Ignatius Group

PHOTO OF BROTHER ROBERT-ANTHONY CAMPBELL, FSD

2011-09-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

PWOJE ESPWA

CLICK LINK:

CHAD SCOTT, VICE-PRESIDENT OF FREE THE KIDS, AND BROTHER ROBERT-ANTHONY CAMPBELL, FSD POSE FOR PHOTO AT PWOJE ESPWA.

PWOJE ESPWA - Remove Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSD from Haiti

2011-09-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Pwoje Espwa - Hope in Haiti - Are Children Safe From Abuse?

On Tuesday, May 3, 2011, Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSD, posted a story on his "Haiti's Littlest Angels" blog of how he put his hands on the naked body of an 11 year-old boy while Campbell showered the boy from "head to toe, scrubbed his hair and washed his shorts." When confronted about his behavior, Brother Robert immediately shut down his entire blog. Brother Robert has since been recalled from Pwoje Espwa Sud in Les Cayes, Haiti by his superior pending an investigation.

Brother Campbell must be removed from Haiti

From: Paul Kendrick <kendrickpt@aol.com>
Date: May 15, 2011 12:31:09 PM EDT
To: Bill Commer <bcommer@wjcainc.com>
Cc: "Cynthia DeSoi, MD" <cdesoimd@gmail.com>, Robert Morris <rmorris@itmlaw.com>, dee@freethekids.org,jack.reynolds@freethekids.org, chad.scott@freethekids.org, Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell <br.anthonyfsd@yahoo.ca>
Subject: Brother Campbell must be removed from Haiti

Mr. Commer,

Does your failure to respond to concerns about Brother Campbell's inappropriate touching and physical contact with a naked child indicate that you approve of Campbell's behavior?

Cambell must be immediately removed from Haiti and Pwoje Espwa. His religious superiors must not allow him to have any access to children until an investigation has been completed.

Your silence in this matter indicates a certain amount of hostility towards efforts to protect children from abuse at your orphanage.

Rev. Marc Boisvert, Founder and Executive Director of Pwoje Espwa, has already signaled his message:
"I do not care. Do not contact me."

And why hasn't Dr. Cynthia DeSoi, Pwoje Espwa's medical director and a Lewiston, Maine physician, contacted fellow Mainers, Michael Sweatt and me (both of whom have contacted her)?

My best guess is that you will choose to deal with this matter by issuing a "cease and desist" or other such legal tactic, in an effort to silence me and others.

The problem is, Mr. Commer, that while you're busy putting together a legal strategy, I and others will remain focused on ensuring that children are safe from any form of abuse at Pwoje Espwa.

I simply cannot understand why you and others are not anxious to assist in this endeavor.

Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
Freeport, ME
207 838 1319

0 comments:

REV. MARC BOISVERT, OMI

Father Marc Boisvert
I am the founder of Pwoje Espwa Sud in southern Haiti. In 1998 we rented a small house and filled it with street boys. Now we have over 600 children living on a huge property outside the city of Les Cayes. There are six schools, a carpenters' workshop, an agricultural center, a small medical facility, an all-purpose space for chapel services, theater productions... In thirteen years a miracle has been taking place in southern Haiti and you have helped make it happen! Spread the word so we can continue to save children's lives.
View my complete profile

POSTED: MAY 3, 2011, BROTHER ROBERT-ANTHONY CAMPBELL'S BLOG:

Pwoje Espwa - Letters from Road to Recovery President to Bishop Howard Hubbard and Brother Paul-Alan Carey, FSD

2011-09-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

Road to Recovery, Inc.
P.O. Box 279
Livingston, New Jersey 07039

Administrative Office:
46 Morris Road
West Orange, New Jersey 07052
862-368-2800
roberthoatson@gmail.com

May 21, 2011

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
Diocese of Albany
40 North Main AvenueAlbany, New York 12203

Dear Bishop Hubbard:

I am writing in regard to the recent “incident” at a camp for poor children in Haiti, partially staffed by a community of Franciscan “third order” brothers based in the Diocese of Albany. Once again, the response of Church leadership was disappointing and inappropriate. Paul Kendrick deserves to be lauded as a hero for bringing this matter to the attention of Br. Paul-Allan Carey. Instead, he has been treated with suspicion and disdain.

It is quite obvious that Br. Paul-Allan would not have acted in any way, shape, or form to the allegations of Paul Kendrick on behalf of a naked 11 year-old boy whose body was touched from head to toe by a member of the San Damiano community had it not been for Paul Kendrick’s communication to your office and your intervention in the matter. Perhaps the recent conviction of Fr. Gary Mercure and future indictments of Diocese of Albany priests have prompted your more timely attention and action regarding these cases.

To think that Br. Robert-Anthony would publicize what he considered appropriate and legal action on a blog is indicative of the fact that nothing has changed in the Church regarding childhood sexual abuse by clergy and religious. Sexual abuse continues at epidemic rates. And Br. Paul-Allan’s response to Paul Kendrick is further proof that church image and internal controls are more important than protection of children and transparency.

What will happen to Br. Robert-Anthony? Will you report the alleged crime to authorities in Haiti? Will Br. Robert-Anthony be suspended from all duties and watched carefully? Will the young boy whom he allegedly abused be offered services to recover from the alleged abuse?

The ball is in your court, Bishop Hubbard. Will you bounce it to someone else or take the shot yourself?

Sincerely,
Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D.
Co-founder and President
Cc: Br. Paul-Allan Carey, FSD

Road to Recovery, Inc.
P.O. Box 279
Livingston, New Jersey 07039
Administrative Office:
46 Morris Road
West Orange, New Jersey 07052
862-368-2800
roberthoatson@gmail.com

May 21, 2011

Br. Paul-Allan Carey
Community of San Damiano
414 Potter Hill Road
Petersburgh, New York 12138

Dear Br. Paul-Allan:

I write in support of Paul Kendrick’s attempts to keep the children of Haiti safe and secure. I am a priest who works with clergy sexual abuse victims numbering in the thousands.

Unfortunately, the Haitian children are at particular risk of abuse because they were born and raised in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. In addition, the vulnerability of Haiti allows predatory persons of all sorts to “minister” there for their own gratification. It appears that one of your brothers was in Haiti for reasons other than bringing the Gospel to the people.

Your recent recall of Br. Robert-Anthony Campbell from Haiti is laudable, but your protestations are not. A religious brother, married or single, gay or straight, young or old, is not supposed to be giving 11 year-old boys showers and placing his hands all over the boys’ bodies.

The protection of children is, perhaps, the greatest responsibility we have as citizens. Br. Robert-Anthony did not take that responsibility seriously when he touched the body of an 11 year-old innocent boy during the taking of a shower. Eleven year-olds can shower themselves.

Your approach to this issue was typical of the Church’s response: protect the abuser and ignore the victim. Perhaps this incident will change your mind and response.

Sincerely,
Rev. Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D.
Co-founder and President
Cc: Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Diocese of Albany, NewYork

Bill Commer, Chairman of Free the Kids

2011-09-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

May 5, 2011

Mr. Kendrick,

I am the Chair of Free the Kids. It has been called to my attention that you posted a comment on Father Marc’s blog that would indicate that I’ve somehow ignored a concern that you may have raised with regards to our organization and the Haitian children in our care. Sir, I’m not aware of any communication from you or with you, but I would, of course, be happy to speak with you at a convenient time.

In fact, I’ve asked our Vice-President, Mr. Chad Scott, to find a convenient time for the three of us to discuss your concerns. Mr. Scott will be at our facility in Haiti for the next two weeks, but I feel certain that he will make some time upon his return.

From what I’ve been told, you have further expressed aggravation to one of our Board Members, Mr. Robert Morris. Although I am a bit unclear about your specific concerns, I can assure you that Free the Kids/ESPWA is singularly focused on providing a safe haven and a nurturing environment for many vulnerable Haitian children. Our policy is quite simply one of zero tolerance with respect to child abuse, whether the abuse is from our staff, our volunteers, our visitors, our residents, or even our Founder.

I assure you that Mr. Scott and I will endeavor to address your apparent concerns at our earliest mutual convenience. In the interim, I would kindly ask you to have some respect for the efforts of our organization and those who support our work with Haiti’s children. That respect could best be shown by not posting further derogatory comments on our website.

We will thank you in advance for showing us some respect. We will also respect your need to convey your concerns to us. Mr. Scott or I will be in contact with you as soon as he returns from his field work.

Regards,

William Commer

Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

Cross International and Free the Kids Provide "Flimsy" Report of Child Abuse

2011-09-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

CROSS INTERNATIONAL AND FREE THE KIDS (PWOJE ESPWA) 'WHITEWASH" INCIDENT OF INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING OF NAKED 11 YEAR OLD BOY.

From: Paul Kendrick <kendrickpt@aol.com>
Date: August 31, 2011 6:31:44 PM EDT
To: Jim Cavnar <JCavnar@crossinternational.org>
Subject: Re: Our Conclusions about Your Allegation

Jim,

You can't be serious in providing me and other advocates with such an undocumented and unsubstantiated statement.and expect that we will just walk away and be satisfied with your response.

Your incomplete and evasive report raises more questions.

First, who is the "attorney" who conducted the "investigation?"

And, why are you the one reporting this information?

Let's start with a written report from Pwoje Espwa's board of directors.

Jim, I've been involved in advocating for child sex abuse victims for 11 years and the report you are sending me is as flimsy and unacceptable as I have ever seen.

Again, what is the name of the "attorney" who supposedly conducted this "investigation?"

Paul

______On Aug 31, 2011, at 6:09 PM, Jim Cavnar <JCavnar@crossinternational.org> wrote:

Paul,
We recently had a lengthy and detailed conversation with the attorney who investigated your allegation of sexual abuse against Brother Anthony Campbell. He conducted a thorough investigation on site and within a few days of your allegation. His conclusion was that the allegation was without substance. We were fully satisfied with his report and accept his conclusion.
As I previously explained, we are developing policies on child protection for our ministry and for all organizations we support. We have not finalized our policies yet but are having them reviewed by attorneys with expertise in the area before formally adopting them. In the course of discussing this with Espwa in Haiti we were gratified to learn of the child protection policies for staff and volunteers which they already had been following and of the strengthening of those policies which is now underway.
I believe that while nothing harmful happened in this incident we will both emerge with much better policies and procedures for preventing harm to children as well as for dealing quickly and properly with all concerns or allegations.
God bless you.
Jim Cavnar
President, Cross International Catholic Outreach, Inc.

PWOJE ESPWA - Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSD Removed from Haiti

2011-09-03T09:16:00.000-07:00

For immediate release:

FRANCISCAN BROTHER REMOVED FROM MINISTRY IN HAITI

FRANCISCAN RELIGIOUS BROTHER FROM DIOCESE OF ALBANY, NY, IS REMOVED FROM MINISTRY POSITION AT PWOJE ESPWA ORPHANAGE IN LES CAYES, HAITI, PENDING INVESTIGATION OF INAPPROPRIATE PHYSICAL CONTACT WITH 11 YEAR-OLD HAITIAN BOY

“I showered him from head to toe, scrubbed his hair, and washed his shorts. I also found time to re-apply the cream I’ve been using to help his rash and I’m happy to report the rash has cleared up (and he’s a lot cleaner too, lol) I’m going to pick up some new sandals for him tomorrow after I go to the bank. It was frustrating to shower him and re-dress him in clean underwear, shorts, and a T-shirt then let him leave barefoot…” May 3, 2011, Brother Robert Anthony Campbell, FSD

If anyone reading this has a teenager or 11-year-old son, I want you to think about what you would say and do if you came home early and discovered your houseguest, Brother Campbell, rubbing soap and shampoo with his hands all over your child’s naked, wet body in the bathroom shower at your home.

What would you do? What would you say?

Now, pause and think again about Brother Campbell’s hands being on your child.

“What’s not right for a child in the U.S. is not right for a child in Haiti .”

Paul Kendrick

Freeport, Maine

mailto:kendrickpt@aol.com mailto:kendrickpt@aol.com kendrickpt@aol.com

207 838 1319
__________________________________________________________________________________

Letter of Recall

May 20, 2011

Br. Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSD
Pwoje Espwa Sud
254 Rue Capitale
Les Cayes , Haiti HT 8110

Dear Br. Robert-Anthony:

Your brothers are concerned for your social and physical well being in the face of recent developments at the orphanage that you so love. For all that has and continues to transpire you are in everyone’s prayers that your pain might be eased and that this situation finds a happy conclusion.

Unfortunately, there is no other way to handle this situation in a way that is agreeable to all parties concerned but to meet the nemesis head on. As the facts became crystal clear these past two days I decided it was a matter of grave concern to be deliberated by our Board of Consulters. I believe you have a copy of the email I wrote in which my understanding of this situation was described and delivered to the BOC.

That having been said, it is the decision of the Board of Consulters that you should come home from Haiti immediately and until such time when the true facts are established, your name and reputation have been cleared, and the difficulties with Mr. Kendrick are laid to rest. Br. Mike, Br Giles, Br. Ron and I offer our personal hospitality for this to happen. You have only to choose where you wish to go.

This is not good news for you or for myself who is delivering it. I would prefer otherwise. I know you will take your Life Profession into Obedience seriously. Life is sometimes not fair and there are those who are punished for their good works. We are convinced you are one of these people. God will still bless your kind and loving heart, My Brother.

With Fraternal Affection,

Br. Paul-Allan Carey FSD

Cc: FSD Board of Consulters
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
Sr. Nola Brunner
William Commer
Chad Scott
Paul Kendrick
______________________________________________________________________________

Subject: Franciscan Brother removed by Superior from orphanage in Haiti pending investigation

To: Brother Paul-Alan Carey, FSD
Please sir…enough of your high drama and histrionics.

Here are the facts.

On May 3, 2011, a member of your “religious” order wrote in his personal blog that he put his hands all over (“washed from head to tow”) and shampooed the hair of a naked 11 year-old Haitian boy at Proje Espwa in Les Cayes , Haiti .

You live in Troy, NY, Brother Paul. If a parent from your community walked into the locker room at your local Catholic school and saw the parish priest rubbing soap all over the body of his or her 11-year-old child’s wet, naked body, what do you think the parent’s reaction would be?

You and Brother Robert have had ample opportunity these past days to defend and explain why he was touching this naked child.

It is also on the record that I have repeatedly asked Father Marc Boisvert, OMI, the Executive Director of Pwoje Espwa, for a copy of the orphanage/school’s Child Protection Policy and Code of Ethics.

Boisvert is in hiding and refuses to address this issue.

And now, you write this angry missive about how sad and unhappy you and your fellow Brothers are that Brother Robert is being recalled from Haiti.

I can only hope that somewhere in between the lines is a genuine caring and concern by you for the protection, safety, and well being of children.

Sincerely,

Paul Kendrick
Freeport , Maine

mailto:kendrickpt@aol.com
207 838 1319

PWOJE ESPWA (FREE THE KIDS) INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONTACT WITH A CHILD

2011-09-03T09:10:00.000-07:00

PWOJE ESPWA (FREE THE KIDS)

OFFICIAL COMPLAINT OF INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL CONTACT WITH A CHILD.

May 13, 2011

Bill Commer
Chairman of the Board
Free the Kids/Pwoje Espwa
Les Cayes, Haiti

Bill,

Please accept this letter as a formal complaint of inappropriate sexual contact with a minor by Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSB, a current employee of Pwoje Espwa in Les Cayes, Haiti.

Although I made this information known to you two days ago, neither you, Rev. Marc Boisvert, nor any of your board members has contacted me for a clarification and further explanation of my concerns (two of your board members, one a lawyer, the other a pediatrician, reside right here in Maine).

As your first order of business, please make Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell's and Rev. Marc Boisvert's religious superiors aware of my complaint.

Rev. Boisvert's superiors are located In the United States. In 2002, the U.S. Bishops Conference implemented the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People for instruction and guidance as to what to do in matters like this.

What is your agency's protocol for handling sexual misconduct complaints? I am certain this is covered in your "child protection manual."

It's interesting, Bill, as to how this all developed in such a short time.

All I initially wanted was a copy of your child protection manual. When too much time went by, I asked again. This time I felt pushed back. I then wrote to Rev. Boisvert, who pushed back even further with his passive aggressive behavior. I then took a closer look at the organization and came across Brother Campbell's disturbing references in his blog.

I suspect you will say, hey Paul, this is Haiti. Things are different here. In Haiti, it's ok for a Catholic priest or brother (both adult men) to befriend one of the students in a loving way that makes (grooms) this particular child feel special and different.

You may say, hey Paul, it's ok in Haiti for a Catholic priest or brother to wash a child's bare back, shampoo his hair and help him into a new pair of shorts.

Or, Paul, don't you know that grown-up Catholic men who are priests and brothers in Haiti always wash and scrub a naked child's body in the shower "from head to toe" and then shampoo the child's hair (as Brother Campbell did to 11 year old Phillipe)?

If anyone reading this has a teenager or 11 year old son, I want you to think about what you would say and do if you came home early and discovered your houseguest, Brother Campbell, rubbing soap and shampoo with his hands all over your child's naked, wet body in the bathroom shower at your home.

What would you do? What would you say?

Now, pause and think again about Brother Campbell's hands being on your child.

What's not right for a child in the U.S. is not right for a child in Haiti.

You need to take immediate action.

Sincerely,

Paul Kendrick
Freeport, ME
207 838 1319

Cross International Ignores Protection of Children at Pwoje Espwa

2011-09-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

Cross International

September 1, 2011

Jim Cavnar
President
Cross International
Fort Lauderdale, FL

Dear Jim,

The more I ponder this situation, the more I realize how sad and disappointing it is that two respectable organizations, Free the Kids (Pwoje Espwa) and Cross International, are unwilling to take the highest of high roads and set the example as to how an institution should properly handle an investigation of alleged child abuse.

- We are waiting for the name of the attorney (and credentials) who conducted the "investigation."

- We are waiting for a written report of the investigation.

- We are waiting for a copy of Pwoje Espwa's Child Protection Policy and Code of Ethics.

These are not unreasonable requests. It would be a mistake for you and others to say, "This is none of your business. Go away."

Protecting children is everyone's business. Institutions must be open and transparent regarding their systems, policies and procedures that are intended to protect children.

One would think that Cross International and Pwoje Espwa officials would be anxious to share the findings of the investigation with the world.

And, if Pwoje Espwa does not meet the highest of child protection standards, it is the obligation of Cross International to stop all funding to Pwoje Espwa. As it stands now, Jim, Cross International is part of the problem, not the solution.

What possible reason could any of you have for continuing to keep secrets?

I am now more uneasy than ever about the incident between Brother Campbell and the naked 11 year old boy. It appears to me that Cross Internationaly and Pwoje Espwa officials are attempting to cover up and whitewash the issue.

