The Continued Moral Bankruptcy of the Catholic Church Leadership

Much as the GOP base lives in a fantasy world that is increasingly out of touch with reality, the Catholic Church hierarchy also lives in some form of sick, morally bankrupt alternate reality where protecting sexual predators becomes laudatory if it means protecting the Church from exposure or embarrassment.  The damage done to perhaps hundreds of thousands of children world wide does cause a ripple in the minds of the smug, self-centered, power hungry old queens who inhabit the Vatican and bishoprics around the world.   As I have argued before, I believe the phenomenon stems from at least two things: (i) a celibate out of touch and often psychologically warped priesthood that lacks any normal emotional intimacy where children are seen as some different species and (ii) the truly sick obsession with all things sexual that so permeates the bitter old men at the top of the Church pyramid.  It is a systemic problem that will not change absent an end to celibacy and a thorough house cleaning of those who have overseen and/or participated in a worldwide criminal conspiracy to protect those who in any other realm are seen as horrible monsters.  A piece in The New Yorker looks at the warped world of the Church hierarchy.  Here are excerpts:

For a moment, it looked as if Cardinal Roger Mahony, of Los Angeles, might be excluded from the conclave that gathers this week to select a new Pope. Under a settlement with some five hundred plaintiffs, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles had been forced to release the records of its dealings with priests accused of sexually abusing children.

Mahony was then the archbishop, and he and other Church officials exchanged letter after letter about one priest, recommending that he stay away from L.A., where he might attract unwanted attention, presumably from the law; he eventually admitted to molesting the children of undocumented immigrants, and allegedly threatened at least one of them with deportation if he told. Meanwhile, the Church provided the priest with residential treatment and a position in another state.

But last week, as Pope Benedict XVI was preparing to step down, Mahony was sending sprightly tweets from the Vatican: “Good weather forecast for this week in Rome; no rain. Mid 50s during the day, upper 30s at night. Great Holy Spirit weather!!”

Mahony’s defenders say that he is being singled out, and they have a point. Anne Burke, an Illinois judge who served on the Catholic Bishops’ advisory board, told the Times that too many Church leaders had “participated in one way or another in having actual information about criminal conduct, and not doing anything. What are you going to do? They’re all not going to participate in the conclave?”

What is distinctive about child abuse in the Catholic Church is not its existence, or even its coverup; in recent months alone, we’ve seen evidence of similar cowardice at Penn State and the BBC. What is distinctive is that Catholic officials can find a higher purpose—protecting the sanctity of the priesthood—in shielding abusers, and a spiritually rewarding humility in enduring criticism of their conduct. Mahony has been blogging about the public disparagement he has received, and he compares it to what Christ withstood, urging the faithful to join him in exploring what it is to “take up our cross daily and to follow Jesus—in rejection, in humiliation, and in personal attack.” But, unlike the criminal prosecution of perpetrators—or real Church reform—that doesn’t do much to help victims or to prevent abuse.

[Benedict XVI]did not dismiss bishops who had looked the other way, and he did not inaugurate an accountability at the highest levels, as the abused and their advocates had hoped. 

Benedict’s term, in fact, has been characterized by an intensifying disapproval of would-be reformers. In a homily last spring, the Pope denounced the efforts of a reforming priest in Austria, where a hundred and fifty thousand Catholics have left the Church in response to revelations of sex abuse in that country, and called upon Catholics to embrace instead “the radicalism of obedience.”  .  .  .  .  surely a Church that expels a priest for advocating women’s ordination faster than it does men who have been credibly accused of raping children is in some kind of trouble.

[C]elibacy conferred—and, despite everything, probably still confers—an aura of purity, of exalted separateness, that protected priests from suspicion, and earned them the sometimes undeserved trust of parents and children.

Nobody really seems to believe that this conclave will pick a Pope who would consider removing leaders like Mahony or ordaining women or allowing priests to marry. But so many people worldwide—especially those who have been ignored, mistreated, or excluded by a Church they love—would rejoice if it did. 

