The following comes from an August 12 RecordNet.com article by Jason Alexander:
Attorneys from a Southern California law firm announced Friday they have filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation by a pastor at the Roman Catholic Diocese of Stockton who was later placed on administrative leave.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in San Joaquin County Superior Court, alleges that Monsignor Lawrence McGovern sent sexually explicit photographs to the victim, a pool maintenance contractor, and then terminated his employment after the victim reported the incident to the police.
“Today the Diocese of Stockton learned for the first time of employment related allegations against Monsignor Lawrence McGovern, the Pastor of Presentation Parish in Stockton,” a statement from the diocese said. “In accordance with the Canon Law of the Church, Bishop Stephen Blaire has placed Monsignor McGovern on administrative leave pending a full and complete investigation.”
The lawsuit comes as another blow to the diocese, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2014 after paying millions of dollars to settle years of child sex abuse lawsuits. According to the Manly, Stewart and Finaldi law firm, which is representing the victim, the diocese paid $14 million in judgments, settlements and legal expenses in dozens of cases of clergy sexual abuse filed over a period of 20 years.
Attorneys representing the victim said their client asked McGovern why he sent the photograph, saying: “I thought you were celibate, Monsignor.” The attorneys said McGovern replied: “Celibate means not married.”
McGovern served as vicar general of the diocese at a time when the diocese was inundated with sex abuse lawsuits. McGovern was a key witness in several cases involving former priests Oliver O’Grady and Michael Kelly.
“Monsignor McGovern was a witness and denied knowing of any sexual improprieties by Father Kelly and Father O’Grady, despite living with them in the rectory for years and contract to victim statements,” attorney Vince W. Finaldi said. “It is sad but not surprising that he now stands accused of sexual misconduct.”
Homosexuality is a mental disorder. That priest is sick, and he’s not the only one. Stop ordaining homosexuals! Yes, I believe the allegations.
Sawyer: In our country which is the USA, a person is deemed innocent until proven guilty. This is the law. That is your right, mine, everyone’s, including McGovern. The fact that you already believe in the allegation even before an investigation and trial proves your bias (for the clergy, which is pitiful for a Catholic) and your disregard for the law.
PLUS, your believing even before a trial may even betray your bias (and hatred too perhaps?) against those with same-sex attraction.
jon, read other articles about the case: the priest sent the victim pictures of his genitals via text message. If those texts don’t exist, the victim would be stupid to lie about it and could be charged with filing a false report. Those texts certainly exist, and they incriminate the priest.
A man as sick as that priest should not be permitted to exercise priestly ministry. His actions betray immaturity, uncontrolled homosexual desires, absence of professional boundaries, lack of propriety, disregard for Catholic morality and flippant flouting of priestly vows.
I may believe he is guilty and unfit prior to a court of law finding him so because I don’t limit my intelligent reasoning to court judgments.
I also believe Hillary is…
Right. So, let’s not have trials at all, eh? Just go ahead and condemn anyone accused with digital crime without a rightful investigation, without a lawful trial. Right. Earth to Sawyer: we are a nation of laws: as “inconvenient” as a trial may seem, pray that if you find yourself accused, that NO ONE will deprive you of the right to have a hearing in court just because someone has claimed that his “intelligent reasoning” is not limited by a court judgment. Riiight.
jon, your post above is an example of how you misinterpret and slant sources to suit what you want them to mean. I never said that there shouldn’t be a trial. I said I believe the priest is guilty, I have good reason to believe he is guilty, and I may believe he is guilty prior to a court ruling. You will not find your claim anywhere implied nor stated in what I typed.
You have twisted Church documents, my posts and others’ posts in the same way on capital punishment, SSPX, VII, obedience, homosexuality, worthiness to receive communion, etc. You try to make them mean what they do not mean.
You have been exposed as a tendentious poster. The post above is a clear example of your tactics and nonsense.
My “tactics”? Sawyer, recall your response on August 10, 2016 at 12:48 pm for the article on St. Joseph’s in Tacoma, WA. You just got served the same “tactic” you yourself are known to have employed.
As for Sawyer’s “allegation” of twisting Church documents, riiiight. Folks, my defending the Church’s teaching on the death penalty and the right interpretation of the phrase “intrinsically disordered” are important, for many people have adopted a false understanding of these things. I am here to correct, not to twist.
“Jon” and “Sawyer”: Sawyer is correct, even if there may be a legal tactic to use on behalf of the Monsignor. First, homosexuals never, ever, should be priests. Those who are presently priests should voluntarily leave, or dedicate themselves to a life of prayer and penance in a welcoming monastery. Second, what “Monsignor” McGovern said regarding why the promise of “chastity” does not count to homosexuals, is the sad reflection of decades of untruths, dedicated to trivializing homosexual sex. Homosexuals now largely run the Catholic Church. time to clean house, completely.