Please, Jim, do the right thing. You are the head of a multi-million dollar corporation. No one needs to tell you what an in depth investigative report should look like.

Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
Freeport, Maine
207 838 1319

Pwoje Espwa - Child Protection is Ignored

2011-09-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Pwoje Espwa

Why is Portland Attorney Robert Morris unwilling to tell the truth about alleged child abuse at orphanage in Haiti?

The Portland, Maine law firm, Irwin, Tardy & Morris, advertises itself as advocates and defenders of those who have been sexually abused. Yet, Attorney Robert Morris appears to be covering up alleged child abuse at an orphanage in Haiti by his failure to be truthful, open and transparent.

Morris, is a member of the Board of Directors of Pwoje Espwa, an orphanage located in Les Cayes, Haiti.

Morris and his fellow Pwoje Espwa officials refuse to issue a written investigative report of alleged child abuse at Pwoje Espwa and refuse to make public Pwoje Espwa's Child Protection Policy and Professional Code of Ethics.

Ironically, Morris's law firm, Irwin, Tardy & Morris, advertises itself as providing legal representation to victims of child sex abuse.

On May 3, 2011, Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FDS, a member of an unauthorized Catholic group from Troy, NY, wrote in his personal blog, "Haiti's Littlest Angels" that he "showered all over" the naked body of an 11 year old Haitian orphan, "scrubbed his hair," and helped the boy put on his underwear and shorts.

Images of a coach, priest, teacher or other supervising adult rubbing soap all over a child's naked body prompted questions to to Brother Campbell via his blog. At first, Campbell shut off all blog "comments" and then, three days later, he permanently shut down the entire blog. A week later, his religious superior recalled him from Haiti to Troy, NY.

Father Marc Boisvert, OMI, the Executive Director of Pwoje Espwa, refuses to respond to inquiries about Brother Campbell's conduct. Boisvert cut off all communication via his blog.

Brother Campbell's superiors in Troy, NY remain silent, unwilling to issue a report about Brother Campbell.

Attorney Morris remains hostile and belligerent to any and all questions about Campbell's conduct with the 11 year old Haitian boy.

Paul Kendrick

207 838 1319

Bishop Richard Malone purchases $600,000, four bedroom home two months after writing this op-ed about the poor

2011-06-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine)

April 10, 2011 Sunday

Sense of justice demands we help the poor

By Bishop Richard Malone

I recognize and sympathize that there are no easy choices when it comes to balancing a state budget. This year is no exception.

While Maine is beginning to emerge from a terrible global recession, the recovery remains slow with ill effects being felt in many sectors. Too many people are without jobs, too many working families are struggling and more and more people are being forced to turn to the government for help despite their own best efforts at self-sufficiency.

Our own Catholic churches around the state are working in creative ways to bring relief to as many people as possible. They support homeless shelters and soup kitchens, provide services to the elderly and the disabled, and make sure children have access to quality child care.

But our efforts and that of many others in the faith community and private sector are not enough tosuffering and poverty. Government, as agent of the people, has a critical role to play.

Gov. Paul LePage has submitted his proposal for state spending for the next two years. In so doing he faced no easy choices, and I believe he put forward a plan that he believes balances the many competing demands of the state.

By all measures the state budget is a document about priorities; it offers insight into who we are as a community. It is a testament to our values as a state.

I believe that Mainers are kind and generous, that they care about their neighbors, the frail and the weak, the poor and lonely, children and the elderly, and that they would not want to turn their backs on them during a time of need.

Given those values, they feel a sense of responsibility for their communities.

I cannot, and I believe the people of Maine cannot, in good faith, support the proposed reductions in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, MaineCare, General Assistance and programs serving legal immigrants contained in the current budget proposal.

The budget contains proposals that would place strict and arbitrary time limits on the TANF program, while also placing unreasonable new limitations on General Assistance. There are also proposals to deny health insurance coverage to working families through MaineCare, and to eliminate support programs for legal immigrants until they have lived in Maine for five years.

These changes, if adopted, will create new chaos in the lives of people who are already struggling. The consequences are alarming and frightening.

If these proposals are enacted, I fear more children will become homeless, the elderly will lose access to their medicine and families won't have enough to eat.

The economic conditions of our times have forced more working families into poverty, and pushed more people to the edges of our society where they too often struggle alone without the support necessary to stabilize their lives.

With the recent rise in fuel prices, many people who have managed to remain independent, including many seniors living on fixed incomes, will be at risk.

If these cuts are implemented, churches and other community support organizations will not be able to fill the growing unmet needs. While Maine has a robust network of volunteers and charities, they won't be able to keep up with an influx of thousands of people desperate for help.

I am not an economist, nor an expert on the state budget. I cannot predict when Maine's economy will meet its full potential and provide opportunity for every person to live a happy and secure life.

Until that time, and in the spirit of charity and Christian love, the church will do, as it always has, everything we can to help those in need. But we can't do it without our partners in the state and federal government.

Gov. LePage faces serious challenges as he leads our state, and I do not envy the choices that he must make. But we must not balance our budget on the backs of the poorest among us, those with the least to give and the most to lose.

The state budget is about choices and about how we meet our responsibilities and obligations to one another. It is a moral document that tells the world who we are.

Scripture is clear: We must not abandon the weak and the poor, the aged and those who have lost hope, the immigrant and stranger, the homeless and the young.

It is our duty, instead, to reach out our hand, to lift them up, and to share what we have. Even if that means self-sacrifice. Our faith demands it. Our sense of justice demands it.

As the good men and women who lead our government work to find a better solution to the budget problems of our state, we must lend them our support, offer up our most creative ideas and never lose sight of our commitment to one another as the children of a loving and charitable God.

The Most Reverend Bishop Richard J. Malone, Th.D., ordained a priest in 1972, was installed as bishop of Portland in 2004. He was elected to the Board of Catholic Relief Services in 2010 and serves on the U.S. Operations Committee.

Letters to the Portland Press Herald about Bishop Malone's new residence

2011-06-29T15:20:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2011

Bishop's move to Falmouth panned

As a Catholic, I was always disturbed that the bishops lived in a mansion on the Western Promenade. I am now even more disturbed to read that Bishop Richard Malone is now moving to a $599,000 home in a Falmouth subdivision. What is he thinking? How does it look to read that he is closing the Cathedral School after 145 years and then he purchases a fancy new home in Falmouth for himself?

It would seem to make more sense to move to an unused or under-used rectory in the Portland area. Shouldn't he live in the Cathedral rectory? When my wife and I were forced to downsize because of job losses, we moved to a 985-square- foot double-wide mobile home in Old Orchard Beach.

A few years ago, we signed onto a three-year capital campaign to upgrade our church and parish hall. Soon after we completed the project, the church was closed and torn down.

The bishop doesn't seem to be a good steward of our money. That is why we no longer contribute to the annual campaign for programs in the diocese.

Peter Warzinski

Old Orchard Beach

--------------------------

Learning that Bishop Richard Malone will be moving from the Western Prom mansion to a home in Falmouth worth over half a million dollars doesn't sit well with many Catholics.

In a June 21 Portland Press Herald ar ticle by Dennis Hoey, Sue Bernard, spokeswoman for the diocese, was quoted as saying, "everyone, in this economy, wants to do practical things."

This is practical downsizing? It's like moving from the Taj Mahal to the Samoset Resort.

The Catholic Church faithful could have advised the diocese on what is practical and should h ave been consulted, given that the Church expects to financially support this move to yet another over-the-top home. Did they think we wouldn't notice?

We certainly have noticed the loss of parishes and priests, and the closing of Cathedral School, as well as the admonitions to step up our general financial support.

The Dioce se of Portland owns several properties with ample room for Bishop Malone in which he would have been adequately taken care of. The diocesan finance committee is charged with ensuring the financial soundness of the diocese, and is accountable for the use of resources for expenses authorized by Bishop Malone. It may be that Bishop Malone has underestimated just how much Catholics can swallow before it sticks in the craw.

Smart town and city managers know you should never underestimate public outrage. I don't choose to financially support the bishop's new living quarters. That decision will be reflected in what I place in the Sunday offering from now on .

Jamie Beecher

Portland

_______________

My pleasure turned to pain and outrage as I read the article in the June 22 Press Herald ("Bishop giving up Portland mansion"). As I started reading it, I was really pleased that the Roman Catholic diocese realized that stockpiling money in a "mansion" just wasn't the thing to do in these days and times. But my feelings rapidly changed as I read that the diocese had bought a house in Falmouth for approximately $600,000. Quoting the spokesperson for the diocese, "We want to be good stewards of the money we have."

I am not Roman Catholic but rather Episcopalian. I run an essentials pantry that serves 300-plus Portland residents each Tuesday. I see close-up and personal the real, practical needs of recent immigrants, refugees and just people of all kinds who are suffering in this economy.

I fantasize about what even a fourth o f $600,000 could do to help so many.

As a Christian, I ask myself all the time, "What would Jesus do?" I truly don't feel he would write a check for $600,000 to house one man when the needs of many are just so obvious. I only know what I know about the local Catholic diocese by reading the paper, but might there be a vacant rectory or two sitting around that could possibly house one man?

Richard L. Rasner

Portland

2011-06-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Child Protection Advocates Write Letter to U.S. Ambassador to Haiti.
Call for Investigation of Child Sex Abuse Allegations

Against U.S. Citizen, Michael Geilenfeld.

June 1, 2011

Kenneth H. Merten

Ambassador to the Republic of Haiti

Embassy of the United States

Tabarre 41, Boulevard 15

Port au Prince, Haiti

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

We, the undersigned child protection advocates, are calling upon you to immediately investigate allegations that children are being physically and sexually abused by U.S. citizen, Michael Geilenfeld, founder and executive director of the St. Joseph's Homes in Haiti.

It has been discouraging for us to learn that child sex abuse complaints against Geilenfeld have been know to U.S. Embassy investigators in Port au Prince for the past twenty years, yet Geilenfeld remains in Haiti with unlimited access to vulnerable children.

Since the 1980s, boys, men and visitors to the St. Joseph's Homes have alleged emotional, physical and sexual abuse by Geilenfeld and some of his associates. Geilenfeld denies the allegations.

Please note that child abuse allegations against Geilenfeld are documented as early as 1987 in Boston; 1990 in Haiti and the U.S.; 1995 in Detroit; 1997 in UK and Haiti; 1999 in Haiti; 2006-2007 in Haiti and U.S.

We believe it is the moral obligation of the United States of America to investigate and prosecute U.S. citizens who commit crimes against children anywhere in the world and especially in earthquake ravaged Haiti where children are even more vulnerable.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Robert Hoatson, President, Road to Recovery, 862-368-2800

Paul Kellen, National Survivor Advocacy Coalition, 781-395-3628

Ruth Moore, Speak Truth to Power, 781-264-6519

Michael Sweatt, National Survivor Advocacy Coalition, 207-831-3791

cc: Rod Khatabbi, Special Agent, Department of Homeland Security

Portland, Maine attorney urged to put down boxing gloves and help protect Haitian children from sex abuse

2011-05-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

Portland, Maine attorney, Robert Morris, is a member of the Board of Directors of Free the Kids, the fund raising arm of Pwoje Espwa Sud, an orphanage that houses 800 children in Les Cayes, Haiti.

In recent weeks, questions have arisen about the conduct of a self-proclaimed Franciscan monk who volunteers at the orphanage.

In his May 3rd blog (now shut down by him), Brother Robert-Anthony Campbell, FSD wrote the following about an 11 year-old Haitian orphan:

"I showered him from head to toe, scrubbed his hair and washed his shorts. I also found time to re-apply the cream I've been using to help his rash and I'm happy to report the rash has cleared up (and he's a lot cleaner too, lol) I'm going to pick up some new sandals for him tomorrow after I go to the bank. It was frustrating to shower him and re-dress him in clean underwear, shorts and a T-shirt then let him leave barefoot..."
May 3, 2011, Brother Robert Anthony Campbell, FSD

Morris, his fellow Free the Kids board members (including Dr. Cynthia Desoi of Lewiston, Maine) and Rev. Marc Boisvert, OMI, the founder of Pwoje Espwa have reacted to questions about Brother Campbell's conduct with silence and hostility.

Bishop Malone's sermon for child sex abuse victims was all hot air

2010-03-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP_____

OPINION by Paul Kendrick

Bishop Malone's "Healing Mass" sermon for abuse victims and survivors was just more hot air.

It was all "holy talk," no substance.

Malone must stop playing his silly games and start acting like an adult who, when it comes to the issue of child protection, sees himself as a concerned community member.

1) In his homily, Malone said that he is "scandalized" by recent reports of sexual abuse by clergy and consecrated religious in Europe.

Malone neglected to say that when he was an Auxilliary bishop in Boston, he had at least three child abuser priests secretly working for him in parishes. In addition, Rev. Paul Miceli (Malone's best friend and Cape Cod housemate), helped transfer abuser priests from parish to parish when he served as Cardinal Law's Secretary of Ministerial Personnel.

2) In his homily, Malone said that he finds himself "sick with anger and grief and almost desperation as he sees news report after report detailing the devastation caused for so many children."

If he's so concerned about protecting children from harm, why didn't Malone warn Falmouth police and school officials when one of his employees, an admitted child molester priest (Rev. John Audibert), moved into a Falmouth neighborhood?

3) In his homily, Malone blames the sexual abuse of children on ministers of the Church, ordained priests, consecrated religious and lay Church members for the harms inflicted upon children as a result of their sexual abuse.

Conveniently, Malone failed to address the role of senior church leaders and bishops (like himself) for protecting offenders and transferring abuser priests from parish to parish.
____________________________________________________________________________

March 23, 2010 - Portland Press Herald Editorial - Sex Offender Registry

2010-03-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our View: Arrest points to flawsin sex offender registry

Even after court rulings and legislative tweaks, the registry is not striking the right balance.

If there ever was a government program in need of an overhaul, it's Maine's online sex offender registry. Flawed from its inception, the online registry has suffered from providing not enough information to be really valuable while at the same time offering too much.

Its scope was too broad, providing names and perpetually updated addresses of people convicted of crimes that may or may not suggest that they are likely to re-offend. At the same time, the registry lacks the kind of detail about the underlying offenses that would really be helpful for community members who are judging the risk posed by a neighbor on the list.

The system was shaken by a state supreme court decision two years ago, which found that the registry amounted to a kind of double punishment. That led lawmakers to amend the law to create a way to get off the list for people who were retroactively added to the registry when it was created and have had clean records since.

One of the 304 people who have been removed from the list, Larry L. Smart, was arrested last week for possessing child pornography, leading to more calls for revising the registry. Two bills introduced this session that would further tweak the registry appear to be headed nowhere as the Legislature winds toward adjournment.When they next try to tackle this mess, lawmakers should keep a few points in mind.

The purpose of the registry is to give people information they can use to protect themselves. And when it comes to information, too much can be as bad as too little. A man who dated a 13-year-old girl when he turned 18, 20 years ago, may be a registered sex offender. Neighbors who know just what's on the list could fail to protect themselves from other, more immediate threats.
No system is going to be perfect. There is no exact science to predict who is going to commit new offenses. Some classes of sex offenders, such as fixated pedophiles, call for special attention, but others will slip through any warning system.

Programs that have proven to be effective, such as extended periods of probation, monitoring and mandatory treatment, should be the first line of defense for a community looking to defend itself from a repeat offense by a sex offender. A registry of the most dangerous offenders, especially if it reveals characteristics such as the age and sex of the victim, and his or her relationship to the perpetrator, can also serve an important public safety function.

The current registry is not there yet.

A daughter's mother won't help protect children

2010-03-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

For immediate release:
Monday, March 22, 2010

Open Letter

Sue Bernard
Director of Public Relations
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Portland, Maine

Dear Ms. Bernard,

In a press release issued on Saturday, I asked Bishop Richard Malone to start acting like a real grownup. I asked him to become a responsible member of the community regarding the issue of child protection.

And now I am asking you to start acting like a mother who cares about protecting, not only her own child, but children everywhere, from cunning and manipulative child molesters.

Point number one. Providing full disclosure of all priest sex abuse cases in Maine on the diocese web site will help protect children, Ms. Bernard. It's that simple.

Point number two. Publishing such a database will also help unknown, heretofore silent, shame and guilt ridden child abuse victims realize for the first time that they aren't alone. Perhaps, for the very first time they will seek help.

And so, Ms. Bernard, it's way past time for you to start behaving in a mature and credible manner about the protection of children. For almost eight years now, you have been part of the problem. It's time for you to start being part of the solution.

In addition to your professional responsibilities, you are the mother of a teenage daughter. What do you suppose the parents of your daughter's friends would say to you if one of their children was raped by a molester priest like Father John Audibert and they knew you didn't tell anyone in the neighborhood that Audibert is a child molester?

Audibert lives in a Falmouth neighborhood that's full of kids and young people. You appear satisfied that children are safe because Audibert's crime has been made public.

C'mon, Ms. Bernard, no one in that Falmouth neighborhood knows that the man living there with his brother is named John Audibert. For God's sake, no one even knows what Audibert looks like. You diminish your credibility when you keep saying that Malone is protecting kids from Audibert because Audibert's name was once made public. Can you identify every public figure you've ever heard or read about? Of course not. You're being silly again.

And now we know that neither you, Bishop Malone, nor any other diocese official contacted Falmouth police or school officials in an effort to warn the community about Audibert's presence in Falmouth. By not saying or doing anything, Ms. Bernard, you made a conscious decision to allow other people's kids to be at risk of child sex abuse.

Which begs the question. If Audibert lived in your neighborhood, would you warn your own daughter?

How many more "Audibert's" do you know about who are living anonymously in other communities, Ms. Bernard? How many more children are in danger?

I urge you to reflect upon my words. Please realize that by virtue of your silence you are complicit when a child is abused and you could have done something to stop it.

You may have long ago found a way to compartmentalize your behavior like so many other church workers, Ms. Bernard, but the simple truth about your not warning neighbors in Falmouth about a dangerous child molester like Audibert is sufficient evidence to determine that you are more than willing to put other people's children in harm's way in order to protect your own interests.

Perhaps, Ms. Bernard, you would agree to meet with me. My words are not intended to be construed or measured in any other manner than that of an individual who is serious about and committed to protecting children.If you disagree with my assessment of your words and deeds, then please, do not run to your attorney but, instead, issue a cogent and principled response as to why you find it morally and ethically acceptable to neglect the safety of children.

Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
207 838 1319

THE CAUSES AND CONTEXT STUDY of the JOHN JAY COLLEGE

2010-01-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

Reflections by Thomas Doyle, J.C.D.

January 4, 2010

HISTORICAL FACT: Catholic clerics have sexually molested tens of thousands of children and vulnerable adults throughout the history of the Catholic Church in the U.S.

