Fr. James Power of the Boston Archdiocese
Fr. James Power of the Boston Archdiocese: Now where do I go to get my reputation back?
by Diogenes of Catholic Culture
The Boston archdiocese has reinstated Father James Power, who was suspended nearly 7 years ago because of sex-abuse allegations for which, in turns out, the archdiocese cannot find supporting evidence.
What do you say to a priest who’s been barred from pursuing his vocation for 7 years, if you realize there’s no substantial evidence to support the disciplinary action taken against him? Oops? Sorry?
There’s no reason to think that the case of Father Power is unique. There are other innocent priests out there, waiting for vindication. They were deprived of their rights because– let’s face it, the American hierarchy panicked. The US bishops weighed two factors: due process for ordained ministers on one hand, and the pressure of media attention on the other. We all know which way the scales tipped. The Dallas Charter let bishops escape from the glare of the headlines. Priests who were falsely accused could escape seven years later– if they were to escape at all.
Oh, and there was one more thing about the reinstatement of Father Power. TheBoston Globe reports:
The ruling came 12 years after the church had already settled a $35 million civil lawsuit brought in 1993 by an alleged victim of the priest.
That’s $35 million spent from archdiocesan funds– from the sacrificial offerings of the faithful. The archdiocese, which agreed to that outlay, cannot find evidence to support the charges. But what the heck. It’s only money. You can always take up another collection. Or close another parish.
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Fr. Jerry Pokorsky: The Damaging Culture of Silence
The Damaging Culture of Silence
by Fr. Jerry Pokorsky
First appeared in The Catholic World Report. Digital edition courtesy of Catholic Culture.
In vino veritas. In wine, truth. In the early 1980s, after I announced to an elderly priest friend my plan to enter the seminary, he took me to a restaurant for dinner. During the meal, he noticed a retired priest and beckoned him to our table to introduce him to me. The retired priest never looked at me. He was angry and inebriated enough to speak his mind. Directing his attention to the priest alone, he asked:
Do you remember when we were seminary professors in the 1960s and the advice we gave the [orthodox] seminarians? We told them to keep their heads down and get ordained. But do you think they were any damn different after ordination? No! We trained them that way.
He meant that good priests kept their heads down. They didn’t speak out when they should have, and they still don’t.
This incident came to mind recently after I received a copy of a questionnaire administered to a class of seminarians during a “sexuality workshop” at a major American seminary in 1978. Here is a sample of the more than 80 questions:
- Who last touched you?
- Where did he or she touch you?
- What is your favorite feeling?
- Who is the person you are most likely to kiss next?
- Is there anyone else you would rather kiss?
- What part of your body first senses a drop in the temperature?
- After feeling chilled what part of your body wants to get warmed up first?
- What part(s) of your body do you almost entirely ignore?
- What is your favorite part of your body?
- When was the last time you can remember being conscious of your ankles?
- When, where, and with whom did you have a really good, loving kiss?
- Write a detailed account of your first sexual experience.
It is not difficult to imagine what would have happened to any seminarian objecting to the questionnaire. All of the cliches of the pop-theology era would be unleashed. He would almost certainly be identified as “uptight” or “rigid and conservative.” It would be said he likely has a good deal of unhealthy sexual “hang-ups” himself. Seminary formation personnel would fear that he would not be a “team player” as a priest. And he would not be long for the seminary.
Of course, it is equally easy to envision the naive trust of all the immature candidates entering the workshop and “spilling their guts” to the other seminarians and facilitators, setting themselves up for future “grooming” by gays—or maybe blackmail. But it is a near certainty that the orthodox seminarians “kept their heads down” and played along, in order to ensure that they would be ordained. Now, years later, have their attitudes and behavior changed since they were ordained? The question is important because, as I will argue, it leads to an explanation of the widespread active and passive complicity in the clerical sexual abuse cover-up scandal.
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Reader Mail on An Affair with a Priest
[Update on Fr. Francis Mary Stone aka David Stone]
I received this email from a reader and thought the questions and answers would be helpful to others:
I met this girl 2006 – she took my adult CCD class (I use the CCC, The Bible & Papal Documents; I try to be very orthodox).
She was confirmed (she was never a practicing Catholic). Went to ________ to finishing schooling (PHD). She met a young priest (35 she was 28), got close to him and for about 7 months had an affair with him (slept with him).
In 2007 (to “run away” form the situation) she came back we started talking (I didn’t know all this) and we started dating in 2008. On May 19th she told me everything about her past, not only this affair but her other relationships (9 others) and she’s had an abortion. It was huge and it took me awhile to digest.
