Click here to read: “Judge rules documents be public in priest abuse case,” by Joseph A. Slobodzian, Friday, January 15, 2016
Excerpt:
“The two-paragraph ruling by Common Pleas Court Judge Mark I. Bernstein was a setback for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which had asked for an order barring public disclosure of the materials. The church has insisted on confidentiality as a condition for engaging in pretrial discovery with lawyers in suits seeking damages for being sexually molested by priests.”
Editor’s note: So much for the Church wishing to be transparent.
Par for the course
Transparency – the state in which ALL relevant information is fully and freely available to the public.
Confidentiality – indicating a need for secrecy, hidden.
Seems if Judge Bernstein did not make the ruling he did Charles Chaput would keep playing by the old rule book. The same book that allowed children to be hurt.
Agreed. They seem much more adept at the latter.
Susan, looks like the link to the story is broken.
Hi Martin, Thanks so much. I just fixed. I hope all is well with you. Happy New Year.
No surprise here…….Chaput and his true colors are shining through. Transparency, openness and accountability……never under the reign of King Chaput.
I wish we could take a helicopter loaded with the redacted documents and drop them all over the city so that all Philadelphians would be able to see and understand how the RCC chooses the protection of their leaders over the protection of their schoolchildren.
Michael Skiendzielewski
Captain………retired
Philadelphia Police Dept
Archbishop Charles Chaput continues the policy he arrived with a few years back and that’s to release as little information as he can possibly get away with as infrequently as possible. Regarding SOLs he follows the same game plan he was so successful with in Colorado.
The AOP has had three grand jury investigations. What should have happened following the 2011 grand jury report was for a brave Philly judge to order/compel the archdiocese to release EVERY document letter, file, report, communication, etc., that had to do with the possible sexual abuse of children, young women, men and vulnerable adults, PERIOD. This was done in Boston, MA. Why wasn’t it done in Philly? Why can’t it be done in Philly?
Sister Maureen Paul Turlish
Isn’t it amazing that the parents of the man accusing Brennan, which probably caused his overdose, understood from the start what transparency means, and the AOP STILL has no idea?? Maybe we can chip in for a dictionary for them, and if that fails, a helicopter sounds great! So sad and frustrated here…
Some of the problem is that you have three formidable institutions– the legal profession, the Church, and the priesthood– having cultures of secrecy and systemic strategies for suppressing or hiding damaging material. All involved have a shared mindset or groupthink. Transparency is their enemy.
I agree that transparency is their enemy, Katherine. I wish they would stop using that word.. Tells you how unintelligent they think we are!
I read that Sr. Maureen’s Whistleblower group has formally confronted the Vatican regarding the ongoing failure of US bishops to meet the Dallas Charter mandates, and their ongoing engagement in efforts that undermine justice for victims and child safety. Good! … until I read Marie Collin’s interview. Collins is Irish and a member of the Pontifical Commission headed by O’Malley. Collins states in no uncertain terms that the Vatican continues to be a dreadful institution to deal with, the formidable figures are creeps, and getting anything done is next to impossible. Her frustration is palpable in her interview.
Both the Whistleblower story and the Marie Collins interview story can be found at the NCR site.
How will the Whistleblowers accomplish anything if Marie Collins is right? How will the Pontifical Commission accomplish anything if Marie Collins is right? Will the Whistleblowers and the Pontifical Commission ever accomplish anything?
Not until the Vatican and its hierarchy are reformed!
Meanwhile, Chaput keeps on keep’in on.
Mind blowing.
A priest writes a comment below the NCR Marie Collins interview story. He writes that many priests like him are sickened, to the degree that we are, by the hierarchy’s decades-long appalling and callous handling of all matters pertaining to sexual abuse. He says that priests who rise to high levels in the hierarchy either learn their callousness in its culture, or are chosen for advancement because of their callousness.
Nothing short of evil.
OMG! Reform the priesthood!
Until that happens, it’s a no-go for EVERYTHING else.
But wait, it is 2016 and there is one special event that will happen this year. Best described as a long-overdue dose of comeuppance……
Marci Hamilton deposing Archbishop Chaput.
You could probably sell out Lincoln Financial Field for tickets for that very special event.