This is not about homosexuality. If the allegations are true (and they have yet to be proven), they are not about homosexuality at all, but the inability of people to keep their pants zipped. It’s as simple as that. I’m gay, and i’m as disgusted by this story as anyone.
In a sense you are correct, YFC, for Anthony Weiner did the same thing, sending pics of his privates to women. So sending such pics in itself is not exclusive to homosexuals.
But the case does have something to do with homosexuality because the priest was coming on to another man.
If the priest’s victim had been a minor would you say it had nothing to do with pedophilia?
Revulsion about this story is a good sign.
Glad you are disgusted, “YFC.” However, non-homosexuals would not be tempted to attempt anything with other males (very often pre- or post-pubescent boys), an activity that places the Church in economic jeopardy. Moreover, homosexuality is one of the four sins that cry to Heaven for vengeance. Sure, straight priests might be tempted with women (or even girls) now and then). But homosexual sex disgusts even the fallen angels. Both the legal threat (and there are many, many homosexual priests and bishops, many of them thinking like the dopey Monsignor), and the threat of someone — a sodomite — acting in personae Christi, while also “practicing,” must be absolutely avoided. No homosexual clergy.
“Homosexuality is incompatible with the priestly vocation. Otherwise, celibacy itself would lose its meaning as a renunciation. It would be extremely dangerous if celibacy became a sort of pretext for bringing people into the priesthood who don’t want to get married anyway,” the pope said. The pope cited a 2005 Vatican document that drew a sharp line against priestly ordination of homosexuals. He said the document emphasized that homosexual candidates cannot become priests because their sexual orientation interferes with “the proper sense of paternity” that belongs to the priesthood. – Pope Benedict XVI
https://www.catholicnews.com/services/englishnews/2010/pope-in-book-says-homosexuality-incompatible-with-priesthood.cfm
McGovern replied: “Celibate means not married.”
We don’t know yet the finding of fact in the case or the veracity of this statement: but I have heard more than a couple Jesuits correct questioners with the same arch reply.
I have it on good word that there are openly practicing homosexual Jesuits residing at LMU. In fact, they outnumber the straight, chaste Jesuits by a wide margin.
I don’t know why any straight, masculine, devout Catholic man who is serious about serving God and growing in holiness would want to join the Society of Jesus today.
And some question the need for continued vigillance to eliminate those properly convicted of abusing children?
Let’s be clear here: There are ZERO children involved in this case. I’m not saying that the allegations, if true, are OK. But this is NOT a case of abusing children. Please don’t confuse the issues.
Still Heavy Censorship of the Enrique Pearce Arrest in 2015 – save one lone article in ‘modern luxury.cxom’ in 16 -so lets get back to trashing Catholics
San Francisco’s Gay Icon Larry Brinkin Guilty of Felony Child Porn Possession
https://cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/san-francisco-s-gay-icon-larry-brinkin-guilty-felony-child-porn
&
SF government again rocked by child porn scandal
https://cal-catholic.com/?p=18580
“Darkness Descends on City Hall” ModernLuxury.com
After the arrest of Enrique Pearce for child-porn possession, clients fear his demons will come back to haunt them.
The child-porn possession charges leveled against Enrique Pearce—erstwhile political consultant for Mayor Ed Lee and Supervisor Jane Kim…
Once again, Michael McDermott takes the sins of one man and smears millions with them. Why do post such nonsense? Once again, there are ZERO children involved in this case. ZERO!!
Unless we see a (blurred) photo that was allegedly sent via text, I’m all for presuming innocence until proven guilty in a court of law. Of course, if the monsignor sent such a text, he ought to be removed from ministry regardless of whether a trial finds for guilt or innocence on the grounds of sexual harassment.
Anytime you hear the words, “Celibate means not married,” from the mouth of a priest, beware! While literally accurate, I’ve heard it enough from the mouths of homosexual clergy to know that by use of that phrase there is meant no concomitant adherence to the virtue of chastity.
This case can probably be settled quickly: the victim’s attorney shares the text messages and pictures with the diocese’s attorneys, showing indisputable proof of sexual harassment. The victim’s attorney offers to settle for the full amount requested in exchange for not releasing the text messages and their images to the public. The diocese, in order to avoid the embarrassment of a public trial and the scandal and humiliation of public dissemination of the pictures and texts, wisely folds. A report is issued that the dispute has been settled and that both parties have agreed to confidentiality. The victim just won the lottery.
If these charges are true, then you have surely laid out the most probable course of action. Of course on the institutional church side, the monsignor will slip off to a hasty retirement along with suspension of his priestly faculties.
A former VG. Just about as bad an accusation as it gets.
“FrMichael” please clarify that you do not mean that a homosexual man — one with at least enough of a sodomite past that he knows he is a homosexual — should ever become, or remain, a priest (subject to voluntary transfer to a monastery). Many — ? Most ? — homosexuals, given current literature, have been schooled that they have a “green light” to exercise their “gifts” on others of their gender, because the Church simply does not care. This permission to be a homosexual sexualist is enabled by feckless bishops. Monsignor McGovern, regardless if he committed a civil offense must never be permitted to act as a parish priest. Should disingenuous sodomites be permitted to say a public Mass? Ever? This is manifest sacrilege.