I have no regrets about leaving the Catholic Church.  I would feel dirty if I had remained a member.  What amazes me is how those who consider themselves decent, moral people can remain a part of an institution whose leadership has so thoroughly been documented to be morally bankrupt monsters.  I find it dumbfounding.  They are akin to the "good Germans" who claim to have known nothing about the Holocaust even though new research reveals that such claimed ignorance was likely virtually impossible.  Doing nothing can and does allow evil to occur.

Cardinal Mahony Deposed for 5 Hours in Sex Abuse Lawsuit

With all Hell still breaking loose in Ireland in the wake of the Murphy Report which documented horrific sexual and physical abuse of children by Catholic clergy, now Cardinal Roger Mahony (pictured at left) has had to undergo five hours of depositions in lawsuits against the Los Angeles archdiocese that allege that Mahony enabled and/or covered up for a sexual predator priest. The facts against Mahony sound very damning to date, yet far to many Catholics continue to kiss his ass and the fat, corrupt asses of members of the Catholic Church hierarchy who likewise demonstrated utter callousness towards children and youth. Unlike some of the bishops disgraced by the Murphy Report in Ireland, Mahony has refused to do the right thing and resign. Instead, he and the archdiocese has fought tooth and claw to avoid compensating victims of abuse for the Church's misdeeds. Here are some highlights from CNN:
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The head of the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States faced a grueling five-hour deposition last month, answering questions about his knowledge of abusive priests and his attempts to prevent the information from reaching police. A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, would not answer further questions about Cardinal Roger Mahony's deposition in a civil lawsuit. "A transcript has not been made available to the archdiocese," spokesman Tod Tamberg said. "When the transcript is made available to the public, you [CNN] may resubmit your questions."
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Sources close to the investigation said both the federal investigation and the civil lawsuit focus on one priest in particular -- Michael Baker, who was defrocked and is serving a 10-year prison term for molesting three children. Baker, who confessed to Mahony in 1986, has twice appeared before the federal grand jury, sources tell CNN.
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Mahony failed to disclose Baker's self-reported crimes to police on several occasions and instead allowed Baker to seek treatment options while moving him from parish to parish, sources close to the investigation said.
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In a deposition released last year, Monsignor Richard Loomis, the former vicar of clergy for the archdiocese, said under oath that he wrote a memo in 2000 advocating that the archdiocese inform police about allegations of sexual abuse against Baker. Mahony, Loomis testified, directed him not to report the allegations.
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Mahony has dealt with accusations he covered up sex-abuse cases for years. Three years ago, the archdiocese agreed to pay $660 million to 508 people who claimed they were victims of abuse by priests.
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Personally, I cannot imagine knowingly exposing children and youth to sexual molestation apparently without slightest qualms of conscience. Yet meanwhile the Roman Catholic Church leadership and clerics like Mahony call gays disordered. I'd say it's they, not the gays, who are inherently disordered. Do they have ice water in their veins? it truly sickens me. Mahony should likely be behind bars for true justice to be done.

Cardinal Mahony Under Federal Investigation

The other day I wrote about a possible federal investigation of the leadership of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, one of the largest dioceses in the USA based on a Wall Street Journal story. Now, the Los Angeles Times has more information and it is clear that Cardinal Roger Mahoney is one of the targets in the probe. Perhaps my views are colored by the fact that I have three children - and was an altar boy myself for 10 years - but in my view, nothing demonstrates more the moral bankruptcy of the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church more than the fact that none of the bishops and cardinals who enabled and/or covered up the sexual abuse of children and youths have been punished. True, Cardinal Law of Boston resigned his position, but then he was rewarded with a plum assignment at the Vatican. Not exactly my idea of punishment. If the Vatican will not take the steps needed to hold bishops and cardinals accountable, then I am all in favor of the civil authorities stepping in a doing the job. Here are some story highlights:

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The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger M. Mahony in connection with his response to the molestation of children by priests in the Los Angeles Archdiocese, according to two law enforcement sources familiar with the case.

