The following comes from a September 4 letter issued by the diocese of Stockton.
An update on our financial situation from Bishop Stephen Blaire
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In my letter to you in June, I shared with you some difficult news about the financial situation of the Diocese — the funds we have used to settle sexual abuse lawsuits have been almost depleted, and we have no apparent way to meet the expenses of pending lawsuits and possible future claims.
I promised you we would examine the options available to us, and that I would keep you updated on any developments. This is the reason for my letter to you today.
We continue to investigate our options, and no final decisions have been reached. I feel, however, that it is important to tell you that options other than filing for bankruptcy protection have not emerged. It appears likely to me that the Diocese will need to re-organize financially under the protection of the Bankruptcy Court. I want to keep you and the wider community informed as best I can in this process. That is why I am meeting in the days and weeks ahead with your pastors and with others who may be affected by a bankruptcy filing by the Diocese.
The parishes, Catholic high schools, Catholic cemeteries, the Madonna of Peace retreat center, Church for Tomorrow, Catholic Charities, SEEDS, and certain other Catholic entities in the Diocese, organized as separate corporations, apart from the Diocesan Corporation, are not subjects of the possible bankruptcy filing. Nevertheless, these separate organizations need to have an understanding of the decision-making process and the possible claims that may be made by creditors of the Diocese so they can be prepared in whatever way necessary. Experience from other diocesan bankruptcies indicates their status as separate corporations, not subject to the possible bankruptcy filing, may be challenged by creditors.
The Diocese works closely with many partners to serve not just our 250,000 Catholics, but also the poor and vulnerable in every community of our vast region. It is important, therefore, that each of these partners — beginning with you, our parishioners, be kept informed as we continue to face the challenges before us.
It remains my commitment to find a way to meet our obligations: to the victims of sexual abuse who have not yet had their day in court, to the poor and vulnerable of our communities, and to you our people. This commitment will guide our decisions as we move forward.
When a final decision is made about the Diocese’s financial future, you will be informed of it. Please pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
+ Stephen Blaire
Bishop of the Diocese of Stockton
Rather than being politically involved at the USCCB, perhaps Bishop Stockton should stay within his own Diocese to make certain everything is in order and he is able to pay his Diocese debts.
He needs to “teach” his own flock and to Save Souls. Teaching ALL that is in the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition.
According to the CCC 2411 – without COMMUTATIVE JUSTICE (which includes paying bills) no other form of justice is possible.
When is the Bishop going to teach Commutative Justice to his flock, his USCCB Committee, and all VOTERS within the State of CA ?
Selective teaching is not honest.
Oakland, you can’t be far behind.
The obligations to those harmed by priests of the Holy Roman Catholic Church are of higher priority even that meeting the needs of the poor and vulnerable, whom we as Catholics have not directly harmed. Let me rephrase that. It was not we who harmed these innocent children, now adults who were damaged on a sexual level personally and profoundly, but it was our Catholic priests. Even after all this years, even as a victim of a priest who harmed me and two other members of my family, it is so difficult to wrap my head around the concept of a Catholic priest harming innocent children. Yet these people must come first; and I am not speaking for myself, as none of the three of us have ever sought compensation. It would be hard for the other two to do so, as they are dead as a direct result of one priest’s actions, and I alone still do not have the courage, feeling I would not be believed. Yet think of the thousands of others in my position, harmed by a priest, but silent still, whom we will never pay damages. Pay first the innocent and damaged children we harmed, I say, and then take up the burdens of the poor. Last of all, order new vestments to cover the shame of so, so many of our priests. The guilty have indeed harmed even their innocent fellow priests, who serve both God and humanity with their lives. Shame!
Maryanne Leonard,
Here we go again. You do not make any sense. You are the poster who consistently wails about the treatment of women when faithful priests like Father Karl for truthfully calling a spade, a spade. You are the same individual who just gave your feminist dig remarks to a future seminarian who spoke about placing God first. When it suits your personal liking you will glowingly praise a priest who works with the poor but who has first been charged with the priestly duty and obligation to remain faithful to God and his sacred vows to uphold Church teaching. Should it surprise you or anyone with your intellect that if a priest can betray God in such a big thing such as upholding the sanctity of marriage being only between a man an a woman, that it becomes much easier then to betray God in little things or many things or in all things, including harming children. Wasn’t it you who wanted to knowingly pre-canonize someone who publicly betrayed his vows to God? You cannot have it both ways. Little obedience means little peace. You cannot place your serving the false god of feminist feelings before fidelity to God.
Speaking of that priest, the person I was concerned about being reinforced in wrongdoing by that priest, had a schedule change and could not go to the event. Thanks to all who prayed.
ALL Priest that have harmed Children MUST be identified and their NAMES published in a Perpetual Site in order that all may be warned of their grave indiscretions!
These socalled MEN should and will be ridculed and defiled by all of the population everywhere. They will have nowhere to go and hide, and keep on perpetuating their COWARDLY EVIL on youug children. They would be sorry the day not only they were born, but the day they were concieved? Fish bate would be too good for them?
