents on its website by July 1.

Topczewski said officials need time to ensure the identities of sexual abuse victims are redacted. The archdiocese also plans to post timelines to provide context for the documents.

‘‘I think what the archbishop has done is say, ‘If this is what’s needed for resolution, if this is going to help abuse survivors, then I’ll authorize their release without the court being involved,’ ’’ Topczewski said.

Dolan, who led Milwaukee’s Roman Catholics from 2002 to 2009, gave a deposition in February in which, his attorney said, he had answered questions about his decision to publicize the names of clergy members who had been accused of molesting children in mostly decades-old cases.

Complete Article HERE!

April 3, 2013

Cross-dressing, drug dealing ‘Monsignor Meth’ pleads guilty to drug charge, faces 11 to 14 years in prison

Kevin Wallin, 61, admitted to selling more than four pounds of methamphetamine and making more than $300,000 while dealing the drug out of his Waterbury, Conn. apartment. Wallin, a Roman Catholic priest, is currently suspended but faces the prospect of removal from the priesthood by the Vatican.

A suspended Roman Catholic priest accused of making more than $300,000 in methamphetamine sales out of his Connecticut apartment while running an adult video and sex toy shop pleaded guilty Tuesday to a federal drug charge.

Kevin Wallin, 61, of Waterbury, admitted to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was scheduled to be sentenced June 25. The prosecution and defense agreed on a sentence of 11 to 14 years in prison.

Prosecutors said the 61-year-old Wallin had meth mailed to him from co-conspirators in California and sold the drugs out of his Waterbury apartment last year. He also bought an adult video and sex toy shop in North Haven named Land of Oz & Dorothy’s Place, apparently to launder the drug money, authorities said.

RELATED: PRIEST IN METH RING
Wearing a beige prison jumpsuit and sporting a goatee and close-cropped hair, Wallin acknowledged in court that the drug operation involved nearly four pounds of methamphetamine. He said “yes” several times as the judge asked whether he understood the consequences of his plea.

Wallin, former pastor at St. Augustine Parish in Bridgeport, appeared to have no supporters in the courtroom. He was led out of the room in handcuffs and remains detained.

Charges against four other people arrested in the case are pending.

RELATED: ‘MONSIGNOR METH’ OWNED PORN STORE, LIKED RECTORY SEX: REPORT
“We’re glad to have resolved this part of the case,” Connecticut U.S. Attorney David B. Fein said outside the courtroom. “It’s a serious conspiracy charge involving a very dangerous drug.”

Wallin’s public defender, Kelly Barrett, declined to comment.

Dubbed in some media as “Monsignor Meth,” Wallin was pastor of St. Augustine Parish for nine years until he resigned in June 2011, citing health and personal reasons. He previously served six years as pastor of St. Peter’s Church in Danbury until 2002.

Complete Article HERE!