HISTORICAL FACT: Throughout the history of the Catholic Church in the U.S. Catholic bishops have consistently responded to this problem in an irresponsible and ineffective manner.

QUESTION: WHY? When the John Jay College first started its work I was 98% skeptical that it would be yet another exercise in hierarchical deception and dishonesty. I had been convinced of the absolute need for in-depth research as to causes for the plague of abuse and the consistent though totally dishonest response of the hierarchy from the pope on down. From 1985 until 2002 this need was totally ignored by the official church though a number of reputable scholars began to seriously look into the issue. The essential questions have been, at least in my estimation:

Why has the Catholic priesthood attracted so many sexually dysfunctional men?

Why have the bishops consistently and almost uniformly responded in a manner that is manifestly unchristian and contrary to the basic moral principles held by the Church?

Why has the hierarchical leadership from the papacy on down to local bishops been unwilling or unable to grasp the enormity of the problem?

Why has the hierarchy not responded in a pastorally sensitive manner to the countless victims?

I believe the key question for any believer is this: Why have the bishops and far too many of the priests responded to the sexual abuse scandal in precisely the opposite way that the Christ whom they preach would have responded?

The bishops have been presented with these and other questions for years and have generally ignored them. I do not believe they even know how to cope with a fissure of this magnitude. Between 1985 and 2002 they did practically nothing in response to calls for deeper study into the problem. For the most part their energies were thrown into efforts to defend themselves and counteract the waves of negative publicity. Their priority was to protect themselves from civil liability. Responding to victims was never a priority; in fact it was never even on the list.

The enormous pressure on the bishops and on the Vatican following the 2002 revelations in Boston was certain to produce at least minimal results. The National Review Board Report from 2004 was a credible beginning. The Dallas Charter and the Essential Norms were the product of this pressure. Both are woefully inadequate and respond in what is obviously a highly self-serving manner by dealing with the perpetrating clerics but ignoring the more basic question which is the bishop-led cover-up. The Charter and Norms also do nothing in response to the dire need for pastoral response and spiritual healing.

The recurring question to the authorities of the Church has been why? The quality and credibility of most “official” and semi-official responses has ranged from irrelevant to ridiculous. Some have responded with a deflection: But it’s only a tiny minority of priests! Others, including the popes, have tried to shift blame to secular society, the media or the sexual revolution. From within the fortress of doctrinal reaction have come the dogmatic conclusions that the problem is rooted in emerging notions of human sexuality epitomized by widespread disobedience to the ban on birth control. Many of the inadequate responses mask fear of seeing the hard truth about an idealized organizational Church. Others reflect a painful insecurity rooted in the revelations of the gross inadequacy of leaders in whom they had invested unconditional trust. Nearly all of these explanations are self-serving and none of them represent the need to face the honest but devastating truth of what has happened around us. Most of these explanations proved one thing: that there is an absolute need to look deeply into every facet and dimension of this complex and often mysterious phenomenon.

All of this is a prelude to the entrance of the John Jay College into the fray. They won a contract to conduct sociological research into the problem. They gathered numbers…numbers of accused priests, numbers of victims, numbers of bishops’ responses. That is their area of specialty. The sources for their numbers were the bishops. There is no other source for finding the number of reports, victims, known abusers etc. The JJC researchers had no guarantee that the bishops would uniformly produce honest responses. The numbers the bishops gave up provided a frightening landscape. But…it became known in time that some of the bishops lied about the numbers of reported cases. They…the bishops in question….determined which reports were credible and which were not. Such a procedure, the bishops’ internal investigations and evaluations, lacks any credibility. The JJC people knew the shortcomings they were dealing with and did the best with what they had. The final report of the first phase, issued in February of 2004, was not complete because there remained lingering questions about the accuracy of the number of reports, perpetrators and cases. On the other hand it was much more accurate than was expected and consequently, much more frightening.

The second phase is “Causes and Context.” Many believed that this phase would look deeply into the broad scope of information and come up with insightful conclusions as to why it all happened. Such a belief was unrealistic because that goal was beyond the expertise of the research team. The final product of the JJC in this phase will be helpful information that will assist other scholars in other areas in conducting the additional research that is needed.

At the outset many, including myself, misunderstood the mandate and goals of the John Jay study on both levels. Once I received a more accurate picture of what they have been about I have revised my expectations. I believe now that it is unrealistic to expect the John Jay report in this latter phase of their research to provide the definitive answers to the more fundamental questions that remain unanswered. They themselves realize that they cannot produce the answers to many of the essential questions. However their conclusions can provide invaluable information that will assist other researchers in other fields to delve more deeply into the entire complex phenomenon of Catholic clergy sexual abuse.

I predict the report will be met with disappointment which will provoke anger and hostility on the part of many who have expected much more. I also believe that this anger is and will be misplaced. It is not only useless but counterproductive to direct anger and hostility to the John Jay College researchers. They have acted competently within the scope of their mandate. If there is anger and disappointment it is rightly directed at the U.S. bishops. They have known all along that this on-going issue requires in-depth research and a willingness to take the enormous risk of not only sponsoring this research but providing the needed data for the researchers. This is a risk precisely because the results will not vindicate the bishops. On the contrary the results will, in all probability, clearly demonstrate deep problems in several areas of Catholic life. These areas include:

The Catholic philosophy of human sexuality

The theory and practice of pastoral care

The nature and role of authority

The role of the office of bishop

The structure of the institutional Church as a stratified society

The adequacy or lack thereof of the Canon Law system

The very meaning of “Church.”

Research on these and related questions has been on-going for many years as has been discussion on many levels about the need for such research. The sexual abuse “crisis” is far from ended, contrary to the statements of the bishops and the hopes of rank and file Catholics.
Victims of abuse from decades ago continue to come forward having been finally empowered to step outside their individual prisons of shame and fear. Though the bishops and many of their supporters continually try to devalue these claims because they refer to incidents that occurred years ago, the fact remains that these people were viciously abused as children or adolescents and remain deeply wounded. The steady emergence of such cases from the cover of history points to a problem that was not an occasional exception but a facet of the very culture of the Catholic Church, embedded in its clerical elite.

The steady stream of what some call “historic cases” demonstrates more than anything else, the absolute need for research. The Catholic “faithful,” who make up well over 99% of the institutional Church, and the secular societies that respect the institutional Church and show it such varied degrees of deference, deserve answers. Those who support the hierarchy and who look to them for guidance deserve to know why the anointed leaders of the world’s largest
religious denomination have systematically allowed such vile evil to exist in its very midst.

A number of reputable scholars in various disciplines have recognized the key questions and started to look deeply into the complex society and equally complex history of the Church for answers. In 1995 two books were published which stood out as beacons in the quest for answers: Sex, Priests and Power by A.W. Richard Sipe, and In the Name of All That’s Holy by Anson Shupe. Three years previous Jason Berry published Lead Us Not Into Temptation which has proven to be the most complete and accurate rendition of the early years and direction of the present phase of the crisis. It has also been the source of brilliant insight into the many “whys” and a catalyst for continued research.

These authors are representative of the kind of scholarship that is needed. Historians must delve into the primary sources and provide a non-revisionist version of how the Catholic Church unfolded over the centuries, especially in regard to its sexual philosophy. Scripture scholars and theologians are needed who can look deeply into the doctrinal presuppositions that support the institutional Church’s definition of itself and justification for its method of government. Experts in legal theory must look fearlessly at the Church’s Canon Law system in search of valid reasons why it has failed to be a vehicle for justice for the Church’s own victims.

The final report of the John Jay study should not be seen as a conclusion or as a source for definitive answers. It will not bring relief from the pain endured by so many. It will not provoke a radical about-face by the nation’s bishops. However it represents progress in sifting through the mass of information that provides significant documentary evidence of what has happened. The findings of the study will justify the absolute need to move forward fearlessly to the real question: Why?

VOTF Maine President Robert McAteer says, "Rest assured, we still have a heartbeat."

2010-01-04T17:14:00.000-08:00

In response to a recent inquiry about the state of Voice of the Faithful in Maine, President Robert McAteer responded, "Rest assured, we still have a heartbeat."

Well, President McAteer, that's not quite the response we were hoping for. Your lackluster description of Maine VOTF makes it sound like the Maine organization is in the intensive care unit.

We were hoping you'd instead tell us what has been accomplished under your presidential leadership? What real things have you done in the areas of survivor assistance, child protection, financial accountability and/or structural change, among many other issues?

We're anxious to know, President McAteer, in what direction you are leading VOTF Maine? What are your priorities for 2010?

In his speech to the October 2009 VOTF Conference in Long Island, NY, VOTF's National President, Dan Bartley, told attendees that reform must come from the "bottom up," parish by parish; i.e., stronger and better parish councils, finance councils, etc.

Now there's a recipe for failure.

However, in her speech to the very same conference, Sister Joan Chittister said something quite different. She told the audience that "reform has nothing to do with the survival of the church. Reform has to do with the survival of the gospel."

Amen.

The bishops have not acted as Christians but rather as agnostic, self-serving businessmen

2010-01-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

Reflections from 25 Years of Experience
At the Start of the New Year

Thomas Doyle, J.C.D.

It is the beginning of 2010. Back many years ago when a new year would dawn, I remember when I would predict that this would be the last year of the Catholic sex abuse scandal. This year the Church will change. This year the bishops will shift gears and focus on the thousands of victims. This year the lawsuits will end because they will no longer be necessary.

Some would call that wishful thinking. Others may believe it to be delusion. In either case it was obviously magical thinking based on unreality.

None of my past hopes have come true and I doubt they ever will. The contrast between the reality of what has happened and continues to happen to victims at the direction of bishops, and what the bishops themselves claim they have accomplished is a chasm the depth of which defies the imagination.

As this new year of pragmatic action starts I’d like to share some random reflections from my experiences with the Catholic Church and clergy sex abuse. I have been closely involved on all levels since 1984. As many know, I did extensive research on the Church’s historical response for the book I co-authored. I have been involved in thousands of clergy abuse cases as a consultant, expert witness and/or pastoral minister in the U.S., Canada, Ireland (North and South), the U.K., Mexico, Italy, Malta and Israel.

In all of the research I have done and in every case I have seen or been involved in, the initial response of the official church whether it is on the part of the pope, a bishop or religious superior has been to hide the facts from the public. The second response has been just as consistent. The bishops have done everything they could to prevent the case from public exposure. If it does, then they do all they can to manipulate the truth so as to protect the image of the hierarchy first and the institutional church second.

In all of my research and in each and every case I have studied on any level, I have found something profoundly disturbing. I have not seen evidence of one single instance where the bishop or religious superior’s first response was to even ask about the condition of the victim much less reach out to the victim. I know there have been exceptions, but they have been very few and far between.

In every case where the bishop has met with victims, and this has only happened since 2002 with only a very few instances known to me between 1984 and 2002, the meeting has not been a spontaneous gesture by the bishop. In every case known to me the meeting took place because the bishop was mandated to do so in the terms of the settlement.

Throughout the U.S. there have been many cases brought to court where there has been little doubt on the part of either side that the sexual abuse actually happened but where the case was thrown out because it was outside the Statute of Limitations. I know of no such case where the bishop has, in spite of the lack of a civil process, offered to make monetary reparations to the victim. Uniformly…the victims are ignored. The bishops and their lawyers think they have won. They have protected their precious church’s money. But have they won…really? Hardly! They continue to reinforce the image of the “church” as a callous and insensitive business enterprise.

Since 1984 thousands of priests, deacons and brothers have been exposed. Many have ended up in jail or prison. Since 2002 the bishops have been scrambling to get rid of every cleric who has ever abused…but not because of a sense of Justice. Rather, getting rid of them creates the illusion that they are doing something. Getting rid of them reduces the liability!

Over two-thirds of the U.S. bishops have knowingly covered sexual abusers and in so doing have directly caused the ruination of the souls and often the bodies of countless more victims. The almighty Vatican, for all its carefully tooled statements of concern has not called a single bishop to accountability. A few have resigned but so what? They have committed crimes with impunity. Why? Because they are bishops and in the magical thinking of the papacy, bishops are above hard-ball justice. Some bishops have even been sexual abusers themselves. None have been defrocked.

I have seen consistent, hard evidence of a radical disconnect between the mandate of Christ in the Gospel in reference to such matters, and the actual actions of the bishops and the popes. In short, the popes (JP2 and Benedict XVI) and the bishops have not acted as Christians but rather as agnostic, self-serving businessmen.

Thomas Doyle, J.C.D.

Deacon John Brennan gets Vote of No Confidence

2010-01-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

Deacon John Brennan, former Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Portland, Maine, chose not to notify the Falmouth Police Department nor assist in warning neighbors when an admitted priest child molester moved into town.

Deacon Brennan works for Bishop Richard Malone as the diocese investigator. In this capacity, he is responsible for the investigation of child sex abuse claims brought against a priest or other employee of the Church.

Deacon Brennan is privy to information about clergy child sex abuse cases in Maine.

By virtue of his ordination, Deacon Brennan takes a vow of obedience to his bishop. Secrecy, though, doesn't protect innocent children from sex offenders.

It was for this reason that we initially objected to Brennan's appointment by former Bishop Joseph Gerry. We worried that Brennan would not be able to act objectively and independently.

Now, our worst fears have come true.

Brennan's failure to step forward and warn the Falmouth community that Father John Audibert, an admitted child molester, lives in a Falmouth neighborhood, has caused us to lose all faith, trust and confidence in Deacon Brennan's ability to seek truth and justice.

When a law enforcement official won't tell you that a child molester lives next door, something is very, very wrong.

Bishop Richard Malone should make room for child abuser priests to live with him in his 6 bedroom mansion.

2009-12-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

There are currently eleven accused child abuser priests who still work for Bishop Richard Malone. These priests have either been sentenced to a "life of prayer and penance," restricted from public ministry, or both. Some cases are still pending in the Vatican.

All of these priests continue to be supported by the diocese. They are entitled to health care and pension benefits. They are provided with a housing allowance.

Bishop Malone does not require that these priests live together in a supervised group home where their comings and goings would be monitored. Instead, the bishop allows them to reside wherever they want - for instance, right next to a school.

We discovered that Rev. John Audibert is living in Foreside Estates in Falmouth. Foreside Estates is full of children. The bishop never even warned the local police about Audibert's past or informed them that Audibert is a safety risk to the community.

We want Bishop Malone to require that child molester priests whom he refuses to dismiss from the priesthood be assigned to a single residence with independent, outside monitoring and supervision.

We also want Bishop Malone to publish a database of child abuser priests and church workers on the diocese web site.

Bishop Richard Malone refuses to bear witness to the pain of a mother seeking justice for the unspeakable crimes committed against her son

2009-12-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

Letter to the Editor - Portland Press Herald

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

I’m saddened by the recent events in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, especially the inaction of Bishop Richard Malone.

As a spiritual leader, he should be an example of the virtues that brought him to his present position. His refusal to bear personal witness to the pain of a mother seeking justice for the unspeakable crimes committed against her son has caused more pain.

What is being asked is simple. I know this because I see it done on a daily basis. Sexual assault center advocates bring solace to people every day just by listening and validating.

In the 16 years of advocacy that I have provided, I have learned that those in leadership have the power to either contribute to healing or create more trauma for victims.

I have seen many leaders in this state be accountable by meeting with victims to answer questions and yes, provide the simple act of listening. It doesn’t mean that these leaders can always deliver on what is asked of them, in fact that rarely is the case.

What it does is much more powerful – it acknowledges and validates that the pain and suffering victims experience means something and is unjust.

Please, Bishop Malone, join the ranks of other leaders – DAs, attorneys general, police chiefs and school principals – and meet with Marie Tupper to bear witness to the pain and suffering of her family.

You can be a role model and rise upon your own discomfort to do what is right.

I know you can.

Cyndi Amato
Executive DirectorSexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine
Portland

Will Bishop Richard Malone refuse entry at Christmas Eve mass to the mother of a clergy sex abuse victim?

2009-12-15T18:56:00.000-08:00

It's the same letter that was sent to Bishop Malone one year ago by an advocate for abuse victims.

Now it's signed by Marie Tupper.

Here's a copy of the letter sent today.

December 16, 2009

Most Rev. Bishop Richard Malone
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Portland, Maine

Dear Bishop Malone,

I hope to be able to attend the Midnight Mass at the Cathedral next week. It is my understanding that you will deliver the homily.

I look upon my participation in this Mass as an “immersion experience.” I cannot resist having a front row seat to be able to listen to you preach about the unconditional love and compassion of Jesus Christ, yet, at the very moment you are speaking these words, you and I will both know that you have rejected me, the mother of a sex abuse victim, as unworthy of your time.

The Compassion of Christ calls us to be in communion with those who suffer, Bishop Malone. I will come in peace. But, if you happen to look my way from time to time, you may see me shaking my head ever so slightly (in disbelief), or my head may be in my hands as I pray for the tolerance to remain seated in spite of your hypocrisy.

Each time you see my face during the Mass, Bishop Malone, I want you to remember me, my 84 year-old mother, Claire Tupper, and my 35 year-old son. My son was sexually abused by Rev. Thomas Lee when he was a toddler. Have you ever wondered how my son and the rest of our family are holding up?

What a Christmas story you have to tell. At the same time that your houseguest, Rev. Paul Miceli, is warm and cozy inside your mansion on the Promenade, I will be standing on the sidewalk outside your home, shivering from the cold as I wait to meet with you.

Let’s not forget that while working as Secretary of Ministerial Personnel for Cardinal Law, your friend, Miceli, aided and abetted the sexual abuse of children by assisting in the transfer of abuser priests into unsuspecting parishes and schools.

On the other hand, my son was raped by our family’s parish priest during the time that my mother worked in the rectory as the housekeeper.

How ironic it is that you choose to invite Miceli, the very person who facilitated the sexual abuse of children, into your home yet, at the very same time, you slam the door on a mother whose only child was wrecked forever because of the harms and injuries inflicted upon him as a result of his child sexual abuse.

It will be a trying experience for me to hear you preach on Christmas Eve, Bishop Malone. Knowing what we both know, how will you ever be able to preach the gospel with passion and integrity?

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

Sincerely,
Marie Tupper
Boothbay Harbor, Maine

Bishop Richard Malone is more educated than Jesus

2009-12-14T18:38:00.000-08:00

Where can Bishop Malone get a degree in compassion and understanding?

Third Sunday of Advent

Unlike Bishop Richard J. Malone, Jesus didn't have a B.A. in Philosophy, a Bachelors degree in Divinity, a Masters degree and Doctorate in Theology or a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) see below.

Instead, Jesus devoted his ministry to feeding the poor, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, caring for the sick and visiting the imprisoned.

Jesus stood in communion with the voiceless and the vulnerable among us. Jesus engaged the pain and suffering of the poor, those who have been rejected and disenfranchised.