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The probe, in which U.S. Atty. Thomas P. O'Brien is personally involved, is aimed at determining whether Mahony, and possibly other church leaders, committed fraud by failing to adequately deal with priests accused of sexually abusing children, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation.

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Mahony has repeatedly apologized for the church's sex scandal and asked for forgiveness for not acting sooner to remove priests who abused minors. He has declared that the archdiocese handles abuse allegations seriously, notifying police when complaints are made and removing priests from active ministry when allegations are deemed credible. As the Catholic Church's highest-ranking official in Southern California, Mahony has been dogged for years by allegations of covering up the sexual misconduct of priests.

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The cardinal was accused of transferring priests who molested children to other parishes rather than removing them from the priesthood and alerting authorities. One priest, Michael Stephen Baker, told Mahony in 1986 that he had molested children, but he was allowed to remain in active ministry. Mahony sent Baker to a treatment center in New Mexico and later reassigned him to other parishes, where he allegedly victimized children. Prosecutors later filed criminal charges against Baker. He pleaded guilty to molesting two boys and was sentenced in 2007 to more than 10 years in prison.

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Mahony also came under fire for vigorously fighting attempts by prosecutors, victims and the victims' attorneys to gain access to the church's personnel files, which tracked the problems of accused priests and the church hierarchy's reaction to them.

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I will not be surprised to hear next that William Donohoe of the Catholic League is whining about the persecution of Catholics. Meanwhile, Donohue has been utterly silent in terms of demanding that bishops and cardinals involved in the abuse cover ups be held accountable.

U.S. Investigates Los Angeles Archdiocese Officials

As the Wall Street Journal is reporting, a federal grand jury has issued subpoenas and begun calling witnesses in a probe of whether top officials of the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles tried to cover up the sexual abuse of minors by priests. Hopefully, the grand jury will ultimately issue indictments against Cardinal Mahoney and others in the Los Angeles Diocese if the findings show a conspiracy to cover up the abuse of minors - which I believe DID occur. But it is important to remember that abuse occurred not only in the Los Angeles Diocese but rather world wide. Having followed the sexual abuse scandal closely for years - I did a guest editorial piece in the Virginian Pilot on the topic back in February, 2002 - the sad reality is that cover up has been the secret official policy of the Church all the way back into the 1960's when John XXIII was Pope. Since the Vatican refuses to do a complete house cleaning of bishops and cardinals who engaged in the cover up of the vile abuse of children and youths, we can only hope that the civil authorities will do what the Church leadership will not do. Here are highlights from the Journal story:

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Federal authorities are investigating the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to see whether top church officials tried to cover up the sexual abuse of minors by priests, said a person familiar with the matter. A federal grand jury has issued subpoenas and begun calling witnesses in the probe, which began late last year, said this person. The investigation is still in its early, fact-gathering stage, and it isn't known whether any criminal charges will result.

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Cardinal Roger Mahony, who heads the archdiocese, the largest in the U.S., has been criticized by victims' groups for his past handling of sexual-abuse allegations against priests. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office has been investigating allegations of such abuses for several years. District Attorney Steve Cooley criticized the archdiocese in 2007 for its "institutional moral failure" to "supervise predatory priests." A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office said their investigation is still open.

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The district attorney's investigation began in 2002, around the same time that internal archdiocese emails about priests accused of abuse surfaced in the media. Over the following two years, dozens of alleged victims stepped forward, with many filing lawsuits. They claimed the archdiocese shielded priests accused of molestation by keeping the allegations secret and allowing them to keep working, sometimes moving them from one parish to another.

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No senior Catholic Church officials have been criminally charged in the national scandal. But representatives of abuse victims alleged that senior officials helped perpetuate the crimes by ignoring or covering up evidence of misdeeds. They have argued that prosecuting senior church officials would help stop future abuse. "Everything else has been tried with minimal impact except charging an individual bishop. That would have to an impact," says David Clohessy, national director for the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, a nonprofit victims-advocacy group based in Chicago.

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The federal investigation in Los Angeles is the latest chapter in government's efforts to grapple with the priest-abuse scandals in the Catholic Church that have struck in waves over the past three decades.