We’re back to dating – I believe her conversion but… So now, we’re dating and she’s great (Mass every day, confession every two weeks, Rosary, apologetics, conservative, etc.) but I keep telling myself that maybe this is too much for me to deal with (because I think about it so much and I wish she hadn’t done that).
How common is this and should I have to deal with it? My family grew up around priest (always at our house, etc.), kind of old school. We’ve known priests who have done this and they are no longer priest? I’ve told her to write a letter to his bishop and cc him.
Dear Reader,
Wow. There’s a lot going on with your situation!
The one thing to remember for all parties involved is that with God’s grace and mercy and Our Lady’s intercession, we can turn defeat into victory. Alice von Hildebrand often mentions this. I’ll provide you with resources in response to your main thoughts:
- Should you date her after all that
- What about the abortion (unrelated to the priest?)
- What to do about the priest
Is this too much for you to deal with? You’re not the only guy in history to have thought that. St. Joseph needed a Divine nudge to take the unmarried, pregnant Mary as his wife, and she was sinless! Your girlfriend did the right thing in opening up to you and confessing her past. She is probably counting on you to NOT freak out and bolt. If anything, she’ll need your support more now that she’s made herself vulnerable to you. If she’s confessed all this and made her peace with God, she may still find it difficult to forgive herself.
What about the abortion? If you read the testimonies from the Priests for Life site, you’ll see that the psychological and emotional effects of having had an abortion may not manifest until a few years after the abortion. That’s why it’s very important for you and your girlfriend to connect with solid resources such as Rachel’s Vineyard and Hope After Abortion. OK, now for the biggie . . .
What do you do about the priest? Since we are not privy to the specific circumstances of the affair between your girlfriend and the priest, it’s best to mention your concerns to a canon lawyer. He or she can help you address your letter to the priest’s bishop in the most just fashion. A good place to start is The Saint Joseph Foundation.
As with any other human, a priest’s behavior can range from completely innocent to merely stupid to profoundly evil. Unfortunately with the current abuse crisis hysteria in the news, many bishops have been spooked into adopting a zero-tolerance policy. An accused priest is thrown out without due process even if he is found to be completely innocent with the accuser recanting later.
To make sure that your girlfriend doesn’t get the runaround from the diocese and to encourage the local bishop to deal with the accused priest in a just manner, I encourage contacting a canon lawyer first.
I’ll mention a few ideas that will probably have nothing to do with your situation but can help other readers.
Not too long ago, many of us were stunned to learn from Fr. Francis Mary Stone that he needed to leave EWTN and his order to discern his vocation. He announced this quite publicly, and the only reason I mention this is because of the good advice that ensued from faithful priests.
When a priest is tempted to fall for a woman . . . he should read this advice from Fr. John Trigilio
Here are some comments from Father Joe’s Blog on the issue of affairs with priests. Particularly enlightening to the laity, especially to women, is this Q&A:
Question from his reader:
Father Joe, I have question concerning “Often he will not and should not tell the woman why they cannot remain associates or “friends”.”
Why should a priest not be honest with the woman? If he pushes her aside with no explanation, she may think she has done something wrong (sinned) to hurt or offend him, when she has not. Perhaps, she did not lead him on. We (adults, single, celibate, married, whatever) are beyond the age of innocence, yet we do not always “do” anything that makes another desire us sexually. The priest has take a lifetime vow of celibacy. Has he also promised not to be so aloof that may hurt another person, when a simple explanation could clear up the problem, as far as the woman going her way, so as not to be a “stumbling block” to him?
Response from Father Joe:
“Why should a priest not be honest with the woman?”
Priests are often shy men who live in their heads. They may feel a great many things that they do not express. While priests may express fatherly love or the more general love of a shepherd to his flock, it would not do for a priest to confess “romantic” love to a woman. I base this upon the experiences of many priests who thought they had to be honest before making distance between themselves and a woman they cared “too much” about. More so than not, it can touch reciprocal emotions in the woman and matters can quickly esculate. It is best that she never know how he really felt. Unfortunately, they can also begin to lie to themselves, that they can keep this love under control.
“If he pushes her aside with no explanation, she may think she has done something wrong (sinned) to hurt or offend him, when she has not.”