The church must rid itself of these ibominable creatures that have infiltrated the church. Even if we have to start over again with fewer priests, just as Jesus first began with ONLY 12 APOSTLES! Who today would wish their son, or what young man would want to become a Priest when many may believe that he had not only HomoSexual tendancies, but Pedophile as well? That is the real reason that so few are willing to enter the Priesthood today, but the church continues to hide the guilty instead of publicly exposing them and expelling and exiling them from the church. It would be better to do that and a lot cheaper than damaging young people and then having to pay enormous amounts of money in an attempt to repair the Horrible and Irripairable Damage of those EVIL DEVILS!
Good priests are the real victims of this tragedy. I know priest who at least for a while stopped wearing their Clericals because of assaults by ignorant people.
Then there are the good priests who preached the full gospel and were accused. Their liberal “shepherds’ were only too happy to use the false accusations as weapons to take away their faculties, yet these same “shepherds” need to keep their own shady records from coming to the fore.
I have written this before: I believe that the Canonical requirement for faculties has become an anchor around good priests backs, and that policy should be seriously reviewed by the Vatican.
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
82% of the sexually abusive priests were sodomites. The solution is simple.
Read my 9:56 p.m. Sept. 10, 2013 posting!
The solution IS simple. Punish 100% of those who victimized and those who covered up the crimes. And support and acknowledge the fine work of all others who did not victimize.
I just pray that this doesn’t effect St. Joseph’s parish in Modesto that is SO
wonderful and Central Catholic High School that is truly Catholic in all ways!!!!
This is the aftermath from settling civil suits for decades, due to clergy molestation…stop ordaining gay men, and you won’t have so many young men getting molested by gay pedophile priest’s…you reap what you sow…
Spot on, lad. Sodomites are one of the two riders of the Pale Horse of the Apocalypse: Death and Hades (Rev. 6:7-8). They infiltrated the Church and the priesthood as the “smoke of Satan” (Cf. OMELIA DI PAOLO VI, Solennità dei Santi Apostoli Pietro e Paolo Giovedì, 29 giugno 1972).
And I suppose we should stop ordaining straight men so that we won’t have straight pedophile priests.
Stop ordaining homosexuals and sex abuse by priests drops instantly by 82%. Other than Satan, who would oppose that?
Straight men are not pedophiles, it is the HomoSexual’s that are the Pedophiles.
Brian this is completely a lie. There were plenty of straight men who abused women and girls, and plenty more straight priests and bishops who covered up the whole thing.
Your Fellow Catholic.
It is not lies! Pedophiles prey on same sex BOYS.
The straight ones are rapists or women and girls!
Those who cover up for the guilty…are just as guilty themselves is the true part of your comment.
Studies show that homosexuals are only 2% of the population and yet make up 33% of all child sex abusers. This proves that homosexuals are 16.5 times more likely (33% / 2%) to sexually abuse children than are heterosexuals, and shows why homos are such a menace to our children.
This was indeed borne out in the priest child sex abuse scandal, in which 82% of the offenders were homosexuals.
Jesus Christ picked straight men to be the first Catholic Priests.
Ski – the Lord picked Normal Men as Apostles, although ultimately their faith made them exceptional.
Using the term “Straight” as a misleading euphemism for Normalcy – plays in to the Gaystapo Propaganda Pogroms, which seek to juxtapose ‘Happy Greeks’ Vs.
Those rigidly narrow linear unbendingly straight types -who are obviously no fun, as opposed to the Happy Greeks. Ahem.
Mr. McDermott, I accept your advice. God bless you.
Come on, Bishop Blair, “to settle sexual abuse cases” is not the reason for bankruptcy.” That bishop-speak is a coverup, a flimsy way to finesse the truth—that the bishops allowed priests who were sexual predators to remain as functioning priests and failed to report them to the D.A. Now that is what caused the lawsuits.
Moral bankruptcy proceeded financial bankruptcy. Let the diocese go bankrupt as it should, and then allow each parish to take care of its own.
Jesse Martinez wisely wrote…”Moral bankruptcy proceeded financial bankruptcy.” God bless you and thank you Jesse Martinez for clarifying the truth.
“Many a modern preacher is far less concerned with preaching Christ and Him crucified than he is with his popularity with his congregation. A want of intellectual backbone makes him straddle the ox of truth and the ass of nonsense.” …Fulton J. Sheen
It may be time for another St. Michael the Archangel and a St. George to slay the dragons and drive them into Hell along with Satan?
Please God….
The Spirit moves in mysterious ways. It sounds like every diocese in CA will get hit hard. I don’t see Brown vetoing the bill. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. Pope Francis after all is promoting a “poorer” Church. Maybe God is telling us it is time to shut down some of these schools and retreat centers – and start over. I question some of the teaching and preaching at these places anyways. Maybe the bishops will finally realize it is not all about money and start getting back to the basics of the faith – stop being money managers and start being true shepherds. The first bishops (apostles) started with nothing – not a cent, and look what they did. This is the beginning of the real New Evangelization.