Millions of Catholics have added additional insult to victims of priest abuse by their failure to stand up and demand redress for the sexual molestation of their children and the cover up of these crimes by bishops, priests and church officials.

Jesus entered this world in a most radical way. He came to us, not as the heir to a wealthy and powerful fortune, but as the son of a poor, gossiped about and often ridiculed unwed mother. As a child, Jesus was tormented by the other kids in town because his parentage was in doubt. He was forced to play by himself, wandering the foothills, speaking only to the much older shepherds who were tending their flocks.

From a very young age, Jesus knew what it was like to be lonely, despised and unwanted. His sad and unfortunate childhood experience became the foundation for his ministry.

The Compassion of Christ was born.

Once again, as yet another Christmas approaches, Bishop Richard Malone continues to refuse to sit in the same room with Marie Tupper, whose only child was sexually abused by her family's parish priest. Marie wants to work with the bishop to help protect children and reach out to those in her Boothbay Harbor community who were sexually abused.

We should all listen carefully to Bishop Malone's Christmas homily, just as Marie Tupper will.

She'll be sitting in the first pew.

_____________________________________________________________

Bishop Richard Malone, Th.D.

Bishop Richard Joseph Malone is the 11th Bishop of Portland. He was installed as Bishop of Portland on March 31, 2004 after serving as auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Boston, South Region.

Bishop Richard Joseph Malone was born in Salem, MA on March 19th, 1946 and was raised in Hamilton and Beverly, MA. He graduated in 1964 from St. John’s Prep, Danvers and began his seminary college years at Cardinal O’Connell Seminary in Jamaica Plain. He graduated from St. John Seminary, Boston with a B.A. in Philosophy, a Bachelors degree in Divinity and a Masters degree in Theology. In 1981, Bishop Malone earned a Doctorate in Theology (Th.D.) at Boston University and a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (S.T.L.) at Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge in 1990.

Bishop Malone was ordained a priest at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on May 20th, 1972 by then-Archbishop Humberto Medeiros and was assigned to St. Patrick Parish, Stoneham as Associate Pastor. In 1974, he was named to the faculty of St. Clement High School, Somerville; two years later he joined the faculty and served as chaplain at Xaverian High School, Westwood. He was appointed to the faculty of his alma mater, St. John Seminary College in 1979 where he taught religious and theological studies. He also served as registrar and academic dean during his tenure. During those same years, he was a part-time chaplain at Wellesley (Wellesley, MA) and Regis (Weston, MA) Colleges and taught at Emmanuel College, Boston. In 1990, the Bishop was assigned to the Harvard-Radcliffe Catholic Student Center as chaplain at St. Paul Parish. He accepted the position of Director of the Office of Religious Education for the Archdiocese in 1993; two years later he was named Secretary for Education, the cabinet position which oversees all the educational activities of the Archdiocese. In March of 2000, he was ordained Titular Bishop of Aptuca and appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Boston, South Region.

The 11th Bishop of Portland has produced and hosted television programs for Boston Catholic Television; has been the archdiocesan liaison with the local Jewish community; and has lectured nationally on Catholic education.

Bishop Malone has one sister, Harriet Malone, who teaches art at St. John’s Prep., Danvers, MA.

Gavin Group Compliance Audit in Maine is a Fraud

2009-12-09T17:33:00.000-08:00

December 9, 2009

Commentary
by Paul Kendrick

Bishop Richard Malone is still keeping secrets.

That's why we're just finding out that, from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, eleven more child sex abuse victims reported that they were molested by five living and four deceased priests.

Even as he reports the numbers, Bishop Malone won't tell us the names and whereabouts of the credibly accused priests and how many more children each priest abused.

When child abusers are identified, victims may learn for the first time that they were not the only one. Or, if it is now known that a previously accused priest abused a child in a different parish or school, this information may help other victims to feel strong enough to reach out for help.

The bishops go out of their way to advertise and promote Bill Gavin's (Gavin Group, Inc.) past experience in the FBI as if this information, in and by itself, ensures us that diocese audits will be thorough and unbiased. Yet, neither Mr. Gavin nor the bishops will admit that the financial success of Mr. Gavin's company is dependent upon the goodwill of Catholic bishops across the country. If enough bishops become dissatisfied with the results of their child protection compliance audits, then Mr. Gavin will be shown the door in the same manner as was Governor Keating, former head of the National Review Board.

The very definition of "self audit" is "conflict of interest."

As an advocate for the protection of children and those who were abused, I spoke on the phone earlier today with Mr. Gavin. I focused on a single question; "How can you issue a report that states that Bishop Malone is doing everything he can to protect children when an admitted priest child molester, one who is still in the bishop's employ and remains under the bishop's supervision, is living in a Falmouth neighborhood that's full of kids and no one in the community knows about the priest's past history of abusing children?"

Mr. Gavin had a response on the tip of his tongue. He told me he conducts compliance audits that fall within the four corners of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, nothing more, nothing less.

In other words, if the child protection provisions of the Charter don't specifically state that a bishop must not put kids at risk by allowing an admitted priest child abuser to live anonymously in a neighborhood full of children, then Mr. Gavin and his auditors will ignore this child safety violation in their final report.

Thus, a bishop like Richard Malone gets an "A" for "ensuring the safety of children."

Reminds me of a question I asked a long time high school administrator about what has changed most during his many years in education. He used the example of a student who was caught setting fire to books in the school's library. The student was immediately expelled, causing the angry parents to rush to the principal's office. "Where in the school's handbook," the parents wanted to know, "does it explicitly state that a student will be expelled for setting fire to library books?"

Diocese audit does not account for secrecy

2009-12-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

Bishop Richard Malone is still keeping secrets.

That's why we're only finding out now that, from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009, eleven more child sex abuse victims reported that they were molested by five living and four deceased priests.

Even as he reports the numbers, Bishop Malone won't tell us the names of the nine accused priests and how many more children each priest has abused.

When child abusers are identified, victims may learn for the first time that they are not the only one. Or, if it is now known that a previously accused priest abused a child in a different parish or school, this information may help other victims to feel strong enough to reach out for help.

According to a statement issued by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, the diocese has been found in full compliance with the articles of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The independent audit evaluates the effectiveness of child protection policies and practices and reviewed the period from July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009.

The audit was conducted this fall by the Gavin Group, an independent company of investigators led by Bill Gavin, who has nearly 30 years experience with the FBI

Background

In April 2002, former Bishop Joseph Gerry turned over the names and files of all accused living and deceased priests from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland to the Maine Attorney General.

Almost two years later, the Attorney General’s Report was released to the public. See also the attorney general's investigative materials released on May 27, 2005 and July 8, 2005.

A database of accused living and deceased priests from the Diocese of Portland is posted on BishopAccountability.org.

Here's what the Audit failed to report

During the audit period, eleven individuals came forward with accusations of sexual abuse that date back from 30 to 70 years ago.

1) These claims involved nine priests of which four are dead;

--- What are the names of the deceased priests?

2) One priest was laicized (returned to the lay state) years before the complaint was received;

--- What is this priest's name? Where and when did the abuse occur?

3) Two had already been restricted from public ministry;

--- What are the priests' names? Where did the abuse occur? What years? How will additional allegations against these priests affect their cases?

4) One is unidentified (meaning the name provided could not be connected to any priest who ever served in the diocese) and;

5) One is in a religious order (this claim was referred to the religious superior for final resolution).

--- What is the priest's name? What is the religious order? Where did the abuse occur (parish, school, etc.)?

6) Nine of the complaints have been investigated and the process completed–six of the accusations have been substantiated.

--- What are the priest's names? Where did the abuse occur?

Letter to the Editor of the Portland Press Herald

2009-09-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Portland Press Herald

Editorials
Old grudges, not bishop's home, at heart of complaints

The Catholic Church accepted responsibility and is moving on. It's sad if others can't.

September 7, 2009

Regarding Bill Nemitz's column in the Press Herald on Aug. 28, "Houses of worship close as house of bishop eats up cash."

Point No. 1 – The bishop's home has long ago been paid for. It does not belong to the bishop personally any more than do the church buildings.

It has been explained more than once that certain churches have been closed not only because of the expense of the "priests' scandals" but because there are not enough "practicing" Catholics to support them.

It does not make sense to keep six churches open (at major expense) when there are only enough people attending Mass to fill two or three churches.

Point No. 2 – I suspect that Mr. Nemitz's friend, Paul Kendrick, would not be satisfied even if our esteemed Bishop Richard Malone sold the bishop's home and moved into a homeless shelter. Let's face facts. Mr. Kendrick has a deep, personal dislike for our bishop which probably will never be satisfied.

Point No. 3 – Mr. Nemitz seems to have a very problematic feeling about the Roman Catholic Church, which incidentally has accepted responsibility for the past priest abuses. At this time, people of true faith want to move on from the "sins of the past."

We realize that in this world we are all sinners. Most of us are repentant and eventually we will all answer to God for how we live our lives.

Bill Nemitz and Paul Kendrick might be happier people if they concentrated on moving forward instead of dwelling on evils of the past. Mr. Nemitz is far more interesting when he writes about human-interest stories rather than working to keep the flames of hatred alive.

Point No. 4 – Mr. Nemitz, the Catholic Church will be alive and well long after you and Mr. Kendrick are no longer in the news.

Cheverus Ignores Justice for Abuse Victims

2009-09-05T16:32:00.000-07:00

September 4, 2008 - Between 7:00 am and 8:00 am today, a small group of survivor advocates distributed leaflets to the faculty and students of Cheverus High School (Jesuit) in Portland, Maine.

Here is the text:

Leaflet - Page 1

Dear Cheverus Students, Faculty and Staff,

We are here today to call attention to the lack of justice and unfair treatment that has been provided to the sex abuse victims of Charles Malia. As a way of introduction, I am a graduate of two Jesuit schools, Cheverus and Fairfield University. I am joined by Mr. Harvey Paul and Ms. Marie Tupper. Mr. Paul is a survivor of clergy sexual abuse and the Maine Director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. Ms. Tupper is an advocate for abuse victims and has a family member who is a victim of clergy sexual abuse.

It is documented that three former Cheverus students received financial reparation for the harms and injuries inflicted upon them as a result of their being sexually abused by former teacher and coach, James Talbot. Conversely, Cheverus officials have denied compensatory damages to ten or more former Cheverus students for the harms and injuries inflicted upon them as a result of their sexual abuse by former teacher, coach and admitted child molester, Charles Malia.

We hope you will join us in asking Cheverus officials to explain why the same measure of justice has not been provided to all of the former Cheverus students who were sexually abused.

We can only guess that Cheverus officials agreed to provide reparation for damages incurred by the Talbot victims when threatened with a civil lawsuit. On the other hand, school officials are taking advantage of a legal technicality (the statute of limitations) to bar Malia's victims from having their day in court or from taking any civil action. Talbot and Malia worked together at Cheverus for eighteen years. Cheverus officials insist on making the focus on when the abuse occurred rather than the focusing on the fact that the abuse did occur, a particularly frustrating and hurtful obstacle for the victims of Malia.

This injustice must not be allowed to stand, which begs the question: are Cheverus students taught to pursue legal and moral loopholes so they can find a way to avoid telling the truth and being held responsible and accountable for their actions?

In a recent letter to Cheverus students and parents about our presence here today, President Campbell wrote, “The first priority of this school community is to ensure the safety and well being of your sons and daughters.” Sadly, these were the very same expectations held by the parents of the former Cheverus students who were harmed and injured by Talbot and Malia.

In January 2003, the attorney who negotiated on behalf of Cheverus during the settlement process for the sex abuse victims of Talbot told a reporter that although she believed the civil statute of limitations had expired in one of the cases, Cheverus officials did not want to fight that argument in court.

"The school's goal was to work with these alumni rather than get involved in litigation. They wanted to resolve it, to help these men move on. That's what we were able to do," stated the attorney.

In that case the school saw the importance of making an exception in order to do what was compassionate, right and just. Why, then, are Cheverus officials refusing to provide this same measure of justice to the victims of Malia?

It can be said that all of us – students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni – are but temporary custodians of an education and tradition that teaches us that the service of our faith must include the promotion of justice. It is up to all of us to ensure that all the former students who were sexually abused while attending Cheverus are treated fairly and with equal respect and dignity.

In conclusion, we hope you will talk with us and each other, ask questions, seek answers and find solutions that will, in the end, provide justice for the sex abuse victims of Malia.

Anything less diminishes us all.

Sincerely,
Paul T. Kendrick
Cheverus '68
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leaflet - Page 2

V. COMMITTED TO DOING JUSTICE

Part V of a summary of what the ideal graduate of Cheverus High School should look like the year of graduation.

Reprinted from Cheverus Handbook.

1. Is more aware of selfish attitudes and tendencies which lead one to treat others unjustly and she/he consciously seeks to be more understanding, accepting and generous with others.

2. Is beginning to see that Christian faith implies a commitment to a just society.

3. Is growing in awareness of the global nature of many current social problems (human rights, energy, ecology, food, population, terrorism, arms limitations, etc.) and their impact on various human communities.

4. Is beginning to understand the structural roots of injustice in social institutions, attitudes and customs.

5. Recognizes the needs of some disadvantaged segments of the community through working with them in community service programs and has gained some empathetic understanding for their conditions in living.

6. Is developing both a sense of compassion for the victims of injustice and a concern for those social changes which will assist them in gaining their rights and increased human dignity.

7. Through reflection and study, is becoming aware of alternatives to public policy which govern the services provided for various segments of the community.

8. Has begun to reflect on public service aspects of future careers.

9. Is beginning to understand one’s obligations as a Christian to participate in the building of a humane, civic and ecclesial community in a way that respects the pluralism of that community.

10. Is beginning to see the imp ortance of public opinion and voter influence on public policy in local, regional, national and international arenas.

11. Is just beginning to understand the complexity of many social issues and the need for critical reading of diverse sources of information about them.

12. Is beginning to confront some of the moral ambiguities imbedded in values promoted by Western culture.

13. Is just beginning to realize that the values of a consumer society are sometimes in conflict with the demands of a just society and indeed with the Gospel.

Bishop Malone agrees to meet with Marie Tupper

2009-09-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

ARCHIVE

Portland Press Herald

Bishop agrees to meet Tupper

He plans to apologize to the Boothbay Harbor mother, but she's seeking initiatives aimed at other victims.

By EDWARD D. MURPHY, Staff Writer

January 31, 2009

Bishop Richard Malone has agreed to meet with a woman who said her son was sexually abused by a priest, but the two have widely differing opinions of what the meeting's goal might be.

Malone, head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, said he envisions a "pastoral meeting" in which he would offer an apology and "spiritual benefit" to Marie Tupper of Boothbay Harbor, who has repeatedly asked to meet with the bishop.

Tupper, on the other hand, said she wants to talk to Malone about ways to "formulate initiatives that reach out to those who were already abused."

"I do not need or want the bishop's sympathy, mercy or 'pastoral care,' " Tupper said in a statement Friday evening after Malone's office announced that he would meet with her, although no date has been set.

Tupper declined to comment beyond the statement, in which she said Malone's decision to agree to a meeting "caught me by surprise because for the past two months, the bishop has publicly humiliated my family and me by his refusal to meet with me."

Tupper says her son was abused by the Rev. Thomas Lee while Lee was the parish priest in Boothbay Harbor from 1971 to 1985. The Roman Catholic Diocese said earlier this month that nine people told church officials that Lee had touched them inappropriately or violated their privacy, and church investigators said they have secondhand reports of five other alleged victims.

Lee, now 81, was a priest in Lyman from 1985 until 2003, when he was removed because of the allegations of misconduct. He was brought before a church tribunal in 2007, but that panel decided last year that the claims had not been proven. The tribunal said Lee's actions in the 1980s were "imprudent."

Malone said he was "stunned and disappointed" by the verdict and has appealed the ruling to the Vatican, which has not said whether it will hear the appeal.

Malone initially declined to meet with Tupper, saying that she had met with his predecessor, Bishop Joseph Gerry. In December, Malone said Tupper could meet with the Rev. Andrew Dubois, vicar general and a Diocesan Review Board member, but Tupper declined and asked again to meet with Malone.

Pressure on Malone to meet with Tupper has been building since then. Malone said in a statement Friday that he would meet with Tupper "after hearing from trusted supporters and the lay faithful, prayerful consideration regarding maintaining unity in the Church, and with hope that additional outreach to Mrs. Tupper will lead to healing."

Malone's statement went on to say that in pastoral meetings, survivors of abuse and family members could tell what happened to them, relate the pain they suffered and "realize that they are heard." He said victims deserve an apology, and added that he hopes "this meeting will offer a measure of relief and peace to Mrs. Tupper."

Paul Kendrick, an advocate for victims of sexual abuse by priests, talked with Tupper after Malone's announcement. Kendrick said that falls far short of what they want from the meeting.
Kendrick said Malone's decision to meet with Tupper is simply a reaction to public pressure.
"He has, in effect, publicly humiliated not only Marie, but her son, and her mother – her son's grandmother – by his refusal to sit down and meet with the mother whose son was sexually abused by their parish priest," Kendrick said. "It's kind of typical of abusive behavior, where the abuser kind of kicks and beats up on the abused, and then five days later shows up with a bouquet of flowers."

Kendrick said Tupper wants Malone to identify priests who have been accused of sexual abuse and say where they are. She also wants Malone to go to Boothbay Harbor and relate details of the alleged abuse, such as where it was said to have taken place, in the hope of encouraging others who might have been victimized to come forward.

"People are sick and tired of meaningless discussions that are good for their (the church's) own public relations," Kendrick said.

Sue Bernard, a spokeswoman for the diocese, said the bishop has already responded to some of the concerns that Tupper has raised.

A release detailing the number of reports of abuse alleged against Lee was provided in December, according to Bernard. She said at the time that the alleged abuse involved inappropriate touching or violating privacy, such as going into an area where someone might expect another person to be undressed.

The diocese said at the time that the details were provided to counter a sense in the Boothbay Harbor parish that Tupper was the primary source of the allegations against Lee.

Bernard said she expects that Malone will try to meet with Tupper "sooner, rather than later," and said a pastoral meeting generally lasts 30 minutes to an hour. She said she doesn't know whether Malone and Tupper will be meeting one on one or whether others will be present.

Bernard said Malone is open to meeting with other victims or their families and said U.S. bishops have agreed to a charter that includes offering pastoral assistance as one aspect of the church's responsibilities to victims of sexual abuse by priests.

