Click here to read, “Priest’s return to ministry after sex-abuse confession draws new scrutiny, criticism,” by Mark Mueller, The Star-Ledger, May 19, 2013.
Notable Quote:”It is difficult to understand how, after having read Father Fugee’s confession, any review board or any bishop thought this man belonged back in ministry,” said Nicholas Cafardi, a former chairman of the National Review Board, the agency that works with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to prevent child sex abuse and to ensure compliance with reforms.
Review board or not….Myers KNEW!
Let’s not pretend the review board didnt have all the information. Let’s start naming names. Who sits on that review board?
Just so everyone is aware…a review board can make all the suggestions they want, but they do not have any authority. A bishop confirms their suggestions or overrides it. They are also only fed information the bishop wants them to have. If it’s an ethical, moral bishop, they give them every detail so they can make an informed decision. But, even that has problems because, typically, the people sitting on those review boards are “company” people appointed by the bishop. How many bishops do you know that appoint people who will call them out?
I haven’t met a bishop yet that has the courage to do that.
If the diocese has an unethical bishop, that bishop will only give info they deem “necessary” to make their decision. Then, when they make that ill-informed decision, the bishop can blame the review board for not doing their job. See how convenient this all is for the bishops? No accountability.
The review board is taking the heat…because that’s the way the system was designed. Even the media is jumping on them. The review board is only as good as the ethics and morals of the bishop!
One final note: The review board has no authority. None. They can suggest and recommend based on the information they have been given. That’s it.
Do not get swayed into thinking the things that need to change are all these policies and review boards and systems that fail. The masters behind these systems created them this way! No accountability. No teeth. No consequences for errors that endanger your children.
Why do I always think the RC organization is trying to scam me?
Excellent point survivors wife and it reminds me of what happened in Philly. Remember this article?
http://commonwealmagazine.org/fog-scandal-1
When I first got involved in all of this (clergy abuse,child protection in the archdiocese etc) a few years ago,I would have given anything to be on one of these committees, review boards, now you could not pay enough money. When a well meaning employee recently asked me to sit on a committee for communication of safety policies to parents in the Archdiocese,I even had to turn that down. I forwarded various ideas and suggestions which were graciously accepted and might be used at some point, but no way will I represent the institution or have my name associated with it. I will operate independently from the outside. I so wanted before to be on the inside, not any more, eyes wide open over here. They can have my ideas, I will keep my name .
Sw,
You are right “no teeth” and it got me thinking what was difference in the beginning days of the church…….the answer…..for hundreds of years you risked your life just being catholic and believing in Christ……that weeded out the lukewarm and professional catholics pretty quickly maybe no lion teeth but we need something with teeth to do the same today.
The May-June issue of Corpus Reports, a publication of the organization Corpus, a long standing group of priests, now married and acting in capacity of “exiled ministers”, presents an article on Father Helmut Schuller, an Austrian Priest who in 1996 headed a group handling allegations of sexual abuse by priests. John Paul II had appointed Hans Hermann Groer as Cardinal sometrime befrore that. That Cardinal was accused of sexually abusing seminarians. The accusations occured earlier in his ministry and was unveiled in 1995. After this cardinal’s dismissal, (not jailed as these seminarians were adults), he was succeeded by Cardinal Schonborn ( recently a papal candidate). Appointed by this Cardinal, Father Schuller began to realize that “it is not just sexual abuse, but systematic abuse of power…This threw a harsh light on the system”. Father Schuller was abruptly fired in 1999. Fatherr shuller then founded a group of priests seeking church reform.
This hiearchical system is absolutely flawed. Pope Francis can be used by the curia to distract all of us into thinking that there is some possibility of hope, that there can be real change in the absolutist structure of this “institution”. Notice, I say the “I”word and not the Church. People who read this blog, People who share this blog, people who suffer from the power driven hierarchy, they truly are the Church, a Church now persecuted by its own “leadership” and who stand accused as ‘destroyers of the Church”.
Sorry, but “cardinal” Meyers, (Cardinal Rigali, Cardinal Bevilaqua(dec), ?Cardinal Mahoney, Bishop Finn, ) and how many others, no longer should have any respect from “good and faithful people”. The Vatican may not “fire” them, but they need to be cut off by those whose leadership they have abused and harmed. Pursue the legal system and bring them all to the courts for justice.
They have lost all power as religious authorities. They may wear a miter or carry a crozier. but that makes them appear even more ridiculous.
Cardinal Obrien in Scotland seems to have gotten off easy, but let’s hope that those who wear the clown suits will not get the last laugh, but a little time in jail. Monsignor Lynn is all by himself in Wynwood. He probably would like some company.
This hiearchical system is absolutely flawed. Pope Francis can be used by the curia to distract all of us into thinking that there is some possibility of hope, that there can be real change in the absolutist structure of this “institution”. Notice, I say the “I”word and not the Church. People who read this blog, People who share this blog, people who suffer from the power driven hierarchy, they truly are the Church, a Church now persecuted by its own “leadership” and who stand accused as ‘destroyers of the Church”.”
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Believers persecuted by Rome is not a recent development. From the outset [first century] those in positions of power have sought to restrict and control what believers are allowed to know and believe.
Father Wintermyer, God bless you for telling it like it truly is. You spelled it out beautifully. I used to think John Paul was a great man until all of this came out, so much of it in his tenure. Now I tremble to think he has been beatified. How blind was the man?
Joyce D.,
I once loved JPII as did you. You ask, “How blind was the man?” I hope it was only blindness. I now wonder; how evil was the man?
“Sorry, but “cardinal” Meyers, (Cardinal Rigali, Cardinal Bevilaqua(dec), ?Cardinal Mahoney, Bishop Finn, ) and how many others, no longer should have any respect from “good and faithful people”.”
Reverend John S. Wintermyer (ret),
That brings me to my favorite quote and personal course of action, “openly disrespecting them whenever and wherever I can.”
As long as the People of God treat these creepy men at “gods”, change will never come. These men (AND THAT’S ALL THEY ARE!), are no better than their behavior.
Father – with all due respect, it sounds like you didn’t make out too well in the so called ‘race for the red’.
Nonne promissis reverentiam et obedientiam?
You many be right Joe. Father may not have made out too well in the so called ‘race for the red’.
I bet it was because he wasn’t slimy enough. Joe, you know better that anyone that holiness has NOTHING to do with getting a hat; in fact it’s likely a major impediment.
Mr. Goodness, the Newark Archdiocese spokesman………
You just can’t make this stuff up……….Hollywood wouldn’t dare write this script with Goodness as a spokesperson…….
What a tangled web we weave up there in Newark, thank Goodness!
Hollywood would have a field day with what’s going on here in Australia., with confessions coming from all quarters.
Our Victorian Archbishop is now blaming a deceased predecessor [created a Knight of the British Empire the British] for all the cover-up’s of abuse in the diocese.
It will be interesting to see if his knighthood is rescinded.
It’s all too bizarre.
As far as I’m concerned, it’s the Judicial Vicar who should’ve been sitting in front of the Inquiry, everything passes by him and he’s even known to overrule the present archbishop, when parochial documents were being altered without parents consent and knowledge to conceal a fact, that a child was indeed registered on the birth certificate [and ultimately death certificate] as belong to himself, a clergyman.
Fugee was arrested yesterday.