Oh and another thing – you bishops and your political pandering to the democratic party in CA brought this upon yourselves. Instead of clearly taking principled stands against democratic leadership and what they stand for, you stood idly by (and even supported them in their ideology). You compromised intrinsic evils like abortion and homosexuality for “social justice”. Although democrats clearly take a secular/anti-Christian view toward public policy, you looked the other way in order that your welfare agenda will get through. Now the dems have a supermajority of seats in the legislature. If Repubs were running the show, you would have an ally against this bill. As it is, since you danced with the devil, it is time to pay the bill.
beautifully articulated Del…these bishops support democrat political figures who support abortion on demand and homosexual rights and marriage…they have danced with the devil for years…many of these bishops are homosexuals themselves and should never have been ordained…now these same bishops are blubbering about bankruptcy…why?…because these irresponsible shepherd chose to ordain gay men, who couldn’t resist molesting boys and young men…the sad fallout is many parishioners became jaded and walked away, due to the scandalous activity and shenanigans of these wayward clergy…chicken cam home to roost..
Good Points about the subversion of the Church in to a fund raising scam for the Demi-Krat Pederast Power structure.
In his insightful book “Goodbye Good Men” author MIchael Rose deals with the above topics in a candid manner. The book needs updating, but only as to recent developments – as its foundation is still solid.
On a related note I still object to using the CSUEB ‘cal-state eastbay catholic’ Club to Recruit Students for the Violent ‘Fleabagger / Occupy’ Riots in Oakland; or the Misandrist Heretic ‘Womyn – Priest’ Coven in Berkeley – as I witnessed first hand not long ago.
I provide two background links for those interested.
REAL CATHOLIC TV: “It’s a War” (Featuring Cardinal Raymond Burke)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpyZMkjr640&list=UUsUgCCaaOfESPA4REUfZ33g&index=20&feature=plcp
And a book: GOODBYE GOOD MEN by Michael Rose
https://www.amazon.com/Goodbye-Good-Men-Liberals-Corruption/dp/0895261448
… book charges that liberal bishops, priests, and feminist nuns “discriminated against” and “black-balled” generations of devout Catholic men in favor of seminarians that reject Church teachings.
Catherine recommended the Michel Rose book several weeks ago and I got it from the library…the chapter on Fr.Trigilio is so disheartening . He is so matter-of-fact and non-judgmental about what he encountered throughout his years of Catholic high school and seminaries in PA, which somehow made it all the more powerful of an indictment than if it were full of vehemence. To think this is what has been and probably still is going on throughout the country is not just heartbreaking but despicable. How can these so-called Catholic school employees, bishops etc. live with their duplicity and scandalous behavior? What kind of lying, vile people do we have in the church that never seem to face consequences? How can this be?
I have heard that book changes how people view the Church. You need to have enough faith in God to realize that no one does anything that God is not aware of. God wants you to obey your priests and bishops in all matters except sin. None of them are perfect. Don’t let Satan take hold of your heart. Also, Father Triglio works with Catholic Answers, if you read their thread on this book, you will find others who attended some of the seminaries mentioned who refute what Michael Rose has to say. Everyone admits that there were problems but not to the extent that the book indicates. It seems that Mr. Rose focuses on bad behavior of a few and does not put much emphasis on the faithful behavior of the majority. He piles on horror stories to shock and outrage his readers, but some of them are not true and others are questionable and most are not verifiable. One of the sources that Michael Rose used was entirely discredited. A review of the book by an orthodox priest who was himself refused entrance to a seminary is available online at
https://www.culturewars.com/2002/may02_ggm.html
And remember, Mr. Rose’s book is about seminaries in the 1970’s and 1980’s. It was a trying time for all Catholics who love the Church but those days are over. Perhaps there are still pockets of experimentation and progressivism that need our prayers, but for the most part the priests and bishops are orthodox. Some may be reluctant but they know their boundaries. Mr. Rose’s books are, unfortunately, harmful to those who read and believe them.
Unfortunately, bishops like Bp. Blaire and his predecessor, Roger now Cardinal Mahony, refused to resign for their part in the scandals. That enraged the victims (and many among the rest of the laity), as innocent and guilty priests alike were “disappeared” by the bishops at the first allegation.
Those bishops voted to exempt themselves at the June 2002 USCCB meeting in Dallas. “The scandals are behind us,” they insisted.
A study published in the Dallas Morning News during their meeting revealed two things: a tiny minority of priests had abused, most of them homosexual; and, a majority of bishops had covered up, protected, or otherwise enabled the abusers, some for decades.
“Behind us”? Bishop Blaire paid well over three million dollars to one alleged victim last year so he could keep Cardinal Mahony (who had been subpoenaed) off the witness stand under oath.
And Stockton Catholics wonder where their money went?
Bp. Blaire evidently acquires a sense of regained moral worth by pushing the tired old welfare state agenda, condemning as “immoral” pro-life Catholic congressmen two time zones away while refusing publicly to remonstrate or or criticize the two ardently-pro-abortion “Catholic” Members of Congress who represent his diocese.
That should make his priorities clear.
Pray for our bishops. And may God help the laity.
Pederast Infiltrators– What Pederast”
When the Church hired John Jay College for a report on the ‘Sex Abuse’ scandal, I wrote to the Cardinal and offered to produce the Same (predictable) results at a fraction of the cost.
My methodology was simple – collect the faculty / staff and ask for a show of hands – All those who wanted to see their career destroyed, and become unemployable pariahs targeted for retaliation by the Gaystapo
= Raise your hand to show you think that Homosex Behaviors (Pederast / Ephebophile) had Anything to do with the “Abuse”.