Staff Writer Edward D. Murphy can be contacted at 791-6465 or at:
emurphy@pressherald.com

Carolyn Bloom, LCSW

2009-09-05T06:44:00.000-07:00

ARCHIVE

September 7, 2006

Carolyn Bloom, LCSW
Independent Clinician
Office of Support and Assistance Ministry
Diocese of Portland
Portland, Maine 04101
866-829-4437

Private Practice:
384 Court Street
Auburn ME 04210-4604
207-782-1051

Dear Ms. Bloom,

By now, you have read enough of our group's letters and messages to know of our concerns regarding Bishop Richard Malone's failure to identify all priests, religious and church workers who have sexually abused children.

We are bewildered by your lack of action. You know that Bishop Malone is allowing children to be exposed to unidentified child molesters, yet you say and do nothing. We have never heard one word from you. Are you aware that our group's membership includes victims of clergy sexual abuse?

Please help us understand how a social worker such as yourself can have actual knowledge that child abusers are living anonymously in neighborhoods, that kids are at risk of being sexually abused, but take no action to help prevent these kids from being raped.

Sadly, we must conclude that if a child is sexually abused by any one of the child molesters that Bishop Malone is protecting, you will be complicit in the abuse by your silence.

I am sure you've asked yourself, "What can I do?" After all, you are not an employee of the diocese, rather, you are employed on a contract basis as an Independent Clinician for the Diocese of Portland Office of Support and Assistance Ministry.

You may say, "I have expressed my concerns about these issues to the bishop privately." In doing so, you're playing right into his hands. Of course, the bishop is pleased that you and others speak to him in hushed tones behind closed doors and say nothing to the public about your concerns. More secrecy. More abusers go unnoticed in neighborhoods.

According to the Diocese web site, your responsibilities are defined as follows:

"Providing support to victims/survivors of sexual abuse by clergy or other church representatives, creating support groups for those survivors who want something of that nature, arranging meetings for individual victims or groups of victims with the bishop as they request, and receiving first reports of allegations of abuse."

We are dismayed that there is nothing in your job description about "helping to prevent kids from being sexually abused." That task, it seems, is left to Bishop Malone and certain members of his executive staff.

We've told you over and over again that Bishop Malone is still protecting child molesters, that 1) he refuses to identify twenty or more priests who have been credibly accused of child abuse and 2) he refuses to tell us the whereabouts of another twenty priests, religious and church workers who have been removed from public ministry because of credible allegations. Where are they now? Do neighbors know of their history of abusing kids?

We must conclude then, Ms. Bloom, that the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Professional Code of Ethics provides you with enough latitude to be employed by (albeit on a contract basis) and accept money from an employer who is covering up for child molesters and endangering children.

What can you do?

-- You can resign from your position immediately.

-- You can schedule a press conference with victims of clergy sexual abuse and members of child protection agencies to announce that you refuse to work for an employer whose willful negligence is placing children at risk of sex abuse.

-- You can become a public voice and advocate for the release of the names of clergy child molesters here in Maine and nationwide.

I hope you will contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick
Ignatius Group
207 838 1319

Advocates for abuse victims threatened with lawsuit by owners of Foreside Estates

2009-09-05T06:27:00.000-07:00

Ignatius Group_____

For immediate release:
Monday, July 20, 2009

On Saturday, a Cumberland County Deputy Sheriff served a cease and desist letter to Paul Kendrick at his Freeport home.

The owners of Foresides Estates in Falmouth, Maine want Kendrick, Michael Sweatt and other advocates to stop warning residents that, Father John Audibert, an admitted priest child abuser is living in Foreside Estates.

According to the attorney's letter, advocates will be sued for the cost of apartment rentals should residents move away because of Kendrick's and Sweatt's actions.

"Please be advised that to the extent Foreside Estates or any other property managed by Princeton suffers any business loss as a result of your past or future conduct regarding this matter that it is our intent to pursue you individually and anyone else associated with this unreasonable conduct to the fullest extent allowable under the law.

"Your irresponsible conduct threatens our business operations and will not be tolerated and we will be undeterred in undertaking all legal actions necessary to make ourselves whole."

July 17, 2009, Jeffrey M. Brown, Corporate Counsel, Princeton Properties

Catholic Parish publishes children's names on web site

2009-09-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

June 28, 2009

Meredith Charest
Altar Server Coordinator
Holy Martyrs Church
Falmouth, Maine

Dear Ms. Charest,

As long time advocates for those who have been abused by Catholic priests and other church employees, we know one thing for certain: child molesters (including priest child molesters) are cunning and manipulative.

In our efforts to help protect children, we are writing to express our concern about your decision to publish the names of minor children (altar servers) on the Holy Martyrs web site.

The altar servers' list provides child sex offenders with the first and last names of minor children, as well as where the children will be on certain dates and at certain times.

Although, there is no perfect solution for protecting children from child abuse, we must use every opportunity to erect safeguards.

You should know that we have made several pleas about this issue to diocese officials and your pastor, Msgr. Joseph Ford.

No one has responded.

Situations like this continue to point out that Bishop Richard Malone is not doing all that he can to protect children (as he so often articulates). We fear that Catholics like you are being lulled into complacency by the bishop's words regarding church policies and procedures intended to protect children. It is unfortunate that the bishop has placed you in this uncomfortable position.

We urge you to immediately remove the names of minor children from your parish web site.

Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick 838 1319
Michael Sweatt 831 3791

cc: Bishop Richard Malone
Msgr. Joseph Ford, Pastor, Holy Martyrs Parish
Thomas Meschinelli, Director, Protecting God's Children Program
Deacon John Brennan, Office of Professional Responsibility
Sue Bernard, Diocese Public Relations Director
Rev. Andrew Dubois, Vicar General, Moderator of the Curia
Thomas Deignan, former Director, Protecting God's Children Program
Deacon Dennis Popadak, Holy Martyrs Parish
Debra Coppinger, Office Manager, Holy Martyrs Parish
Press and Media, forwarded

A Priest Child Abuser Lives in Falmouth

2009-09-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

June 24, 2009

Msgr. Joseph Ford
Pastor
Holy Martyrs Church
266 Foreside Road
Falmouth, Maine 04105

Dear Msgr. Ford,

During the past few days, we have notified both the Falmouth Chief of Police and the Falmouth Superintendent of Schools that Father John Audibert, an admitted Catholic priest child abuser, is residing somewhere in the 100 Clearwater Drive neighborhood of Falmouth.

Unfortunately, neither you, Bishop Richard Malone, nor any other Maine Catholic Church official has notified police, school, or town officials about Father Audibert's background and presence in Falmouth.

As you know, three years ago Vatican officials assigned Father Audibert to a "life of prayer and penance" for sexually abusing a minor. Bishop Malone has steadfastly refused to release information about other abuse claims that may have been filed against Father Audibert. However, we do know that a local television station received a signed letter from a family member of another alleged sex abuse victim of Father Audibert.

The letter states in part, "Years of abuse (by Audibert) drove my brother to slit his wrist and then hang himself." A copy of this letter was forwarded to Bishop Malone.

Msgr. Ford, we are writing to you with a great deal of skepticism. At the present time, you are a co-defendant in a civil lawsuit in which it is alleged that you and three other current and former high ranking diocese officials covered up child sex abuse allegations against a former Maine priest (Rev. Raymond Melville) who sexually abused children. Further, it is alleged that more children were abused in the ensuing years because of your negligence.

We urgently need your help to protect children and young people by informing the Falmouth community that a priest child abuser is living in their midst. Law enforcement officials agree that the first line of defense in protecting children from sexual predators is “identification and notification;” i.e., who the offender is, and where the offender is living.

Here's what you can do:

-- We want you to publish information about Father Audibert in your weekly parish bulletin, including news articles, a photo and Father Audibert's whereabouts.

-- We want you to post information about Father Audibert on your parish's bulletin board.

-- We want you to send letters to each and every parishioner with information about Father Audibert.

-- We want you to urge Bishop Malone to post information about Father Audibert and all other publicly accused priest sex offenders on the diocese web site.

-- We want you to provide a copy of this letter to members of the Holy Martyrs' parish council and parish staff.

Maine's Catholic parishes are mandated to participate in the diocese's Protecting God’s Children Program. What parent would not want to know that the man living next door has a history of abusing children?

Awareness and vigilance are the best defense.

We are available to assist you in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Paul Kendrick, 838 1319
Michael Sweatt, 831 3791

ABUSE BY RELIGIOUS WOMEN

2009-09-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

ABUSE BY RELIGIOUS WOMEN - OUT OF THE DARKNESS

AND INTO THE LIGHT OF JUSTICE

It is not uncommon for middle-aged Catholics to get together and share war-stories about their experiences in Catholic schools. Many recall the physical punishments meted out by the seemingly always-angry nuns with a mixture of emotions. Some can laugh at it and others remain turned off by what we now realistically label as abuse.

The most sinister and harmful abuse by the nuns has not been bantered about by the alumni of Catholic schools. For the most part it has remained deeply buried beneath a thick cover of shame, fear, disgust and even guilt. The mainstream lay people and society in general remained unaware of this deeper and more disgusting level of abuse until very recently when courageous survivors have broken through the walls of fear and revealed not only sadistic physical abuse that went far beyond the boundaries of discipline, but debilitating sexual abuse.

Although sexual abuse by priests and brothers is accepted as a harsh reality except by the few who remain blinded by denial, exposure of sexual abuse by nuns is another story. Mention of it causes many to recoil in disbelief at something they seem incapable of emotionally and mentally processing. In spite of the denial that may be rooted in unrealistic or romantic stereotypes of "the good sisters," sexual abuse and harsh physical abuse have been a reality. The survivors of abuse by religious women have been struggling for years to be heard and believed. Now, with the publication of the Ryan Report in Ireland, the range of sexual and physical abuse has achieved a significant level of credibility. Survivors in our own country are being listened to more attentively. The pain and anguish is just as acute as that inflicted by perverted priests and uncaring bishops. The spiritual and emotional trauma is not only as severe but made worse by a thicker blanket of denial and a greater tendency to try to exonerate the "good sisters."

It matters not how much good religious women have done in our country or world-wide. That has nothing to do with the reality of abuse that was often systemic and certainly not exceptional in Catholic schools and Catholic orphanages.

My first encounter was in 1994. I was asked to assist an attorney who represented a number of adult survivors of sexual and physical abuse by the Sisters of Providence at St. Joseph's Orphanage in Vermont. An especially brave survivor, Joey Barquin, brought the sordid stories to the light in 1993. Through my experience with that case I was jolted into the harsh reality of the incredible degree of sexual and physical abuse inflicted on those innocent and vulnerable children who were literally imprisoned in the orphanage. Over the years I have met and worked with a number of other men and women whose abusive experiences came at the hands of terribly disturbed religious women. Again, it does not matter if the abuse was an exception or the rule. There is no excuse and there is no justification for ignoring those coming forward today.

My most recent in-depth experience has been with the victims from St. Thomas/St. Vincent Orphanage in Anchorage Kentucky. The tormenters were members of a religious order with the ironic name Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Attorney Bill McMurry of Louisville had the courage to take on the Order and the archdiocese to finally bring some measure of justice to the victims. Read The Unbreakable Child by survivor Kim Michele Richardson. It will fill you with disgust and anger towards the nuns and amazement at the strength and courage of the writer.

We all know how individual bishops and the national Bishops' Conference have treated victims of clergy. It may be stunning to some to learn that the authority figures (I won't call them leaders) among the nuns, especially those in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious - the LCWR - the nuns' equivalent of the Bishops' Conference, have been just as arrogant and insensitive toward the victims who have approached them. They have stone-walled any attempts at seeking justice by victims. They have treated them with disdain and coldness. The sisters in general may garner plenty of praise for work in bringing social justice to the poor, but the "poor" in their own household are surely not the recipients of any such unselfish concern.

The religious women in the U.S. are getting a lot of support and sympathy as a result of the upcoming investigation by the Vatican. The sisters are justifiably complaining that the imperialistic Vatican cabal has acted with arrogance rooted in clericalism, yet they must look at themselves and ask if they have not displayed to the victims of abuse by their own with the same arrogance as the bishops they criticize. The LCWR needs to clean up its own act and acknowledge the disruptive elephant in their own convent parlor before they can justifiably tell others how to act with justice.

The most moving experience I have had in relation to abuse by religious women was a few years ago when I was speaking in Boston. After the talk, which by the way took place in one of the vigil Churches, an elderly lady approached me and took my hands. She looked into my eyes and said in her soft Irish brogue, "I was one of the Magdalenes. All I want Father, is to know what my real name is." I left that encounter in shock and in tears. It is one thing to hear or read about the unconscionable abuses perpetrated by clerics or religious women. It is quite another to meet it face to face.

This gentle victim of the Magdalene nightmare is one of countless people who bear these terrible scars. If we really are a "People of God" we will bury our denial, banish our unrealistic deference to clerics and religious, and join in the quest for true justice and honest compassion.

Thomas Doyle, J.C.D., C.A.D.C.
August 27, 2009

Bishop Richard Malone ignores Vatican directive to eliminate every hint of vanity from his possessions.

2009-09-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Maine's Catholic bishop lives alone in a 7,000 sq. ft., six bedroom, $1.2 million mansion.

Canon 387 of the Code of Canon Law mandates that bishops practice “simplicity of life.”

On a trip to the United States, Pope John Paul II told U.S. bishops they should adopt a lifestyle that “imitates the poverty of Christ” so the Church can better identify with the struggles and suffering of the poor.

The Vatican’s Directory for the Pastoral Ministry of Bishops says each bishop should “be poor and appear to be poor.”

45. Affective and Effective Poverty

In order to bear witness to the Gospel before the world and before the Christian community, the Bishop, in his deeds and his words, should follow the eternal Shepherd, who “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Cor 8:9) (129).

He should be visibly poor, he should be tireless in giving alms and he should lead a modest life which, without detracting from the dignity of his office, nevertheless takes account of the socio-economic conditions of his flock. As the Council says, he should seek to avoid anything that might in any way alienate the poor, and even more than the other disciples of the Lord, he should seek to eliminate from his possessions every hint of vanity.

He should furnish his home in such a way that it never appears unapproachable, so that no one, even the humblest, is ever afraid to visit it (130). Simple in his bearing, he should seek to be affable towards everyone, and should never indulge in favouritism on the basis of wealth or social standing.

He should behave like a father towards everyone, especially towards those of lowly condition: he knows that he was anointed by the Holy Spirit, like Jesus (cf. Lk 4:18), and that he was sent first of all to proclaim the Gospel to the poor. “In this perspective of sharing and of simplicity of life, the Bishop will administer the goods of the Church like the ‘good head of a household’, and be careful to ensure that they are used for the Church’s own specific ends: the worship of God, the support of her ministers, the works of the apostolate and initiatives of charity towards the poor” (131).

Why does Peter Verrill, Chairman of the Diocese of Portland Finance Council, think it's OK for the bishop to live in a $1.2 million mansion?

2009-08-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP_____

COMMENTARY

September 1, 2009

Peter Verrill of Cumberland Foreside is Chairman of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Finance Council.

In a letter published on the diocese web site, Verrill explains that his responsibilities include assisting the bishop "in achieving openness and transparency in diocesan financial reporting."

That said, we want Mr. Verrill to explain why the diocese financial report for the period ending June 30, 2008 was not published on the diocese web site until two weeks ago (and only after intense pressure from a small group of Catholics), even though the report was completed seven months prior, in November 2008.

We want Mr. Verrill to explain why he and Bishop Malone will not publish (on the diocese web site) the names of the other eight laypeople who serve on the Finance Council (Mary Arnold is Chairperson of the Budget/Audit Committee).

We want Mr. Verrill to explain why he said and did nothing when Bishop Malone utilized a legal defense known as the "Charitable Immunity Doctrine" against a victim of clergy sex abuse. Malone attempted to avoid financial reparations for the harms and injuries inflicted upon a 12 year old boy by claiming that the diocese didn't have any money.

Finally, we want Chairman Verrill to explain why he supports Bishop Malone's decision to use Church funds for the purpose of the bishop residing by himself in a $1.2 million, 7,000 sq.ft., 16 room, three story brick mansion that includes six bedrooms, four full baths and a three car garage.

The bishop's $19,620 property tax payment is more than many Mainers make in an entire year.

One can only hope that the homilist at Senator Kennedy's funeral mass listens to his own words.

2009-08-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

COMMENTARY

August 30, 2009

One can only hope that Rev. Mark Hession, the homilist at Senator Kennedy's funeral mass, was able to hear his own words as he spoke about Senator Kennedy's never ending compassion, love and understanding for the least among us.

In 2003, Rev. Hession was asked about the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church. In an interview published in National Catholic Reporter, Hession said, "I can’t wait to get off the sex abuse piece of it.” He added that there are many other issues that need attention. “And when we put all the numbers together in this particular crisis, it’s almost indecent, frankly, that we are still tearing at it ourselves.”

In September 2007, Rev. Hession refused to meet with and speak to a small group of victims of clergy sex abuse and supporters who held a morning vigil outside Rev. Hession's parish in Cape Cod. The advocates were calling for Rev. Paul E. Miceli, a former high ranking archdiocese official and part-time pastor at Hession's parish, to apologize for his role in reassigning accused abuser priests to parishes and schools.

By his words and actions, Rev. Hession has inflicted additional insult, hurt and injury upon those who were abused and their families.

Paul Kendrick
Freeport, Maine

Houses of worship close as house of bishop eats up cash

2009-08-29T14:09:00.000-07:00

Portland Press Herald

BILL NEMITZ

August 28, 2009

The more the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland shutters its churches and puts them on the real estate market, the larger the question looms: Should Maine's bishop still be living in a million-dollar mansion?

It's on Portland's tony Western Promenade. According to city tax records, the 6,970-square-foot, three-story "mansion" has six bedrooms, 4 baths, an 840-square-foot garage and an assessed value of $1,126,000.

In short, pretty nice digs by anyone's standards. Too nice, according to at least one perennial thorn in the side of Bishop Richard Malone.

"It's not about Richard Malone," said Paul Kendrick, a Roman Catholic who for years has publicly decried the church's handling of the sexual abuse of children by priests. "It's about 'What kind of church is this?'"

Kendrick fired off a mass-distribution e-mail this week after hearing that five churches – Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Saco, St. Mary of the Assumption and St. Andre churches in Biddeford, and St. Joseph and St. Patrick churches in Lewiston – will close this year and next because of shrinking congregations, growing costs to maintain the buildings and the need to protect religious programs and services from ever-increasing parish deficits.

"Bishop Malone wants Maine's Catholics to cut costs, spend less and do without," observed Kendrick. "Everyone, that is, but him."

Tough words, to be sure, from a man who last year was threatened with official church sanctions (not to mention police arrest) if he didn't steer clear of Malone.

Still, it's not the first time in recent years that the opulence of a bishop's residence has raised eyebrows – and in a few cases, led to "For Sale" signs.

