August 11, 2012
Deacon John Brennan
Diocese Investigator
Child Sexual Abuse
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Portland, Maine
Dear Deputy Chief Brennan,
Just wondering if you sat next to Father Paul Miceli in the "special guest" section at Bishop Malone's installation ceremony in Buffalo.
Once upon a time, Chief, when you were the number two police official in the City of Portland, Maine (before you were ordained and took a vow of obedience to your bishop),
you would have put a guy like Miceli's photo up on the wall in the room where the detectives and police officers gather for roll call each morning.
Miceli, like now imprisoned Msgr. William Lynn of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is guilty of child endangement.
As Secretary of Ministerial Personnel, Miceli helped Cardinal Bernard Law secretly transfer priests who were known to sexually abuse children to new parishes and schools. Now, the very same guy who's responsibe for the rape of innocent children is an honored guest at his best buddie's installation as bishop.
Go figure.
You must be rolling your eyes, Chief, as you read Malone's responses to Buffalo reporters about his non-role in the cover up of child sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. It's a win-win situation for Malone. He can say anything he wants and be believed. I can assure you, he'd never get away it if I were there to ask follow up questions. Of course, we both know, that as soon as my questions became too revealing, Malone would walk away saying, "I don't like your tone."
If you look closely at the news videos, you'll notice that Malone's right eye begins to twitch when the first question about child sexual abuse is asked.
Malone wants reporters to believe he saw nothing and knew nothing, even though:
a) he served as a member of Cardinal Law's Cabinet (inner circle), first as Secretary of Education from 1995 to 2000;
b) and, then, as Auxiliary Bishop of the communities surrounding the City of Boston from 2000 to 2004;
c) and, during this very same time period, Malone's closest friend, Father Paul Miceli (Malone and Miceli have owned a home together on Cape Cod for the past twelve years), worked steadfastly as Law's right hand man to keep secret the sexual abuse of children by priests and church workers.
It's naive to believe that when they kicked their feet up at the end of the day, drinks in hand, Malone and Miceli didn't share information and gossip about their fellow priests and the inner goings on of the Archdiocese.
Chief, perhaps in your role as "obediant servant" to the bishop, you should remind Malone that in early 2002, when Cardinal Law was forced by media pressure to ensure that no priests who were ever accused of child sexual abuse still remained in parishes, it became known that at least three priests who raped children were working in parishes supervised by Auxiliary Bishop Malone. In other words, even though Malone knew that these priests were a danger to children, he said and did nothing; he permitted these child abusers to have unlimited access to thousands of unsuspecting kids.
And Chief Brennan, I'm certain in your days as a police detective, you heard every excuse in the book. Malone's a smooth character, for sure. Whenever he is asked by Buffalo news reporters to respond to criticism from survivors' groups, he spews forth his well rehearsed line that "for the past six years, the annual outside audits have found the Portland diocese to be 100% in complaince" with the audit checklist.
Now, Chief, you and I both know that these audits are all about the technical issues; fingerprinting of church employees and volunteers, child safety training sessions, etc.
Malone knows darned well that these audits say nothing have about treating child sexual abuse victims with dignity and respect. As you know, Malone and his lawyers employ hardball legal tactics against each and every abuse victim who seeks a fair measure of justice and compensation for their harms and injuries.
And lest we forget, Chief, these are the same people, who, all those years ago when they were children, climbed into the family car each Sunday to attend mass with their families. Now, when they are finally ready to speak about the horrific abuse inflicted upon them by their parish priest, Malone rejects them and treats them as if they are the enemy.
How you can sit still and say nothing, Chief Brennan, as Malone tries to convince Buffalo reporters that he is doing "everything" possible to care for and protect children from abuse?
After all, Chief, neither you nor Malone notified police and school officials in either Falmouth or Scarborough when Father John Audibert moved into their communities. As you know, Chief, Father Audibert is a sick and dangerous child molester. When child protection advocates warned neighbors in Falmouth about Father Audibert, no one knew what Audibert looked like.
When the Vatican "sentenced" Father Audibert to a "life of prayer and penance" for his crimes against children, Malone washed his hands of the matter, even though Father Audibert is still a priest who receives pension and health care benefits from the diocese. Malone refuses to house Audibert in a diocesan facility where Audibert's comings and goings can be monitored and supervised. Even though more decisive action on his part would further ensure the safety of children, Malone refuses to publish Father Audibert's photo and background information and that of other child abuser priests, on the Diocese of Portland web site, in the same manner as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
And, sadly, Chief Brennan, there are those whom you work with sided by side in the Diocese of Portland who, just like Msgr. Lynn and Father Miceli and Bishop Malone, are guilty of "child endangerment." Former and present Chancery executives, Msgr. Michael Henchal, Sister Rita Mae Bissonnette, Msgr. Joseph Ford, Msgr. Marc Caron and former Bishop Joseph Gerry are but a few who should be indicted for endangering the lives of innocent children.
I came upon a blog in Buffalo in which the author invites the new bishop to partake in all the Buffalo "Main Street" specialty shops, sausage included. You gotta wonder why any thinking, informed and meaningful adult would joke with and pay such blind deference to the senior executive of an institution whose leadership is responsible for the sexual abuse of tens of thousands of children; more crimes against children than in any other institution in the history of the world.
And, guess what, Chief Brennan?
Bishop Richard Malone, the newly installed spiritual leader of the Catholic Christian community of the Diocese of Buffalo, didn't say one word, not one word - in his first sermon as bishop - to victims/survivors of child sexual abuse by priests, religious and Church workers.
Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.
Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