Yes, she might feel hurt. This sometimes happens, but it cannot be helped. It is for the sake of both their souls that he must keep silent. He can assure her that she has done nothing wrong, and maybe tell her that the demands of ministry require more of his time. This is true, his priesthood requires that he spend less time with her. He can also explain in a vague manner, that he wants to return to the spirit of detachment that he was taught in seminary so as to better focus on his spousal love to the Church and to his prayerlife as a priest. But he should not tell her, “I love you.” What he feels for her may not even be reciprocal; it does not matter. He might never get over her and will have to take this burning love with him to the grave– so be it. He must allow her to find joy in the company and embrace of another man, no matter how much he sacrifices personally. Promises are made to be kept.
“Perhaps, she did not lead him on?”
“We (adults, single, celibate, married, whatever) are beyond the age of innocence, yet we do not always ‘do’ anything that makes another desire us sexually.”
She did not have to, at least not intentionally. He might simply have fallen in love with the person she was. Priests are especially vulnerable or sensitive to nice girls who practice and know their faith: going to Mass, saying their prayers, practicing both modesty and chastity, etc. They are everything a religious man of strong values would hope to find. He sees in her a true helpmate and a wonderful potential mother for a family. Many people these days discourage priests and tear them down. Such a lady builds him up and tells him that he is important and needed. He will quickly make friends and before long loving her will be as easy as breathing. Her joy will become more important to him than his regular duties. Trouble is brewing!
We are sexual beings. Priests like all men are constantly dealing with sexual feelings and thoughts. His need for intimacy when turned toward such a girl will not subtract the sexual elements. If the relationship becomes increasing exclusive, then he must make the hard decisions about what to do next. Hopefully, the priest did nothing to lead the woman on.
Young priests in particular can be very innocent. This is also a component that quickly resonates with the innocence of a woman who cherishes her virginity and values. They see in each other something of themselves, and the potentiality for a best friend. But can a priest have a woman as his best friend? I have trouble in seeing it. Fr. Groeschel used to recommend that priests make friends with women whom they find particularly unattractive. This way they develop that side of their personalities that must interact with females, but by lessening any possible dangers. That is why some priests reserve their closer female relationships to matronly or elderly women. Older priests might also have some friendships with young women for whom they have fatherly feelings. However, caution must be used because while young men like young women, so do old men.
“The priest has taken a lifetime vow of celibacy. Has he also promised not to be so aloof that may hurt another person, when a simple explanation could clear up the problem, as far as the woman going her way, so as not to be a ’stumbling block’ to him?”
YES, a priest has taken a lifetime vow or promise of celibacy.
But, to be honest, he did not make promises about the rest. Some priests are aloof and they remain that way to survive. Others are better at relationships and limits. I am all for simple explanations, but in many of these situations the explanations are really not so simple and can lead to a host of additional problems. Rarely is it a case of the woman going her way, unless she sees the problem and nobly makes a move before the priest does to preserve his vocation. What usually happens is that a priest, consulting his spiritual director and/or confessor, will seek a new assignment. It is often too hard for the priest to remain in a parish and regularly see a woman with whom he wants to share time and intimacy. He goes on with his life and she goes on with hers. He does not go out of his way to be mean or nasty. He will no doubt bless her and keep her in prayer. But he might also never see or talk with her again. And if he does, then he must bear his pain of loss in silence.
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Charles Wilson: What Happens When Bishops Are Found Wanting?
Here’s a canon law article from the July 31, 2008 Christifidelis, a publication of The Saint Joseph Foundation. Digital version is courtesy of Catholic Culture.
What Happens When Bishops Are Found Wanting?
by Charles M. Wilson
More than a few faithful Catholics perhaps would be tempted to answer this question with one word, “nothing.” And the members of the Saint Joseph Foundation’s professional staff, with combined experience of approximately fifty years, might well sympathize. But I would also point out that while “nothing” might apply to many of the cases that we have seen it cannot be applied to all. To say that bishops are never called to account would be incorrect. Be that as it may, however, the harm done to souls by inept or mean-spirited bishops is beyond human reckoning and the existing evidence, scant though it may be, indicates that far too little has been done to repair the damage.
In the aftermath of the eruption of the sexual abuse crisis in 2002, there has been no lack of criticism of the U.S. bishops by the secular media. Many of the Catholic faithful believe as well that their bishops’ handling of sexual abuse complaints has been negligent or even-reckless.1 But this article is not about the obvious shortcomings displayed by the American bishops in dealing with sexually abusive clerics. In this article, my key concern is about what has happened — or not happened — whenever there has been good reason to believe that diocesan bishops have fallen short of fulfilling their responsibilities to teach and to defend the faith (canon 386), to foster the common discipline of the Church (c. 392) and to administer the temporal goods of the Church in accord with the norms of law (canon 393).