Six years ago, as the Archdiocese of Boston struggled to pay for legal claims by those sexually abused by priests, Cardinal Sean O'Malley sold the palatial cardinal's residence in Brighton, Mass., and moved into the rectory of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston's South End. The move, which caught many by surprise, won O'Malley widespread praise, even from the archdiocese's harshest critics.

Last fall, Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh put his residence up for sale and moved into a seminary to be closer to those studying to be priests. The Rev. Ronald Lengwin, spokesman for the diocese, said this week that the property, valued last fall at $1.5 million, is now under contract and will likely be sold within the next few weeks.

Zubik told the media last fall that his decision reflects "more pressing concerns" facing the diocese as it struggles to make ends meet and at the same time fulfill its basic missions, including "reaching out to the poor."

"People think it's good that he is moving in with the seminarians," said Lengwin. "And that it's good for the church."

Then there's the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, where Bishop George Murry put his suburban residence on the market for $339,000 three months ago and moved into a smaller home in the city. Murry also announced that many furnishings from the stately five-bedroom home would be donated to Catholic Charities.

Diocese of Youngstown Chancellor Nancy Yuhasz said Thursday that although the property has not yet been sold, Murry's decision has been "received very well by the parishioners and the clergy." The old residence "is so large and such an expense," Yuhasz said. "It shows we're trying to be good stewards of our resources."

Back here in Portland, diocesan spokeswoman Sue Bernard said it would be a mistake to assume a connection between what it costs to run the diocese – including, for example, the $19,620 annual property-tax bill for the bishop's residence – and the ongoing efforts to bring various parishes' property more in line with their current needs.

(The diocese's operations are funded from a variety of sources, Bernard said, including a 12 percent levy on each parish's total revenue and a bishop's fundraising appeal made directly each year to Maine's estimated 200,000 Roman Catholics.)

Malone's charge to the parishes, Bernard noted, has been to determine "What do you need? Take a look at what you need and see if there's an excess there."

But might the same challenge be put to the bishop? Considering that he lives alone, does he truly need six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a three-car garage?

Bernard noted that the mansion, which has served as the bishop's residence since Bishop Joseph McCarthy purchased it for the diocese back in 1939, is used to entertain visitors to the diocese and for other social functions.

"He lives there by himself," she said, "but he isn't the only one who uses it."

What's more, Bernard said, while it's in a "lovely neighborhood," the interior could use some work. "There's wallpaper coming off in some places, peeling paint."

So why not sell it and move into the rectory at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where Maine's bishops lived before 1939?

In addition to generating, say, a million dollars from a sale and saving another $25,000 or so in annual operating expenses, might not such a downsizing send a powerful message to Maine's Roman Catholics about living within one's needs in these austere times?

"I'm sure there are people who would agree," Bernard conceded.

Starting, of course, with Kendrick, who titled his latest missive "Do Catholics in Biddeford, Saco and Lewiston know about this?"

"We're talking about the parishioners' money," Kendrick said, "and there's too much else to do with it."

Columnist Bill Nemitz can be contacted at 791-6323 or at:
bnemitz@pressherald.com

Bishop Malone's decision to live by himself in a million dollar mansion is a symptom of a much larger problem in the Church

2009-08-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

We know of a Sudan family with six children who immigrated to Portland with the assistance of Catholic Charities' Refugee Services. The family has little money and live in subsidized housing. Every Sunday, the entire family attends Mass at the Cathedral. The kids are all dressed up. When the collection plate is passed, Mom and Dad reach deep into their pockets to help their church. Little do they know that their donation is helping to pay for the mansion's upkeep or to fill the bishop's oil tank.

_____________________________________________________

We want Bishop Malone to answer two questions:

"What does Jesus (really) expect of us?"
"How does every decision you make affect, enable or involve the poor?"

We want Bishop Malone to post a large sign on the front lawn of the Roman Catholic Chancery that includes these words:

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And he will say to them in reply,
Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

"DISHONORING MY REGIMENT"

2009-08-25T19:52:00.000-07:00

A Response and Reflection by Thomas Doyle

August 16, 2008

I became part of the “regiment” as a Dominican priest in May, 1970. I first became aware of the reality of sexual abuse of minors by priests before I was ordained through rumors and stories about certain priests in the Order who “liked altar boys.” I never knew that “liking altar boys ” went far beyond touching until after I was ordained. I learned the disgusting extent of “liking altar boys” in 1984 when I was working at the Vatican embassy and first became involved with the whole issue of clergy sex abuse. That was when I was asked to manage the file of Gilbert Gauthe, the notorious priest from Lafayette LA. My direct involvement increased with each month and each year and continues today.

Let me start out by offering my conclusion. The “regiment” truly is dishonored. It is dishonored in part by the thousands of priests who have raped and abused innocent boys, girls, men and women…..and in doing so have ravaged their souls and the souls of those who loved them. But the regiment is dishonored even more by the bishops, archbishops, cardinals and popes, who have enabled, covered up, lied, manipulated, ignored and responded in anything but a Christian manner. They have really dishonored the regiment because they have knowingly turned their backs on that which the regiment is really all about, namely following the example of Christ. They can’t fall back on the excuse that they suffer from a sexual disorder or are impaired by substance abuse. Their impairment is a moral impairment and there is no excuse for that. Two recent examples: the first I will cite is the total lack of hierarchical integrity in Chicago! Cardinal George is a criminal and a traitor to the regiment……but will the members of the regiment who are so concerned about its honor step up and call him on it? No! Why not? Fear, timidity, irrelevant respect for the office? Pick one. They are all irrelevant to the facts. The second example is the famed Msgr. Wally Harris is New York. The hero of Harlem was interviewed by the John Jay Study people and complained about the number of false accusations…..all the while knowing he was guilty himself.

The regiment has also been dishonored by the thousands of priests who knew that others were abusing children and did nothing. It is dishonored by the thousands who looked the other way and failed to speak out in support of the victims. It is dishonored by the many priests who stood by in silence while their bishops ran roughshod over victims, lying to them, lying to the public and lying to the clergy because of their obsession with their image and their power.

The regiment is dishonored by those priests who have spoken out but only to voice their self-centered concern about priests’ rights and the tarnished image of the priesthood brought on by “a few.” It is dishonored by those who have complained about the bishops’ lack of concern for priests, manifested in the provisions of the Dallas Charter and their on-going lopsided response but who have never complained about the bishops’ dishonest, unchristian and criminal response to reports of the denial of the victims’ rights. The regiment is dishonored by the priests who whine and complain about the shame brought on them by the minority of abusers. The shame is not only from them but from the silence and complacency of the majority.

The regiment is dishonored by those priests and bishops who keep trying to shift the blame to anyone but themselves with idiotic claims such as that of Madison’s Bishop Morlino who recently announced that the whole problem was caused because people didn’t obey the 1968 anti-birth control encyclical Humanae Vitae.

I’d like to share some of my own experiences which have led to these conclusions. When I first became involved in this issue in 1984 I was shocked to learn that former priest Gil Gauthe had raped dozens of children but I was even more shocked, scandalized and confused as I quickly learned that the US Catholic Conference and the bishops who knew about the abuse were only concerned about covering it up. When cover up was impossible due to the lawsuit filed and the criminal charges against Gauthe that came as a consequence, the response from the leadership of the Bishops’ Conference was as if this was a nuisance that would go away much more quickly if I stopped pushing it. A couple priests on the embassy staff told me that it would be best if I back off because “we don’t air our dirty laundry in public.”

The Gauthe case and the others that came to light back then did not go away. I don’t remember anyone at the time showing any concern for the victims with the exception of Fr. Mike Peterson. No one from the Bishops’ Conference or from the embassy staff ever mentioned the victims. All they worried about was containing the problem and managing the negative publicity.

After I left the embassy I was approached by the media several times. I spoke honestly and shared as much as I knew. I was criticized by priests because I opened up the brotherhood to dishonor as one put it. I still recall being at a Canon Law convention in Florida in the late eighties. Just prior to it I had given an interview that was widely quoted. At the convention I was attacked by several priests and was accused of betraying the brotherhood. Not one priest asked about the truth of the matter and no one was concerned about the problem itself or about the victims……they were only concerned about the bad publicity for the “regiment.”

In spring of 1986 I had organized an all day seminar in the Chicago area. Presenters included psychologists and attorneys who would provide information on responding to the problem and to the victims. We invited bishops and chancery officials from around the U.S. Not long before the event Cardinal Bernardin called me and urged me to cancel the event because he felt it would draw undue attention to the problem and would “sensationalize” it, to use his words. I refused. We held the seminar to a full house but not one priest from Chicago attended. Why? Because the Cardinal had let the word out that it was to be boycotted. Best to let the problem get worse rather than dishonor the Chicago branch of the regiment.

In 1992 I attended the first major gathering of victims in Chicago, the Vocal (later LinkUp) conference. I met three priests who were there because they had been ministering to victims. All three had spoken about the evil of clergy sex abuse from their pulpits and all three had been silenced and disciplined by their bishops for drawing undue attention to what one bishop referred to as a “minor problem.” I might add that since then there have been annual gatherings of victims sponsored by the two main support groups, LinkUp and SNAP. The clergy have never flocked to these gatherings to show their concern or support for victims. True, a few brave men always show up, but never more than a few. Only one bishop has ever attended and stood in solidarity and support of the victims, Bishop Tom Gumbleton. Where were the others?

In 1988 Bishop A.J. Quinn of Cleveland wrote to my former boss, the Vatican ambassador or nuncio as he is called, and complained about me. He was upset that I was magnifying the problem by speaking to the media. He told the nuncio in his letter that the “pedophile nuisance” would soon go away. To his credit the Vatican ambassador, Cardinal Laghi, sent me a copy of the letter and told me that he did not agree with Quinn’s statements.

Between 1984 and 2002 I do not recall a single instance where a priest or a group of priests spoke out publicly in support of victims other than the outstanding speech Andy Greeley gave at the 1992 conference mentioned above. I do not know of any who have publicly criticized the way bishops were responding. I don’t know of any priests’ senate ever saying anything publicly. The Canon Law Society of America had a couple seminars about the issue but has never done anything worthwhile other than express concern over priests’ rights. Nothing about victims or victims’ rights!

I recall when I was on active duty with the Air Force being called by a priest who worked at the Archdiocese for the Military Services. He advised me to stop speaking to the press and also told me that the archbishop was considering issuing me an order to stop testifying on behalf of victims. He assured me that they were concerned about the problem but that there was a better way to handle it. My response…….doesn’t waste your time and effort because I am not going to stop.

Many priests have told me over the years that if the church had only followed Canon Law we would not be in this mess. Nonsense! Canon Law is what the bishops want it to be. It has never been effective in protecting the rights of lay people. It has been totally useless in bringing justice to victims. It’s not that the canon law system lacks the provisions for action. But law has to be applied to mean anything and the people in charge of making Canon La w work are the bishops. Need more be said?

After 2002 things changed and people were speaking out all over. For the first time the National Federation of Priests’ Councils, an independent group, started making noises. They were concerned about priests’ rights in light of the Dallas Charter and the zero tolerance policy of the bishops. They had never said anything before this and expressed concern only about themselves and not about victims. They still have done nothing to help the victims.

Since 1988 I have reviewed several hundred priest-personnel files. In my work as a consultant and expert witness in civil cases and grand jury investigations I have also reviewed several hundred depositions taken from cardinals, bishops and priests. Many of these are available for all to see on several websites. In most of these depositions when asked about their knowledge of sexual abuse by accused clerics, the deponents either could not remember or they simply denied the abuse. While there were certainly cases when these clerics did not in fact have any direct or indirect knowledge, in most it was known from other sources that they did know about the abuse in question. How can one explain the denials and the memory lapses? My conclusion was that these clerical deponents either suffered from some form of cognitive disorder, or brain damage in plain English, or they were lying. Either way, these clerical deponents could have assisted in the search for the truth and supported the victims. They did not. They covered for the abusers even under oath. They chose to bring dishonor to the regiment.

The Knights of Columbus take great pride in their loyalty to the Church and to the bishops. They regularly show their support for priests and announce their love for the Church. They shell out barrels of money to the Vatican, to bishops, to seminaries and to other causes in support of priests. The Knights of Columbus h ave totally missed the boat. They have supported priests and bishops in their moral bankruptcy and in their destruction of the bodies and souls of the victims of abuse. They have said and done nothing to support the victims. Remember the words of Jesus: “If you do this to the least of my brothers you do it to me.” It looks as if the Knights and the bishops they protect have somehow missed that verse.

In the early days Andy Greeley spoke out publicly in support of victims. Over the years several priests have reached out to victims and survivors and some have even stuck their necks out, going public with their criticism. They were punished by their bishops and usually hammered or isolated by their “brother” priests. Since 2002 I have become aware of a small number of heroic priests who have placed their Christian commitment before the “brotherhood” or the image of the regiment and in so doing this small band of brothers has brought honor to the regiment. I’d like to name a few because these are the men who really live what Christian pastorship is all about: Ken Lasch, Bob Hoatson, Bruce Teague, Dave Hitch, John Bambrick, Gary Hayes, Jim Scahill, Tom Gumbleton, Geoff Robinson, Pat Powers, Pat Collins, Ron Coyne, Don Cozzens, Walter Cuenin, Bob Bowers……to name some but not all. Some quietly support and others provide direct pastoral care. Ken Lasch and Bob Hoatson, through Road to Recovery, have provided more pastoral care to victims in one day than all the bishops combined in 20 years. There are others whose names I cannot recall right now.

There are also the 58 priests from Boston who signed the letter asking Bernard Law to step down. In the clerical world, where priests are often treated like indentured servants, that was an incredibly brave act.

There are priests who complain about the many false accusations and the lack of legal representation and due process for accused priests. In the first place there are very few false accusations….10 that I know of out of thousands of cases. Those who make this charge have produced no credible evidence beyond rumor and hearsay. There is however truth to the complaint that there is little effective canonical-legal representation for accused priests….just like there has NEVER been any canonical-legal representation or due process for the victims of clergy abuse. Why is this so? Because the bishops do not believe in objective due process for anyone but themselves.

Perhaps the most sickening charges use the words “Catholic-bashing, priest-bashing or anticlericalism.” If there is shame attached to being a priest today it’s because the priests and bishops have brought it on themselves. If any group is responsible for anti-Catholic sentiment it’s the bishops. Their self-serving response to the victims of abuse is about as anti-Catholic as one can get. If being a good and orthodox Catholic means essentially being a good and faithful Christian, then the bi shops are the largest single group of dissenters and unorthodox heretics in the Catholic Church. They have sacrificed charity for image and institutional power. They have redefined orthodoxy to mean mindless obedience to their obsession with themselves and their power.

There is nothing magical or mystical about the priesthood that justifies any special treatment in the face of committed crimes. If we look at the gospels we find nothing that even remotely justifies setting priests on a pedestal or granting them “above-the-law” status. On the contrary there is abundant evidence that Jesus showed plenty of anger towards the church men of his time because they had lost their way and abused the people whom they were supposed to serve. There is ample scriptural evidence to justify a priesthood that would devote itself to the care of the marginalized, forgotten, abused and rejected. In our era the marginalized have been made so by the very clergy who have been ordained to protect them. Why then does it seem that the hierarchy and so many of the priests are so adamant in defending a priesthood that looks and acts more like a latter-day aristocracy in an anachronistic monarchy?

Perhaps one reason is that priests are formed from the beginning into a clerical culture that teaches them that God wants a “regiment” that is set apart and special. Perhaps yet another reason is that priests are formed in a culture that rewards docility, unquestioning obedience, intellectual mediocrity and total loyalty to the papacy and hierarchy while it dismisses and even punishes originality, creativity, independence or loyalty to one’s conscience.

I have heard more than one diocesan priest describe his state as “economic servitude” while complaining that the bishop held him in total captivity with the power to suspend his salary, health benefits, retirement, residence and ability to work. It is pathetic but true that fear is major component in convincing many priests to stay loyal to the brotherhood.

In spite of what appears to be a very bleak picture, I believe it is unfair and inaccurate to write off the entire priesthood as uncaring, weak or dishonest. In my travels I have either met or heard about many men whose essential loyalty is to the mission and ministry of Christ and not to the adulation of the papacy or the hierarchy. They serve unselfishly and often among those whom they serve are the victims and survivors of sexual or spiritual abuse inflicted by priests or bishops.

On the other hand it is dishonest and destructive to try to minimize the incredible damage that has been done by dismissing it, saying it is the result of a minuscule number of “bad apples.” The actual numbers are certainly not minuscule. Far more s hameful is that fact that the number of bishops who have lied, covered up and enabled is not a minority but the majority. Priests and bishops have to wake up and face reality. There has been immense dishonor and shame brought to the “regiment” because the “regiment” has been subjected to self-delusion. Its members, at least some of them, have actually believed they were part of some sort of elite fraternity and in so doing have lost sight of the fact that it’s not a “regiment” at all but a group of men whose calling is not to be “special” but to be compassionate reminders of the compassionate Christ.

One final shot and it’s at the nuns who have arrogantly and stupidly tried to frame sexual abuse as a “male” or “clergy” problem. Sex abuse by nuns has been covered more deeply and has been more difficult for the general public to swallow…but it is a major element of the overall nightmare. The dishonor to their regiment and the ruination of countless boys and girls, men and women brought about because of the physical, emotional and sexual abuse by women religious has been just as horrific as that perpetrated by the clerics. The nuns’ major organization, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, has responded to the victims with just as much arrogant and imperious disregard as have the bishops. The nuns have shown themselves to be just as clericalized as their male counterparts. They have brought just as much dishonor to their regiment as the clerics have to theirs.

Together the priests, bishops, nuns and brothers who have sexually abused minors and adults and those from these ranks who have looked the other way, denied, lied, covered up, revictimized and enabled, constitute a disgusting, sorry mess that has brought great dishonor not only to their respective regiments but to the Body of Christ.

Ten Reasons Why Priests Haven't Responded to Sexual Abuse Survivors

2009-08-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

by Pauline Salvucci

1. They're afraid of what their bishop will do to them.

2. They're afraid that parishioners will think them unloyal and disobedient to their bishop.

3. They're afraid that the weekly collection basket will return more empty than full.

4. They're afraid their fellow priests will scoff and reject them.

5. They're afraid to speak out on behalf of survivors because Silence is the number one "Golden Rule" among clergy.

6. They're afraid their families and lay friends will think them "radical dissenters" within the church.

7. They're afraid to support survivors because doing so is a sure ticket to no advancement within the clerical hierarchy.

8. They're afraid to support survivors because they believe that reconciliation and forgiveness of clerical perps takes precedence over compassion and justice for survivors.

9. They're afraid because they believe that revealing additional sexual abuse scandals will destroy the church.

10. They're afraid because they are more concerned about themselves than those they are ordained to serve.

Pauline Salvucci of Maine is a former religious sister who now advocates for church reform and accountability.