Goodness knows we needed to save the money to pay for the Pederast Abuse they couldn’t / Wouldn’t find:
SEE
“The Price of Priestly Pederasty
https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4003
…Disaster In Santa Rosa
priest who signed on as a plaintiff — his alleged abuser was the bishop himself.
The priest – claimed that the bishop had blackmailed him for sex. The bishop at first denied any sexual relationship — until faced with DNA and taped evidence…
A Plague Of Scandals
Sadly, and perhaps unfairly, sex scandals are now associated with the Catholic Church in the minds of many…
A NCCB document distributed to every U.S. bishop in 1985 had forthrightly acknowledged that clerical pederasty –
– was a widespread problem and proposed a plan for dealing with it that the bishops ultimately rejected.
The existence of that secret, 92-page report — written by canon lawyer Rev. Thomas Doyle and Ray Mouton… convinced the Texas court that the Dallas bishops knew
Consider and Compare – when is the Same or Worse Abuse of BOYS – Not??
Although over a year since his Second Arrest (after seized evidence review) – Notorious Homosex Icon LARRY BRINKIN remains almost completely censored, despite the Racist Homo-Anal Toddler Boy Rape Ring run out of the ‘in-human’ rights commission in Sodom by the Sea.
Why hasn’t this been a national scandal to rival the Catholic Church or Sandusky / Penn State Football disgrace. The answer – Sandusky was ostensibly a heterosexaul married to a woman – thus an acceptable target.
Brinkin – is also ‘married’, to another man, thus his story simply too taboo for our bought and paid for ‘free press’ – who’s be fired for daring discuss this ‘Non-Scandal’
Michael Brown writes on Townhall
“But, you ask, who was Larry Brinkin? He was “a central figure in the gay rights movement,” a man who was so influential that, “The San Francisco board of supervisors actually gave a ‘Larry Brinkin Week’ in February 2010 upon his retirement.”
It was Brinkin who first used the term “domestic partnerships” in a legal dispute, marking a watershed moment in gay activist history, yet news of his alleged crimes against infants and children, not to mention his alleged White Supremacist leanings, has received very little media attention.
Is there a double standard here? Imagine what the media would be doing if Brinkin had been a conservative Christian leader.”
SEE
Leading California gay rights leader arrested over child porn possession
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/leading-california-gay-rights-leader-arrested-over-child-porn-possession/
https://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2012/07/09/ted_haggard_larry_brinkin_and_glaring_media_bias/page/full
https://cal-catholic.com/wordpress/2012/06/27/no-shame/
Unspeakably sad to read this letter. And Fr. Michael read my mind: Oakland is next, being at least $114M in debt when the new bishop, Michael C. Barber took over this summer. (Did we really need a $175M ‘Crystal Cathedral’, Bishops Cummins & Vigneron, when you already had to pay out $60M through 2005 for the abuse charges? I don’t understand it.
Your Excellency,
They weren’t “sexual abuse lawsuits”; they were homosexual priest lawsuits.
It’s time to call a spade a spade.
juergensen please tell the truth.
I did tell the truth. 82% of all Catholic priest sex abuse victims were male. Since 100% of priests are male, that means 82% of all sex abuse was HOMOSEXUAL. Time to face the facts.
The homosexual propagandists used to try to convince me that a man having sex with a boy is not necessarily a homosexual act. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now.
Dancing Around Pederasty
Ski – Although the subject matter is quite unpleasant, I provide two sources about the Pederast / Ephebophile Kulture of Our own ‘Allies’ in Afghanistan…
Like the Homo-Nazi third reich, founded and led by Homosex Ephebophiles – the story of such Pederast Kults is heavily suppressed by our bought and paid for ‘free press’ – who have no explanation (they are willing to discuss) for the phenomenon.
These Boy Rapists also pretend their acts are Not Homosex Behaviors – because the Boys are “young & pretty” – which also motivated Amerikan Icons from Harvey Milk to LARRY BRINKIN https://cal-catholic.com/wordpress/2012/06/27/no-shame/
Consider – even using the Bogus ‘Kinsey’ number of 1 in 10 as being Homosexist – there is no accounting for the Widespread practice of Boy Buggery in such numbers…
– save to Admit that Homo-Anal Behaviors are largely Learned – often by Being Abused as a Boy
SEE
The lost boys of Afghanistan by: JOEL BRINKLEY.
https://www.startribune.com/opinion/101505674.html
The Dancing Boys Of Afghanistan | FRONTLINE | PBS
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/dancingboys/
Apr 20, 2010 … It’s an ancient practice, secretly revived — young boys sold by their families to ‘ entertain’ wealthy businessmen and warlords.
Afghanistan sees rise in ‘dancing boys’ exploitation – …
articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-04-04/world/35451705_1_bacha-bazi-afghans-pasht…
The 9-year-old boy with pale skin and big, piercing eyes captivated Mirzahan at first sight.“He is more handsome than anyone in the village,” …
BBC News – The sexually abused dancing boys of Afghanistan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11217772 –
Well said Ski, they love trying to pull that scam
And you are turning the other cheek when it comes to the abuse of women and girls by claiming it is a homosexual problem.