St. C:
I do not believe that men with SSA should become priests. I write that knowing a few good priests who have SSA and yet, to my knowledge, have remained truly faithful to their clerical promise of celibacy. I find the Lavender Mafia seems to engulf most such priests, whether they remain chaste or not. Pastoral decisions such as parish assignments are made by favoritism and it appears that they have a subculture that will not clean up after itself. Whereas straight priests and seminarians will hold other priests & seminarians accountable if chastity is transgressed, SSA seminarians and priests, regardless of whether they are chaste or not, will not expose a sexually active gay peer. I saw it over and over in seminary and now I…
… see it again in priesthood, though more subtlety.
Let’s face it, the Diocese of Stockton is just an unending cesspool of corruption. The Church there needs to start from scratch before the Diocese costs the faithful any MORE money. They are already in bankruptcy.
After the evil “Father” Oliver O’Grady got convicted, I saw the horrifying film, “Deliver Us From Evil”– and later, had the strange occurrence of actually meeting, at a church-related event– several people who grew up in O’Grady’s parish church!! I was HORRIFIED!!! They said they were upset, when finding out who O’Grady really was— a DANGEROUS CRIMINAL!!!—- and wondered why he only sexually abused certain children, but not them, when they were growing up!! They had NO IDEA of what he was doing!! It saddened me, when they spoke of their First Communions, Confessions, etc., by this MONSTER in the priesthood!!! VERY DANGEROUS MAN!!!
This ordained knucklehead needs all the legal protections the law can give him, and, no doubt, he will receive them.
Meanwhile, YFC, to accuse people of bad faith for noticing the all-too-obvious is idiotic. Stockton is bankrupt, no doubt in large measure due to this creep and the friends he recruited, and of course the fiscal bankruptcy is the least of the damages they have done to the Church.
I only said that people need to hold their fire until facts are proven. I think if you consult your Catechism, you will find I am correct, dear Brian S.
Search for ” Enrique Pearce” He disappeared from the ‘news’ in 2015, despite being one of the biggest power brokers in Frisco Politics – Any ? Why??
Consultant Pearce had shocking photos, videos of abuse, DA Says
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Political-consultant-Pearce...
“Enrique Pearce, a campaign consultant who worked with Mayor Ed Lee and many other well-known political figures in San Francisco, had photos and videos of infants and young children being raped and sexually violated when he was arrested, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
“Babies as young as infants in onesies were being sodomized by adults,” Deputy District Attorney Alexis Fasteau said in requesting that Pearce’s bail be raised to $400,000. “There were children…
When I hear about things such as in your last sentence, it makes me want to vote for the death penalty and not just for murder. What kind of monster would do such a thing to an infant?
I was not accusing any particular person of such a crime, just saying what they would deserve if they did it.
This link works – and Nothing has been written since, Wonder Why???
SF government again rocked by child porn scandal
cal-catholic.com/?p=18580
Pornographer client list is near-carbon copy of politicians attacking SF Abp. Cordileone for his defense of natural marriage
[Caution: graphic content] SAN FRANCISCO, May 17, 2015 (California Catholic Daily) – On May 9, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Matier & Ross column reported “Longtime San Francisco political consultant Enrique Pearce, an early backer of the ‘Run Ed Run’ effort who was working as a $5,000-a-month consultant to Mayor Ed Lee’s re-election campaign, has been arrested on suspicion of possessing child pornography.”
A May 13 follow-up by John Wildemuth in the…
OOPS – forgot to add the https://www.cal-catholic.com/?p=18580
SF government again rocked by child porn scandal
Mayor’s campaign manager parallels Larry Brinkin case
Enrique Pearce, who has worked for Supervisors Jane Kim and Norman Yee, was arrested by San Francisco police Thursday evening after a complaint led to a search of his McAllister Street apartment. )
John Wildemuth in the Chronicle revealed the case was even more horrific than Matier & Ross had reported: “Enrique Pearce, a campaign consultant who worked with Mayor Ed Lee and many other well-known political figures in San Francisco, had photos and videos of infants and young children being raped and sexually violated when he was arrested,..
‘Babies as young as infants in…
I believe in a fair trial, but in this case I am here to tell you my daughters went to annunciation elementary School and it was the worst decision I ever made. My youngest daughter suffered the most. This school was run by her class because the parents of that class donated a lot of money. I pulled my kids out in the 6th and 7th grade. I’m so sorry I didn’t pull them out earlier.
I hope that monsignor McGovern gets convicted. I saw him do very inappropriate things with a young girl and a Cambodian child.
I still believe in God very much so but I am not a Catholic anymore and never again!