__________________________________________________________________________

Jesus as Pastor
by Rev. Thomas Doyle

The Catholic theological tradition has portrayed Jesus Christ as the Eternal High Priest, the epitome and model of the priesthood and the archetype upon which all priests should model their ministry.

Hence we would expect that every priest, when faced with any decision that involved the spiritual welfare of believers, or a dilemma over whether to follow a gospel imperative, would ask the question that has almost become a mantra for some: "What Would Jesus Do?"

Yet it is ironic that in his three years of public life, Jesus did little if anything that a traditional, clerical priest does.

He did not conduct services. He did not chair committees. He was neither a fund raiser nor an administrator. He was not worried about his career progression nor was he concerned about the quality of the robes he wore. He did not have an office and he was hardly worried about whether his style of ministry with the people pleased or displeased the leadership of his church.

Anger, whether expressed by Jesus or directed at him was always from or about a single issue: the abuse of power by the religious leaders of his day and their failure to respect the believers.

Jesus did little that the priest, a clerical "organization man" does.

However, he imprinted on history, by his life and actions, the authentic model of priest as pastor.

He took the incredible risk of looking beyond his own security in order to fulfill his mandate to make real the love of his father for all, especially the disenfranchised, the marginalized and the powerless. He incurred the anger and even rage of the religious leadership of his time because he risked everything to call them to account. He completely confounded and perplexed them because he was in it, not for himself, but totally for others, a concept totally alien to the religious establishment of the time.

Bishop Richard Malone recommends to pastor that he lie to parishioners about the reason for a child abuser priest's sudden departure from the parish.

2009-08-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

You are urged to view the Graham documents in a single file.

Bishop Malone's memo can be found on pages 43-44. The memo is transcribed below:

____________________________________________________________________

Archdiocese of Boston
Office of the Regional Bishop

MEMORANDUM
PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL

TO: Father Higgins

FROM: Bishop Malone (initialed)

DATE: January 26, 2002

SUBJECT: Father Daniel Graham, Father Robert Monagle
___________________________________________________________________

I. Father Daniel Graham

I met this morning with Father Daniel Graham and informed him that, because of the new policy of the Archdiocese with regard to past instances of clergy sexual abuse of minors, Cardinal Law was asking him to resign as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Quincy, effective immediately.

I assured Father Graham that we are very aware that he has been giving excellent service as pastor of St. Joseph Parish and as vicar forane, and that absolutely no one is questioning the integrity of his behavior at this time. I told him that we know he had received very good psychological assessments and that the archdiocesan review board, under the former policy, had in the past agreed that he could appropriately serve in active ministry. I reiterated the recent change in the policy, and reminded him that the Cardinal has been giving the assurance that as far as we know, no priest with a past history of sexual abuse of a minor is currently serving in ministry in the Archdiocese of Boston.

While he was shocked with the suddenness of this decision, he seemed to understand the reason for it. He did not fight it in any way, but accepted it in a very sad but manly fashion.

I told Dan that he was not to appear at any Masses in the parish from this weekend on, despite the fact that it is Father Bob Monagle's good bye weekend.

I offered him the opportunity of being admitted to St. Elizabeth Medical Center this afternoon for a full health and pschological workup. I told him that the Cardinal had arranged for this with Dr. McDonald. Dan declined this option. He would prefer simply to go on health leave and move home with his elderly and ailing father. He did say that one good thing about this miserable situation is that he will now be able to attend better to his own health challenges, and also be able to spend more time with his father, whom he does not expect to live much longer. He expressed the hope that he might be able to celebrate his father's funeral Mass. After consultation with you, Father Higgins, I told him that I did not have an answer to that question at this time.

I also told Dan that it is important that he arrange right away with his own physicians to have a full examination, including the psychological dimensions. He nodded in agreement. He told me that only one priest, a close friend, Father John Malloy, knows of his past abuse allegation. He will be in contact with John about this recent development right away. I also assured him of the Cardinal's and my own care and esteem for him, and that we both find this to be a very painful thing. He appreciated that, and knows that we are willing to help him in any way that we
can.

I told Dan that I would be talking to Fr. Bob Monagle about this situation right away. Dan did not have a problem with that.

This was the most difficult thing I have had to do as a bishop and, perhaps, in 30 years as a priest. But, with God's grace, it is done.

II. Father Robert Monagle

After some difficulty, I was able to contact Father Robert Monagle. Because he was preparing to go to a burial, and I to a parish visitation, we had tom speak on the phone in a confidential manner. I informed him of my meeting ewith Dan Graham, and outlined for him what I had communicated to Dan. Bob had no knowledge whatsover of Dan's past abuse allegations. I explained that he and Dan should talk as soon as Bob returned from the burial, and determine what will be said to the parish during the weekend Masses. I recommended that they announce that because of some health problems, Dan has taken a health leave, effective immediately. That will later turn to retirement, but that should not be mentioned at this time.

Bob said there is no problem covering the weekend Masses, since there are several priests who assist at St. Joseph's. He needs no help at this time.

____________________________________________________________________

Father Michael Doucette is an admitted child abuser. Neighbors must be vigilant. Doucette lives at 177 Carver Street in Waterville, Maine

2009-08-24T18:24:00.000-07:00

Vatican Confirms Disciplinary Actions

The Diocese of Portland has received a decision from the Vatican confirming the disciplinary measures the Diocese imposed on Michael Doucette who has been out of priestly ministry since 2002. When a victim came forward in 1991 with a claim of having been abused in the early 1980’s, Doucette admitted to the abuse, was removed from ministry, and was immediately sent for treatment. He was placed back in ministry in 1992, but was removed again in April of 2002 when another individual complained of improper sexual advances, which took place before Doucette’s treatment in 1991.

The decision from Rome confirms that while Doucette remains a priest, he cannot have any public ministry; cannot present himself as a priest or wear clerical garb. Doucette lives in-state.

Doucette was ordained in 1975 and had the following assignments:

St. Martin of Tours, Millinocket 1975 St. Andre Parish, Biddeford 1976 St. Louis Parish, Fort Kent 1980 Campus Parish, University of Maine at Fort Kent 1981 Sacred Heart Parish, North Caribou and Mission of St. Theresa, Stockholm 1984 Auxiliary Chaplain, Loring Air Force Base 1985 (in addition to Caribou assignment) 1985 St. Thomas Parish, Madawaska 1991 St. Charles Parish, St. Francis and Missions of St. John, St. John and St. Paul, Allagash 2000 St. Agatha Parish, St. Agatha and Mission of St. Joseph, Sinclair; St. Luce, Frenchville 2001.

The Hypocrisy of Bishop Richard J. Malone

2009-08-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

Why are Catholics in Biddeford, Saco and Lewiston so upset?

Bishop Malone says he is closing their parishes because the cost of operating and maintaining the churches has been on the rise.

Wait a minute. What about the rising cost of operating and maintaining Bishop Malone's 7,000 sq. ft., three story brick mansion?

Does everyone know that the bishop lives by himself in a 16 room home that includes 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and a 3 car garage?

The mansion and surrounding property is assessed by the City of Portland at $1 million.

Property taxes alone amount to more than $18,000 per year.

The bishop won't say how much it costs to heat his 7,000 sq. ft. home.

Here's the bottom line. Bishop Malone wants Maine's Catholics to cut costs, spend less and do without.

Everyone that is, but him.
_________________________________________________________________

Diocese Plans to Close Five Churches in Biddeford, Saco and Lewiston

MPBN The Maine Public Broadcasting Network

08/24/2009

The Diocese says the churches are too expensive to operate and maintain in the face of a decline in parishioners.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland says it plans to close five churches in Biddeford, Saco and Lewiston. The Diocese says Notre Dame de Lourdes Church in Saco and St. Mary of the Assumption Church in Biddeford will be closing as of December 31st of this year, and St. Andre Church in Biddeford will close in December of next year.

The Diocese says the Catholic population has declined, and over the past five years, the parish has seen twice as many burials as baptisms. Meanwhile, the cost of maintaining and operating the churches has been on the rise, resulting in a $48,000 deficit for the fiscal year that ended in June, and a projected $170,000 shortfall for next year.

The Diocese says plans are also in the works to close two churches in Lewiston -- St. Joseph and St. Patrick. A task force recommended the closings in March, concluding that the churches were too expensive to maintain and operate in the face of a decline in parishioners. Under the plan, the churches would be closed this fall and put on the market, along with their rectories. The plan requires the approval of Bishop Richard Malone.

If you care about those in need, do not give money to Bishop Richard Malone, instead, give directly to Catholic Charities or a charity of your choice

2009-08-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP____

August 22, 2009

If you care about the poor and needy, do not donate money to Bishop Malone's annual Harvest Ball.

Instead, write a check directly to Catholic Charities of Maine.

Catholics can do more for the poor and needy by writing a check directly to Catholic Charities of Maine and not to Bishop Richard Malone.

During these difficult economic times, Catholic Charities is struggling to provide funding for its programs and services.

Meanwhile, Bishop Richard Malone refuses to move out of his expensive to maintain million dollar, 16 room, 7,000 sq. ft. mansion.

Under Bishop Malone's leadership, the diocese has experienced an almost $40 million surplus during the past five years, yet the bishop has not substantially increased the diocese contribution to Catholic Charities of Maine.

Bishop Malone will use your donation to further provide for his personal comfort.

Catholic Charities will use your donation to lessen the discomfort of those who are hungry, without shelter and in need of medical care.

--------------------------

Harvest Ball

Hosted by Bishop Richard Malone

October 30, 2009

Holiday Inn by the Bay, Portland

A night of dinner, dancing and music to benefit Harvest Magazine

Enjoy a wonderful dinner.

Dance to the music of the Tony Boffa Band.

Share an evening with friends.

Bid on some great Silent Auction items.

The evening's festivities begin with a social hour at 7 p.m. followed by dinner at 8 p.m. with dancing to follow. The ticket price is $60 per person or $100 per couple. Organize a group and reserve a table of eight for $400. The ball is black tie optional.

Menu choices: Bleu Cheese Encrusted Sirloin, Zucchini Parmesan, or Mediterranean Chicken
To purchase tickets or for more information:

Call: 773-6471 or E-mail: harvestball@portlanddiocese.org

Or Send Checks to: Harvest Ball Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland 510 Ocean Avenue Portland, ME 04103

Checks should be payable to: Roman Catholic Bishop of Portland

Please indicate your menu choice for each guest: Blue Cheese Encrusted Sirloin, Zucchini Parmesan, or Mediterranean Chicken

Sign up today and join the fun!

Bishop Richard Malone won't publish his home telephone number, but he allows full names of altar servers to be published on parish web sites.

2009-08-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) Maine
www.snapnetwork.org

For immediate release:
Wednesday, October 25, 2006

CHILD PROTECTION ALERT

At least two of Maine's Catholic parishes continue to publish names and telephone numbers of altar
servers on parish web sites.

Personal information about minor children is available to sex predators

“Over and over again, Bishop Malone tells Catholics that the protection of children is his “first priority.” Yet, earlier this year, the bishop announced that mandatory background checks on hundreds of church workers and volunteers were not been completed in a timely manner. Now it’s discovered that the names and phone numbers of innocent minor children are posted on parish web sites. Bishop Malone won’t allow his own home telephone number to be published anywhere, yet, it’s ok with him that private information about children is posted on a website. With this information, a sexual predator could easily locate the child’s home address.”
Marie Tupper, Maine Coordinator, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

“Two years ago, I alerted officials of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland that names, photos and/or email addresses of Catholic school children were being published on Catholic school web sites. Now, I have discovered that the names and telephone numbers of more children (altar servers) are posted on at least two more parish web sites. When children's names and phone numbers are posted on web sites, the children are exposed to sexual predators, both within and outside the Church. It's ironic, though, that at the same time that Bishop Malone is refusing to allow SNAP to place an ad in the diocesan news magazine, one that is intended to help protect children and reach out to victims of clergy sexual abuse, further evidence arises that the bishop is not paying attention and doing everything he can to protect innocent children from child sex abuse.”
Michael Sweatt, Maine VOTF leader

"This is more proof that the church hierarchy has fixated on damage control, rather than on simple, proven steps to keep kids safe. There's still a long, long way to go before kids are truly protected in the Catholic community. The fault here lies squarely with the bishop, who clearly should be providing effective training for Catholics, instead of providing expensive contracts for defense lawyers and public relations professionals."
David Clohessy, Executive Director, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests

For more information:
David Clohessy of St. Louis, SNAP Executive Director, 314 566 9790
Marie Tupper, Maine SNAP Coordinator, 207 633 4608
Michael Sweatt, VOTF Maine, 207 831 3791

Why won't Bishop Malone meet with us about a priest child abuser?

2009-08-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

October 26, 2006

Sent via electronic mail

Carol Connolly
Administrative Assistant to Bishop Richard Malone
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland Portland, Maine

Dear Ms. Connolly,

We are surprised by all the confusion surrounding our simple request to meet with Bishop Richard Malone. In two previous emails directed through you to Bishop Malone, we clearly stated that we we want Bishop Malone to "look us in the eye and assure us that children are not in danger from a priest sex offender whom we have identified as living anonymously in a Biddeford neighborhood."

We want nothing to do with Co-Chancellor, Sr. Rita-Mae Bissonnette. It is documented that Sr. Bissonnette covered up allegations of sexual abuse against Rev. Raymond Melville and other abuser priests. She placed innocent children in danger. I'm certain you can understand why we don't want her anywhere near us.

The other co-chancellor, Msgr. Marc Caron, has already refused to meet with me about the Biddeford issue. In fact, I waited in the reception area for two hours until I was told the building was closing. When I approached Msgr. Caron in the parking area, he told me he would not speak to me and walked away.

This need not be a complicated issue. The bishop is not being considerate to our concerns. Our request for a meeting is reasonable. These delay tactics are not necessary. Why do I have to keep calling back to get an appointment with the bishop? Now, you want our telephone numbers. What possible reason is there for you to ask us this information? The bishop knows who we are.

We want to meet with Bishop Malone sometime next week. What date and time is available?

Or, should we just show up unannounced at his residence and ring the doorbell?

Sincerely,
Marie Tupper
Harvey Paul

Catholic Charities CEO, John Kerry, Ignored Warnings About Priest Child Abuser

2009-08-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP___

October 16, 2006

John Kerry
CEO
Catholic Charities
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

Dear Mr. Kerry,

The resources of Catholic Charities Maine are needed to help protect children from child sex abuse in a Biddeford neighborhood.

The information I have provided below advises you that a Diocese of Portland priest who has abused children is presently living in a neighborhood full of kids.

You can help protect these kids by speaking publicly about your concerns. Speaking privately to your pastor or the bishop is a waste of time.

If you choose to do nothing, a child may be harmed.

Sincerely,
Paul T. Kendrick
Ignatius Group

Ed. Note: Mr. Kerry did not respond and took no action.

Patricia Berthiaume, St. James School Principal, Ignored Warnings About Child Molester

2009-08-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

October 10, 2006

Patricia Berthiaume
Principal
St. James School
25 Graham Street
Biddeford, Maine 04005

Dear Ms. Berthiaume,

It has been almost a month since I wrote to you and other Biddeford school and church officials regarding our concerns about a Diocese of Portland priest who has been credibly accused of the sexual abuse of 10 and 12 year-old children while serving as pastor of St. Joseph's Church many years ago.

Approximately ten years ago, this priest was removed from active ministry. However, parishioners were not told the reasons for his removal. He now lives anonymously in one of your neighborhoods. Bishop Richard Malone has failed to warn parents and children of the priest's past history of child sex abuse.

Bishop Malone is still covering up for priests who abused children.

Sadly, I have not received a response to my letter from either you or any other Biddeford church leader. Not one of you has asked for more information. Not one of you has asked for the priest's name and address. Not one of you has expressed any concern for the safety of children in your community.

If you are counting on Bishop Malone to fix this problem, you are sadly mistaken.

Therefore, members of the Ignatius Group will begin to stand in vigil on the sidewalk in front of St. James School. Our signs and leaflets will attempt to alert Biddeford parents and children that Bishop Malone's cover up of a child molester's presence in your community is placing your children at risk of sexual abuse.

Our vigil will be peaceful. We hope that you and members of your staff and faculty will join us and speak to us. We need your help. Vulnerable children must be protected.

Sincerely,

Paul Kendrick
Ignatius Group

Twisted, hurtful comments from Vicar General of Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

2009-08-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP____

August 2, 2009

"...But you know, it (the sex abuse scandal) allowed people to see that priests are human beings , and I think that's a good thing..." Msgr. Michael J. Henchal*

Sadly, there is not one Catholic priest in Maine who has become a beacon of hope, understanding, love and compassion for those who were abused.

There is not one Catholic priest in Maine who has stood side by side with abuse victims.

Unlike the ministry of Jesus, it's all about them, and not about the people they are ordained to serve.
_____________________________________________________

Here are Msgr. Henchal's own words (transcript from diocese DVD, Fishers of Men):

Q - With all that has happened in the Church recently, why do you choose to remain a priest?**

A - "Where else would I go? Um, and I don't mean that just in the sense of I'd be so insecure, otherwise, I mean it in the sense of, this is still very important and in some ways I think that the terrible tragedy of the abuse scandal, it's a terrible thing, but you know, it allowed people to see that priests are human beings, and I think that's a good thing, and so, we don't have to pretend to be perfect, we can know that even real sinfulness exists in the church, hopefully less frequently and not more frequently, but that we can be flawed persons. we're not perfect, so we don't have to."

Notes:

*Msgr. Michael J. Henchal is pastor, St. Bartholomew's Church, Cape Elizabeth, Maine and was appointed Vicar General, Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland (Maine) by Bishop Richard Malone.

**Transcript from interview with Msgr. Michael Henchal recorded on Fishers of Men (Diocese of Portland Priests share their vocation stories on 2 DVDs).

Msgr. Marc Caron tells family member of child sex abuse victim, "I will not meet with you today or any other time"

2009-08-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

Ignatius Group_________

For immediate release:
Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Chancellor Marc Caron tells family member of sex abuse victim, "I will not meet with you."

She sat by herself for two hours in the chancery waiting room.

"My request is simple," said Marie Tupper of Boothbay Harbor. "I want Msgr. Caron to look me in the eye and assure me that Father Michael Plourde is not sexually abusing children in Biddeford." .

Portland, ME - Marie Tupper, whose family member was sexually abused by Rev. Thomas Lee, serves as Maine's Regional Coordinator for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

Late Tuesday afternoon, Msgr. Marc Caron, Chancellor of Maine's Roman Catholic Diocese, told Tupper that he "will not meet with her."