By talking about the abuse of women and girls, you are sweeping under the rug the fact that most of the abuse victims are BOYS. The HOMOSEXUALS own this scandal. I may not be the sharpest pencil in the pack, but I am not stupid enough to fall for your tricks.
Actually the church owns it. Sue away!
The homosexuals did the dirty deed. They should do time for their crime.
Del, You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned that bishops have danced with the devil in this life. Hope they don’t continue so that they will not join him in hell.
Excerpts from the apparitions of Our Lady, Queen of Peace at Medjugorje:
June 2 2013: Be God’s children. Love your shepherds as my Son loved them when He called them to serve you.
July 2, 2013: Dear children, extend the joy of love and support to your shepherds just as my Son has asked them to extend it to you.
August 2, 2013: Again I am calling you to love your shepherds and to pray that, in this difficult time, the name of my Son may be glorified under their guidance.
September 2, 2013 Again I repeat, only alongside your shepherds will my heart triumph. Do not permit evil to separate you from your shepherds.
Honor the GOOD Shepherds BUT be ware of the WOLVES dressed as shepherds!
Remember what Donkeys do to the Wolves in order to protect the Sheep!
That is why you never stand behind a Donkey for you may not survive their kick if they think you are up to no good!
And in LA they just released the depositions of several priest cases that will cost millions. What got me was that the priest were from some of the most “holy” order of priests. This scandal goes down many layers and won’t be over for generations. Not a month goes by that I am not asked how I can belong to a church where priests mistreat children. One of the reasons I can is that the misguided represent such a small minority of our good priests. Yet, I have a hard time wondering why the involved bishops are not in jail where they belong. The other fact that we should keep in mind, Bishop Blair included, is that the current bishops are cleaning up the mess of former bishops’ bad deeds. Don’t kill the messanger!
Cardinal Roger Mahoney was morally bankrupt and how his former Diocese of Stockton is financially bankrupt. One form of bankruptcy led to the other. Too bad he’s not around the face the music. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten Pope Francis to give Mahoney his walking papers, as Mahoney continues to defy his bishop in Los Angeles by openly engaging in public ministry that his Bishop prohibited.
BTW, for those of you that are tracking the sex abuse scandal…..I have some sympathy for gays and lesbians that live good lives, but the USCCB paid “study” of the sex abuse scandal by the John Jay School of Criminal Justice in NYC wrote that “…homosexuality had nothing to do with the abuse scandal”…..then later concluded that 80% of the abuse incidents were inflicted on preadolescent or adolescent boys by male priests. Huh?
good cause, you quoted the Jay study correctly. There is no need to hide the horrible truth of the abuse or who perpetuated it or who covered it up. We need to open up the truth and expose it to the cleansing affect of sunshine, regardless of what groups might look bad in the process. As a gay man, I have no problem calling to justice those who harmed boys or covered it up. But we must also not cover up those who harmed girls. Most of the gay men I know think the same way, because we know that what makes someone gay or straight is not the same as what makes some child molesters. The only thing I ask is that we do not draw the mistaken conclusion, as some have, that all we need to do to eliminate the sex abuse problem is to remove gay priests from ministry. That is a recipe for more problems, not fewer.
What “more problems” would there be if GotAidsYet priests were removed from ministry?
Brian, that is a disgusting post. Please show respect for your fellow catholics, priests who have served God and their parishes honorably. Besides, you are showing how little you know about the problem by scapegoating gay priests alone.
How many altar boys were told that they were serving God honorably?
Wrong YFC wrong, gays need to be forcibly remove from the priesthood and ranks of clerics, and permanently. gay priests are scourge of the Church and blight on humanity
YFC, straight men don’t molest young men, gay men do this, but most gay men are not involved in having relationships with underage males…the demographic shows the sad proclivity…it is difficult for gays to process this through their filter…they think this is an indictment that all gay men are child molesters, as is not the case…
Well Dipolomas, I’m not an expert in child molestation. I’ve heard it said that the sexual orientation of the molester is not always reflected in whom they molest. Molestation is often, from what I understand, a crime of power and a crime of opportunity. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to think that otherwise straight priests, who while in positions of power and with young impressionable boys looking up to them (altar boys, for example, or youth group attendees), took advantage of the power dynamic and the opportunity to molest youth of the same sex, even though as I said they were otherwise heterosexual.
I took the position I did for the sake of argument. But I absolutely agree with you that most gay men are not involved in having relationships with underage males. I am an example of that fact. Those who would indict all gay men for the sins of a few gay men must similarly indict all straight men for the sins of a few of them, and it is this reality that I present.
love the gay person, but not the acting out…this cannot be approved of or endorsed…
I’m horrified for what the victims of priests went through, but it also saddens me that now Catholic schools, shelters, and other worthy organizations are having their money taken away to pay for the sins of the sinners.
I wish instead they would throw the BISHOPS and PRIESTS in prison who did these deeds, or covered them up, and make THEM pay for their crimes — not the little old ladies who put money into the collection basket, or the Catholic school children whose education is damaged by all these darned lawsuits.
Throwing money at victims of abuse won’t help — but maybe throwing the CRIMINALS into prison for life would not only help the victims feel more “listened to,” but also serve as a deterrent for another other BISHOPS or PRIESTS who might be tempted to allow such a crime against children!!!