As revolting and destructive as the sexual abuse issue is, it is the exercise of ecclesiastical office with respect to upholding the teaching and laws of the Church that is more closely related to the work of the Saint Joseph Foundation. After all, in almost twenty-four years of existence, the Foundation has received only a handful of complaints related to sexual abuse, while we have received thousands of complaints alleging deficient or erroneous teaching, violations of liturgical norms and the abusive exercise of the ministry of governance. Using the very limited amount of data available, I will try here to give our readers some idea of what has happened whenever bishops’ performance in these areas has been called into question.
What Does the Law Provide?
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Russell Shaw: Nothing to Hide
Just a quick post today.
I was amused to hear Raymond Arroyo and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus discussing the last-minute decision to broadcast the Address to the Bishops of the United States. Apparently, the U.S. Bishops didn’t want cameras present in the Basilica of the National Shrine during the Holy Father’s address in Washington, DC last April . . . but the Holy See insisted that it be aired for all to see and hear. Russell Shaw devoted a book to bishops and secrecy released that same month. He’s the former communications director for the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops.
I just read an article by Julia Duin of the Washington Times reviewing Shaw’s, Nothing to Hide, (Ignatius 2008), which addresses the issue of access. Anyway, the article is worth a read, and info on the book follows.
“As the premier Catholic communications professional in the United States, Russ Shaw is a longtime critic of clericalism, excessive secrecy, ‘happy talk’ and spin control in Catholic culture. He’s also an articulate and engaging writer with an unparalleled record of service to the Church. Nothing to Hide is a provocative, important book that explores the boundary between appropriate confidentiality in the Church, and the kind of secrecy that cripples Christian community life. It’s a must-read.”
+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver
Nothing to Hide: Secrecy, Communication, and the Communion in the Catholic Church
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Fr. Benedict Groeschel on The Many Facets of the Abuse Crisis: How’d We Get Into This Unholy Mess?
I’ve been focusing on the fallout of the abuse crisis as it affects priests removed from ministry without due process. For perspective, let’s go back six years when the earthquake of clerical abuse stories destabilized the local Church in 2002.
At that time, Fr. Benedict Groeschel taped an emergency response called An Urgent Appeal in three parts. Father addressed:
- Horrific sexual crimes perpetrated by priests and family members
- Homosexual activism and lifestyle versus same-sex attraction
- Legally-defined pedophilia as it relates to homosexuality
- Shell shocked bishops responding out of cowardice and weariness
- Wasted suffering
- Wake up calls for the reform of the renewal
- How the mainstream media and Hitler shared the same modus operandi for anti-Catholic propaganda
- How the media endeavors to destroy Catholic influence on life issues: abortion, homosexual marriage, euthanasia, etc., during the abuse crisis.
- Clerical psychopaths
- How left wing dissidents are exploiting the crisis to inject their agenda: married priests, women priests, homosexual “marriage,” abolishing celibacy, etc.
- How right wing dissidents are buying the media screed about priests hook, line and sinker.
- Warning that priests taken off the job are accused not automatically guilty
Six years ago, Fr. Groeschel predicted what is happening to “chartered” priests today. After listening, spend some time and meditate on what has come to pass during the past five years. Each part of An Urgent Appeal is 30 minutes long:
An Urgent Appeal Part One
An Urgent Appeal Part Two
An Urgent Appeal Part Three
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About
“The highest form of resistance is to give hope to those who have none.” ~ Adam Stephan Cardinal Sapieha to then Seminarian Karol Jozef Wojtyla
The Priests in Crisis blog site is a gateway to emergency resources for faithful Catholic priests in personal crisis.
A Catholic priest in the United States does not consistently enjoy due process nor civil rights when accused of wrong doing. In a matter of days or hours, a diocesan priest may find himself without his reputation, his home, his family, his livelihood, his liberty, and his hope.
“I know now that people are being a lot more careful about what they say. They [the bishops] are realising that the blogosphere and the internet, with the way the media is today, they know that they are going to be called to account for what they say or do.” ~ Catholic Herald Interview with Fr. John Zuhlsdorf
After reading From Scandal to Hope and listening to Our Lady and This Present Darkness by Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, I realized the role of the Catholic laity in helping its priests through this wintertime of the Church.