They paid because they thought it would cover-up or conceal the activity…this would also silence the victim, hopefully for life, by getting that victim to sign a “confidentiality agreement”…these agreements are NOT always binding…let me explain…if by “law”, a person stands by this agreement, it allows a “criminal” to continue molesting and sexually assaulting other’s, by not punishing the perpetrator, but more importantly exposing the perp to the authorities…if the have committed felonies or even misdemeanor sexual battery, the court would not be obliged to recognize a contract that exposes “OTHERS” to potential assault, some judges have not recognized the validity of some of the settlements, not because money was payed to the victim, rather because the criminal was allowed to remain active, without the knowledge of the authorities, whereby he was “FREE” to assault and molest again…these out of court settlements were good…but on the flip side, after compensation, the perp should have been laicized and if need be…imprisoned…fact…hopefully this clears up all ambiguity
This article by Jeff Lindsay is from 2/28/04, however – Much Remains Relevant, even if Scouting has collapsed from the attacks.
Study of Catholic Priests and Child Abuse:
The Boy Scouts Were Right about the Risks of Homosexual Youth Leaders
With the skill and determination of a modern-day Houdini, the mainstream media has been struggling to escape what appears to be an inescapable conclusion from the national scandal of sexual abuse among Catholic priests.
-Maybe we’ll overlook the inescapable conclusion that the Boy Scouts of America were right – vindicated in their cautious policies that make it difficult for gay men to serve…
– concern that some homosexual men might seek access to young victims has been entirely borne out with tragic experience.
… We’ve been told that the molesting priests represent a few scattered pedophiles–that’s the preferred term, one that conjures up an image of rare sickos with no particular relationship to the gay community, mentally ill creatures going for tiny little kids.
Some journalists have even claimed that a majority of the victims were girls, and that homosexuality was not an issue in the scandal.
When was the last time a major media outlet dared to say that the molesters were homosexual men or that the victims were typically teenage boys?
And how often has the press dared to say that large numbers of homosexual men have naturally been drawn to the Catholic clergy, where they can use their positions of authority to gain sexual access to youths?
Hello? This result cannot surprise anyone. Bishop Blaire, and likely the large majority of American bishops, are incompetent, in several ways. He, and they, completely fail to understand the economics of their diocese, including the historic, and ongoing, risks of pandering to homosexual clergy (and parishioners). The Stockton result did not just fall from the sky, but is the “fruits” of an institution that fails to live by its own standards. Further, as the Church continues to retreat from its own history and Tradition, people see less and less reason to belong to it. Without focusing on the truths of sin, redemption, and salvation, and holding itself out as only “one of a number of good options” for those who “believe,” the Catholic Church fails to inspire, to mold the sort of true believers that were its foundation for millenia. Silly Bishop Blaire demands more taxes from “wealthy corporations” — why? To pay for the increasingly immoral behavior of the clergy and for a Church that does nothing to stop its own slide into a feminized liturgy, fractured by so many differences among dioceses as to appear not even to be one church? Yes, it is very difficult to see what Pope Francis adds beneficially to all of this. His confusing rhetoric and seeming dislike of anything having to do with Tradition is most troubling.
Out of court settlements are “hush money”…nothing more…many of these perp priest’s and brother’s are in denial…in fact, many of them lie and conceal their crimes because deep down, they believe they have the “right” to molest and sexually assault other’s…they are “antisocial” with a grandiose sense of entitlement, in fact-many blame the victim and claim that “they” were unwittingly seduced by the victim…even outrageously professing that the victim was open and responsive to their seduction… they lack remorse and only think of the personal satisfaction they can derive from the victim, who provides and fuels the “supply” need… these perp’s lack empathy and and are solely concerned with their own self-preservation…to be expected, these individual’s are highly narcissistic and are constantly searching for sources of “narcissistic supply”…when exposed, they become angry, resentful and they lie shamelessly to conceal the reality that they are gay, sick and have mental health issues… which is manifested by the maladaptive lifestyle they lead… unless nipped in the bud, this behavior frequently devolves into criminal activity, which is again… an outgrowth of their personality disorder…many of these evil-doers have graduate degrees in “religious ethic’s and spirituality”…subconsciously, these credential’s can be used as a smoke screen to conceal past crimes and to further ongoing nefarious activity… these “bogus credentials” have been used as an adjunct for further manipulation…the conscious mind is always congruent with the subconscious…so-much-so in fact, that it will pursue and seek precisely what the subconscious values most.
Any priest or brother that has lied aboutor concealed information, about touching, caressing or fondling a lay person, parishioner or former religious, will answer for these spiritual crimes…though many of them lie and profess innocence, we all know the truth of the matter…”when the truth is so ugly, only a lie can be beautiful”…
Many young gay men gravitate to the ministerial priesthood and religious life, becaue they are homoseexual in orientation…this becomes a place where they feel accepted without having to “really” come out of the closet…many seek clandestine romance’s with other gay priest’s and religious when they take their vows or become ordained. In religious life, this was referred to as “the third way”, back in the shameless 70’s. “The Third Way” was a process by which two celibates, often a male and female, (usually a sister or nun) would pursue a romantic, clandestine relationship with a priest, seldom a brother. Gay men, than began seeking out gay men, who were in their religious community, for clandestine romance and particular friendships…I knew a gay religious who used the expression, “watch the movement’s”…he sadly never followed his own advice and was guilty of the very activity he was supposed to be monitoring…him and his “faux” brother’s were flaming away so shamelessly that the prior general from Rome had to fly into L.A. and interview each brother personally, to ascertain the scope of the homosexual behavior and activity…nothing ever came of this wasted exercise, because when he flew back to Rome, it was “gayblade” business as usual for these bogus brother’s…to this day, the flim-flam and homosexuality are raging full-tilt…and i’m not laughing out loud…
Well-written and observed, El Paso J. Were I to add one thing, this progressed further beyond the 70’s (I dont think you really meant ‘only the 70’s) and by the 80’s and 90’s, those in training or religious orders who complained about the flagrance of the openly sexual lifestyle thye had to witness daily were instead excluded from any works of the orders and put on “awaiting assignment” status..forever. Until they got the message and left. It continues through the present. Sad to say but one very well known order has an individual in a very high command position who was one of the most notoriously promiscuous misbehavers in his prior years. In Phoenix, at several parishes, where the outrage was so obvious of the priest and “his man”, a previous bishop (NOT Olmsted, mind you), those who complained were written letters not to attend services again and in several cases they actually had restraining orders slapped on them by the offending priests, with the tacit approval of that bishop. (This was in 1980’s through early 2000’s, for time reference.) Some of those who were notorious often acted with minors—check the public record, it’s there. At least two of these fled the country and are still fugitives. My point is: El Paso J. is right and nothing has changed.
Demographically, you could not have this much male on male molestation in ONE particular population…the catholic priesthood…if but for ONE reason…these men are homosexual!…that’s why they chose the priesthood to hide in and once comfortable ensconced they had many young male prey item’s to choose from…all around them, these chicken hawk’s saw boys and young men on the cusp of puberty, in fact many of those molested are adolescent’s!…capable of fathering their own families…yes, these priest’s who molested over 90% males, are in fact GAY!…and pedophiles to boot!
The gays in the Church has ruined the vocation of many young men contemplating the priesthood or religious life AND women also, who looked into the nunnery, and saw a burgeoning of “diesel dykes”…how many…how many vocation’s were destroyed by these “revolting queen’s”, who shamefully have the audacity to sport a collar?
Interesting. All I know is, on the few occasions I’ve run into Catholic priests in a secular setting – my parents are Catholic and elderly, so it’s inevitable – those few under age 45 (most likely in their 30’s) could only be classified as “flaming queens”. And it is obvious, even without the gaydar. These younger priests are usually escorting/attending to a much older priest or two (late 70’s – 80’s; and retired?). I find it unusual that the older priests seem completely oblivious to this. I’ve always viewed priests as asexual beings – by trade – so it’s rather unnerving when their sexuality is so blatantly obvious; then again, I’ve never met a priest that exudes testosterone in the other extreme. This is something I never witnessed, even as an altar server, when I was young and very active in the church . . .
Yes…many, many are flamers…and they think nobody is aware of this…or they simply don’t give a hoot!… I give a hoot!…I am disgusted watching these lavender lad’s flitting about wearing a roman collar…and as far as religious life is concerned… I was a religious…and the province was teeming…”alive” if you will, like a pestilence…literally “crawling” with queen’s!…you don’t think this is shameful?…you don’t think this is a shock to any Catholic’s decent sense of shame?…only a blind modernist, steeped in the pollution of “gayness”, could think otherwise, and interpret this vile behavior as anything other than what it is…SACRILEGE!
Our Lady at Akita Japan: “The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres…churches and altars will be sacked, the Church will be full of those who accept compromise and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of My sadness ” In this same set of locutions, Our Lady said, “fire would come down from heaven ” Were not Sodom and Gomorrah purified by fire from heaven?
St Vincent de Paul has some beautiful reflections in his Constitutions regarding chastity: “Our Savior showed clearly how highly He rated chastity, and how anxious He was to get people to accept it, by the fact that He wanted to be born of an Immaculate Virgin through the intervention of the Holy Ghost, outside the normal course of nature. Christ allowed Himself to be falsely accused of the most appalling charges, following His wish to be overwhelmed with disgrace Yet,He loathed unchastely so much that we never read of His having been in even the slightest way suspected of it, much less accused of it, even by His most determined opponents The devil himself!
Think about that, Our Lord hates sins against purity such as sodomy so much so that even the Devil Lucifer dared not accuse him falsely about it as he threw forth all sorts of appalling accusations against our Lord. The master of all evil and lies would have loved nothing better than to accuse our Lord of this most immoral sin, but he knew better than dare to do that.
You fools who walk around celebrating the unnatural sins of impurity and demanding that the Bride of Christ the Holy Church accept impurity, Are you more cunning that the author of all lies the devil, to demand impurity for yourself and the bride of Christ his Church? you have no idea what awaits you if you do not repent.
You have been warned.
That was a great comment, Western Schnieder! Please stick around here. May the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob bless you.
There is something quite backwards in this way of thinking. If Lucifer never accused our Lord of a particular sin, that does not elevate the sin to a status more dire than other sins. Lucifer never accused Jesus of many many sins, and none of those other sins we then say are so bad that Lucifer dare not accuse him of them. Did Lucifer accuse Jesus of stealing candy? of dishonoring his parents?
I will be direct Your Fallen Catholic . This is an opportunity of grace for you. Seize it. Think about this as our Lord Views Chastity.
The Scriptures show in a number of ways how the priests who work before the Ark and carry it must be pure. Whenever the Levites were designated to work
before the Ark in the Tabernacle or later in the Temple, they had to abstain from relations with their wives. Furthermore, the High Priest was not even allowed
to sleep the night before he entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement for fear that he might have some sort of nocturnal emission. God loves purity
and rewards it with divine intimacy. St. John laid his head on the Sacred Breast of Our Lord at the Last Supper. He was given the Blessed Mother, the Virgin of
virgins, at the foot of the Cross.
Consider for a moment what happened to those priests of old who did not maintain purity, such as the sons of Heli of whom we hear: “Now the sons of Heli
were children of Belial, not knowing the Lord, nor the office of the priests to the people” (1Kings 2:12).
A few lines later we hear of “how they lay with the women that waited at the door of the tabernacle.” If you study the
Scriptures carefully, these women were those who gave up their mirrors to be made into the Bronze Laver (cf. Exodus 38:8).
I know Your Fallen Catholic. St Vincent de Paul was very backward in his thinking as compared to your cannonized self.
Of course he would say that a saint’s way of thinking is backwards.
Western Schnieder,
According to the “City of God, Mary of Agreda”, the only human now in Hell, body and soul, is a sodomite who dared to want to violate Our Lord on His way to Our Cross, the Cross He bore for our sins. She had practiced amazing restraint since she had Legions of Angels at Her Command, but that was too much even for Her. She commanded an Angel to throw the man through the air, against a fence. When he fell from the fence, Hell opened up and he as received by Hell body and soul!
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Many gay men are in religious life…have been for years…they are like a pernicious little “flea”…very difficult to eradicate and causing great spiritual havoc…they make little pious noises like…”gays need love too, we don’t endorse the lifestyle, just the gay person”…let me tell you here…many of these gay priest’s and brother’s are having homosexual relationships with ANY person who will have them…they target other religious, whom they feel will be open to the seduction after they have slyly bought them things, such as books, religious articles, even clothes…this is just before they make the inevitable move to seduce, these gifts were an adjunct, if you will…it starts by a series of simple gestures, a sly grin, a flash of the “hot” eye…interlocked hands at prayer, in a very gay way, (fingers-laced together)…get my drift…this shameful ignominious behavior happens daily in monasteries and religious communities across the land…and bishops and religious superiors are aware of this spiritual flim-flam, and continue to conceal it, they hide the perverted miscreant…continues on today
There is a Friend (in Germany) who joined the Jesuits, a faithful young man, who laments this and told me recently how his own Chastity is made that much more difficult by people who in the community do not live chaste life.
His spiritual director has advised him to pray for them constantly and bring them to our Lady of Sorrows (who will give them the grace to see their souls as the Lord sees it) in prayer and further more live a life of Exemplary virtue that will be a light for the lost souls.
And you know all this, how??
I was a religious YFC…were you?…if you weren’t than you wouldn’t be aware of these intelligence’s, now would you?…yfc, you seem to be in serious denial…had a friend just like you, believed that this was overblown, a big sensation created by the media, who delight in scandal (they do of course, newspapers relish and delight in sensationalizing this spiritual catastrophe within the catholic church)…the gay problem in the priesthood and religious life my friend, it is so gravely scandalous and sacrilegious, that it staggers a person’s sense of decent shame and all that seem’s reasonable concerning the sordid nature of this grim reality…
CCC: ” 2396 Among the sins gravely contrary to chastity are masturbation, fornication, pornography, and homosexual practices. ”
Is it any wonder why many Priests and some Bishops do not encourage the literate Laity to read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” ?
these bishop’s…left to their own addled devices have this finacial disaster as the end result…mismanaged diocese, floundering financially, due to criminal activity of priest’s who sexually assaulted parishioners…and to find a way out, they payed for the silence of the victim’s with hush money and out of court settlement’s, that had a confidentiality agreement attached…if the church wants transparency, they should lift ALL confidentiality agreements…these shameful agreements allowed priest’s and religious to continue assaulting children, because the authorities were kept in the dark for years because of these “confidentiality agreements”…if you have one break it!…the sooner the better, and tell the world WHO assaulted you!…that is transparency…bring light to the face of the evildoer, who hides behind the legalese of these hush money contracts… it’s a civil matter, you can’t go to jail for breaking it and they will never pursue you in court to get the money back…even if they do, don’t pay them, the negative publicity and disclosure will blow up in their faces and they know it!
Poor Bishop Blair. This man went wrong decades ago. How many other “modernist” bishop’s have danced with “old scratch” for yeeeears, and now are reaping the whirlwind for condoning this sacrilege?
All these out-of-court settlements are but a tragic outgrowth of the modernist clergy, that have burgeoned since the close of the Second Vatican council, nearly half a decade ago. As Pope Paul the VI stated in a sermon in 1971, “the smoke of satan has entered the church”… do any of our Catholic leader’s even remotely get it?