On Wednesday of last week, Tupper sent an email message to Msgr. Caron, expressing her concerns and fears regarding the safety of children in a Biddeford, Maine neighborhood. Tupper asked Msgr. Caron for more information regarding Father Michael Plourde, a Maine priest who was removed from public ministry eight years ago due to child sex abuse allegations and is now living anonymously in a residential neighborhood in Biddeford.

Sexual abuse victims have reported to Msgr. Caron and other diocese officials that they were sexually abused by Father Mike when they were ten to twelve years old. Bishop Richard Malone and Msgr. Caron, among others, have refused to warn neighbors about Father Mike's past history of sexually abusing children.

Msgr. Caron did not respond to Tupper's email. On Monday morning of this week, Tupper called Msgr. Caron's office. Msgr. Caron's secretary informed Tupper that Msgr. Caron had no intention of responding to her questions and in Msgr. Caron's own words would "not meet with her today or at any other time."

An hour later, Tupper called back. She told Caron's secretary that "my concern for the safety of children is more important than Msgr. Caron's dismissive attitude towards me. I will come to the Chancery and sit in the waiting room until he is willing to see me."

Tupper arrived at 2:30 p.m. Once again, she was informed that Msgr. Caron would not meet with her. She sat in the waiting room for two hours, until such time that she was informed she would have to leave the building because the Chancery was closing.

Shortly thereafter, Tupper approached Caron in the parking lot as he exited the building. "I am afraid for children who live near "Father Mike," she told him. "Please reassure me that they are not in danger of being sexually abused. I can't bear to think that what happened to my family member will happen to even one more child."

"I am not going to talk to you," Caron responded. He then walked away.

"Msgr. Caron's callous disregard for Marie Tupper's concerns about the safety of children is just one more example of what really happens behind closed doors in Maine's Roman Catholic Diocese," said Paul Kendrick, a founder of the Ignatius Group.

"Bishop Richard Malone and his staff try to appease our concerns about the safety of children by telling us that they are 'following procedure; i.e., Canon Law,' as to which abuser priests will be identifie, " said Kendrick.

"This explanation may sound good to some, but it does nothing to protect Biddeford children from Father Plourde. Canon Law, after all, is nothing more than the Catholic Church's corporate handbook. It contains, among other things, policies and procedures for reprimanding, disciplining and firing employees, just like the company handbook at General Electric or Microsoft," added Kendrick.

"See if this makes sense," said Tupper. "Bishop Malone has established certain categories for priest abusers. Each category defines whether or not Bishop Malone will identify and warn parents about a particular priest who has a history of abusing children."

Here are the categories:

1) If a priest is working in a parish when credible allegations of sexual abuse are brought against him, Bishop Malone will identify the priest and the nature of the allegations.

2) If a priest is not working in a parish when credible allegations of sexual abuse are brought against him, Bishop Malone will not identify the priest and the nature of the allegations.

3) If a priest was previously removed from public ministry (prior to June 2002) due to credible allegations of sexual abuse, Bishop Malone will not identify the priest and the nature of the allegations.

"Father Mike" fits into Category 3.

(When contacted by telephone, Msgr. Rene Mathieu, pastor of Notre Dame de Lourdes in neighboring Saco, Maine and a member of the Diocese of Portland Clergy Review Board (reviews allegations of clergy sexual abuse), hung up on a caller who asked why Msgr. Mathieu isn't warning mothers, fathers and their children in Biddeford about "Father Mike." )

2009-08-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

Ignatius Group_____

February 15, 2007

The Bishop Amadee Proulx Memorial Award is an insult to victims and survivors of abuse.

In 1990, former Auxiliary Bishop Amadee Proulx, former Bishop Joseph Gerry and then chancellor Msgr. Joseph Ford conspired to cover up sexual abuse allegations against Rev. Raymond Melville.

Melville was transferred from parish to parish. More children were sexually abused. Court documents reveal that Bishop Proulx protected Melville and did nothing to protect children.

There's an annual award in honor of Bishop Proulx.

In our opinion, this is a slap in the face to those who have experienced the trauma of child sex abuse.
___________________________________________________________________________

14th Bishop Amedee Proulx Memorial Award

Take the time to nominate that special person you know in your parish who does so much for others! The Bishop Proulx Award was established to give recognition to an individual in Maine whose contributions reflect the mission of Catholic Charities Maine and foster the social teachings of Jesus Christ. Each nominee receives a letter of congratulations. Thewinner has an award ceremony that has proven to be a joyful event honoring his or her work, the social teaching of the Catholic Church, and the memory of Bishop Amedee Proulx. Since the beginning of the award, nominations have been received from over 90parishes throughout Maine. If you need a nomination form, please call CatholicCharities Maine, 781-8550. The deadline is March 23.
__________________________________________________________

Introducing Rev. Paul E. Miceli

2009-08-17T19:37:00.000-07:00

Ignatius Group____

June 7, 2009

PRESS RELEASE

He's Bishop Richard Malone's best friend and he won't say he's sorry to clergy sex abuse victims.

From 1994 to 2001, Rev. Paul E. Miceli worked for Cardinal Bernard Law as Director of Ministerial Personnel for the Archdiocese of Boston. In this capacity, Miceli participated in the cover-up and transfer of priests who abused children and young people.

Miceli and Bishop Richard Malone own a home together on Cape Cod in South Dennis, Massachusetts.

In 2004, abuse victims and their supporters demonstrated outside the Immaculate Conception Church in Weymouth, MA on Sunday mornings. Miceli was the pastor.

The advocates wanted Miceli to tell the truth and be responsible and accountable for his role in the cover up and transfer of criminal priests who abused children.

Weeks later, Miceli suddenly resigned from the parish, leaving word that he was on “sabbatical.”

During the summer of 2005, Miceli was quietly reassigned to the faculty of Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA, where Bishop Malone serves as a trustee (ironically, Bishop Malone is currently a member of the Bishops’ Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People, sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops).

In 2002, it was discovered that Malone (Auxiliary Bishop of Boston's South Region) had three priests working for him in parishes who had previously been accused of molesting children.

Miceli is listed as the National Seminary's Spiritual Director, overseeing the spiritual lives of seminarians, including those from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland.
_______________________________________________________

Here’s one example:

The Rev. John K. Connell, a freshman religion teacher and chaplain, was removed from his job at St. John’s Preparatory School near Boston on April 12, 1995, after accusations he had molested several boys in the 1970s at a vacation home on Cape Cod. The archdiocese found the allegations credible, church records show. But two years later, Murphy was playing a role in the church’s attempts to return the priest to active ministry, records show.

“At my most recent meeting with Bishop Murphy, he expressed a desire that we bring to resolution some kind of job description for Jack Connell and that he receive a letter of appointment to this position from the Cardinal,” said a May 1997 Boston memo from the Rev. Paul Miceli, the archdiocese secretary for ministerial support. “I apprised Bishop Murphy of our conversation with Jack.”

The archdiocese’s reasoning, outlined in several memos, was that Connell could safely remain in the priesthood because, though he likely did sexually molest at least one boy in the 1970s, he did so because he had been an alcoholic. Church officials said Connell had been sober for 12 years.
Connell initially admitted to an investigator that he’d shared a bed with an accuser on Cape Cod , but after hiring a lawyer, he recanted several days later.

The archdiocese at first hoped to return Connell to the all-boy high school, but after it learned in 1997 of further allegations against him, church officials started looking for another job for him.
In June 1998, the archdiocese paid a $45,000 settlement to one of Connell’s alleged victims.

Archdiocese records show Connell had once before been accused of sexual abuse, in 1983. He was removed May 23, 1983, as associate pastor of a Newton , Mass. , parish, and was sent away for treatment. By Oct. 1, 1984, Connell was back working as an active priest, as a chaplain and teacher at St. John Preparatory’s 175-acre campus north of Boston .

Connell remained a priest on active duty, as a consultant to the Priest Recovery Program, until Nov. 30, 2001, when, at 61, he was given retirement status.

_______________________________________________________________________

Deacon John Brennan, former City of Portland Deputy Police Chief, failed to protect children

2009-08-17T19:02:00.000-07:00

Ignatius Group______

Thursday, June 25, 2009

PRESS RELEASE

Deacon John Brennan, a former City of Portland Deputy Chief of Police, did not warn Falmouth police officials that an admitted priest child abuser moved into town.

The safety of children is being ignored.

What will he do now to warn moms and dads?

Deacon John Brennan, former Deputy Chief of Police for the City of Portland, chose not to notify the Falmouth Police Department when an admitted priest child molester moved into town.

Deacon Brennan works for Bishop Richard Malone as the diocese investigator. In this capacity, he is responsible for the investigation of child sex abuse claims brought against a priest or other Church employee.

Deacon Brennan is privy to most of the clergy child sex abuse cases in Maine. It is our understanding, though, that the bishop keeps certain files under lock and key.

By virtue of his ordination, Deacon Brennan takes a vow of obedience to his bishop. Secrecy, though, doesn't protect innocent children from sex offenders.

Deacon Brennan has encountered first hand the pain, suffering and trauma of child sex abuse. He has witnessed the wreckage inflicted upon victims and families. He has met face to face with arrogant, cunning and manipulative priest child abusers.

But, when a law enforcement like Brennan won't tell you that a child molester lives next door, children get hurt.

For more information:
Paul Kendrick, 838 1319
Harvey Paul, 232 9382
Michael Sweatt, 831 3791

"The Experience of the Victim of Sexual Abuse:" A Reflection

2009-08-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS

"The Experience of the Victim of Sexual Abuse:" A Reflection

Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea, Ph.D.

U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
June 14, 2002

Good Morning. I am honored to join the groups of speakers we have heard so far today. It has been a morning filled with great gifts and great grace. My own offering to you today is to contextualize the characteristics of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse; to present the experience of early sexual trauma through the lens of the victim; to make accessible the most common after-effects of childhood sexual abuse; and to suggest a few vital components of the healing process. I do this based on fifteen years of clinical work with men and women who were sexually violated as young people. To succeed, however, I need your help and a brief story best conveys what I mean by that.

Several years ago, my stepson, Daniel Patrick O'Dea, recommended that I read a fantasy trilogy authored by Terry Brooks. In the first book of the series, the young hero sets out on a quest in search of the magIcal Sword of Shannara (Brooks, 1978). A weapon of enormous power, the secret of the sword is that, when lifted by the sword bearer, it reveals to him every aspect of his being. All the good, unpleasant and truly hideous facets of his personality are reflected back to him in the blade of the sword. If the sword carrier can stand what he sees, he then can wield the sworn to do great good and to fend off the worst evil. Most who raise the Sword of Shannara, however, cannot bear to see themselves so fully revealed and are destroyed.

Today, I ask each of you metaphorically lift a Sword of Shannara; to open your hearts and souls to all that the Catholic Church has been, is, and could be under your care. I ask you to stare courageously at the full complement of great good and great harm enacted by you and your, brethren and especially, to reflect on your role in the devastation of childhood and adolescent sexual abuse perpetrated by priests.

Claude Levi-Strauss declared that, "the prohibition of Incest stands at the dawn of culture," and, if fact, represents culture itself. Make no mistake about it. The violation of child or adolescent by a priest IS incest. The sexual and relational transgression perpetrated by the father of the child extended family; a man whom the child is taught from birth to trust above everyone else in his life, to trust second only to God. Priest abuse IS incest.

Despite the cultural universality of the incest taboo, violation of sexual boundaries between adults and children is a universal phenomenon. Data collected over the past two decades inform us that about one third of all females and one fourth of all males are sexually abused in some way prior to the age of 18. These numbers hold up worldwide. From Italy to Ireland to India; from Thailand to Mexico, in Canada and the Middle East, children's physical and psychic boundaries are violated sexually with alarming frequency. Thus, the sexual victimization of minors is not just an American problem nor is it just a priestly problem. Rather, sexual exploitation of the young is a worldwide scandal in which Catholic priest have participated as fully and as secretly as have other men across the globe.

So far in these remarks. I have used the commonly accepted term, "sexual abuse," to describe an adult's sexual traumatization of a child or adolescent. In fact, however, "sexual abuse," is shorthand terminology for what more accurately is named the relational betrayal of a minor by an adult who is in a position of authority with the child and who exploits his own and victim's sexuality to subjective empower himself by utterly dominating the physical, psychological, and spiritual experiences of the victim. No wonder we use shorthand. From the victim's perspective, however, sexually executed relational abuse is the most meaningful way of conceptualizing that which we call sexual abuse.

As we have read in the media and heard today, sexual abuse victims often are young people for whom something or someone is missing. They yearn for an adult who sees them, hears them, understands them, makes time for them, and enjoys their company. Unfortunately, the sexual predator is exquisitely attuned to the emotional and relational needs of the potential victims. Like Fr. Geoghan seeking out fatherless children, sexual abusers ingratiate themselves into the lives of their victims, evoking respect trust and dependency long before the first touch takes place. When the confused child or adolescent is frequently so emotionally entwined with his victimizer so fearful of losing the abuser's affection or simply so terrified that he readily and silently complies with the sexual activities imposed upon him.

There are those who devalue survivors of childhood and, especially adolescent sexual abuse for not disclosing their victimizations when they were occurring. Secrecy, however, is the acknowledged cornerstone of sexual abuse. Some perpetrators overtly extract secrecy by suggesting that the victim will be blamed for the abuse, then taken from her home and placed in an orphanage. They say that telling would destroy and even kill the perpetrator, or they threaten that if the victim discloses, the perpetrator will harm her or members of her family. Sexual abusers may also blame the victim, accusing her of seducing the predator, thus filling the victim with the sham and self-loathing more appropriately experienced by the victimizer. In a more covert covenant of secrecy, the abuser provides the victim with gifts and special privileges that both silence and instill terrible and long lasting guilt.

Sin addition man abused minors maintain silence because they accurately perceive that there is no one in their environment who will help them if they disclose. It is more hopeful for a child to preserve a fantasy that IF he told, someone would protect him than it is to reveal the abuse to another who ignores, blames, or re-abuses him. Finally, children and teenagers do not disclose the sexual abuse secret because they care for the perpetrator. A central cruelty of sexual abuse, in fact, is the perpetrator's trampling of the young person's generously and freely bestowed affection or respect.

It is from this epicenter of betrayed trust that the mind splitting impact of sexual abuse ripples outward. The victim, of early sexual violation simply cannot reconcile the respected figure who may help him with his homework, teach him how to throw a curve ball, or take him to the local hockey game with the sexually overstimulated and overstimulating man presenting an erect penis to suck. It is simply too much and the resulting fracture of the victim's mind and experience often leads to a debilitating post- traumatic stress disorder that affects every domain of the victim's functioning and lasts for years and years after the abuse has stopped.

Let me now guide you on a tour through the corridors of a psyche twisted by sexual transgression. It is a trip through a traumatogenically constructed, psychological House of Horrors in which experiences of self and other are grotesquely distorted and terrifying images unexpectedly pop out from seemingly safe places. The visitor lurches from one emotional shock to another in an interior atmosphere of darkness, one punctuated only by frightening flashing lights and nightmarish unreality. Our first stop is the organization of the victim's images of self and others.

When a young person is being abused, the psychological shock is so great that the normal self cannot absorb or make sense of what is happening to it. In a valiant attempt to cope with the overwhelming overstimulation and sense of betrayal literally embodied in sexual trauma, the self splits using the psychic mechanism of dissociation. The normal operation of dissociation allows, for example, each of us to drive ten miles and then "come to" with no memory of the time just past. For the victim of child or adolescent sexual violation, however, dissociation is an exponentially more dramatic process, one that serves as both a blessing and a curse.

On the one hand, by entering into an entirely different state of consciousness while being abused, the victim preserves a functional and safe self who is removed from the trauma and is therefore able learn, grow, play, and work. Many a patient has reported for instance, that she--the self recognized as "I"--floated above the bed on which that "other kid"--the alienated victim self--was being abused. On the other hand, the curse of dissociation condemns the state of self who experienced the abuse to a trapped existence in the inner world of the survivor, a place dominated by terror, impotent but seething rage, and grief for which there literally are no words. Because trauma impels the brain to process events quickly and in a state of hyperarousal, verbalizing pathways are bypassed. Instead, the sexual violations are encoded by the child and retrieved by the survivor as non-verbal, often highly disorganizing feelings, somatic states, anxieties, recurring nightmares, flashbacks, and sometimes dangerous behaviors.

Often, the adult survivor's life is wracked by unexpected regressions to his victimized self that are triggered by seemingly neutral stimuli. Much as the Vietnam Vet who hits the floor during a thunderstorm is, in a very real way, back in the Mekong Delta seconds before his buddy's sckull is blown off, so too the sexual abuse survivor may be triggered into a regression by something or someone reminiscent of his earlier traumas. No longer firmly located in the present, the survivor thinks, feels, experiences his body, and behaves as the victim he once was, badly confusing himself and those around him. For victims of priest abuse, a Roman collar, the scent of incense, light streaming through stained glass at a certain time of day, organ music, or most certainly, interacting with priests and bishops about their abuse may well evoke the appearance of usually dissociated self states.

Coexisting with the violated, terrorized, grief stricken victim self, the adult survivor of sexual abuse has within her a state of being that is identified with the perpetrator. Through this unconscious ongoing bond to the predator, the survivor preserves an attachment to the abuser by becoming like him in some ways. When threatened by experiences of helplessness, vulnerability or anticipated betrayal, the survivor unconsciously accesses this self-state to gain a sense of empowerment. Subjectively experiencing themselves as righteously indignant, survivors may enact at times breathtaking boundary smashing, cold contempt, and red-hot rage. Not surprisingly, survivors are sickened by the thought that they resemble in any way their perpetrators and therefore avert their gaze from their own Swords of Shannara for long periods of time lest they fragment even further at the sight of their own abusive tendencies. I want to be clear that, here, I do not mean that survivors become sexually abusive. While that can happen, it is exceedingly rare. Rather, they enact some aspect's of there abuser's lack of respect for others. It is important for therapists and, in this case bishops, to recognize that the clay of the survivor's abuser self was molded quite literally by the hands of a master–-their own sexual and relational victimizer. While those in relationship with survivors can model setting limits on what they will tolerate in relationship with another, an empathic understanding of the source of the survivor's sometimes outrageous behavior is essential to hold in mind.

Finally, the sexual abuse survivor sometimes may enact an aspect of self that is greedy, grandiose, and insatiably entitled, an element of self that remains out of awareness for a long time. There comes a day in every survivor's recovery upon which he fully comprehends what was so cruelly taken from him. Further personal growth and healing requires that the survivor then mourn the childhood or adolescence that never was, the defensively idealized caretakers who never existed, and perhaps most poignantly, the self that could have been had trust, hope, and possibility not been so brutally shattered.

I cannot exaggerate nor can I adequately convey the soul searing pain of this phase of recovery. One patient, at this point in treatment, cried, "This is too much. I can't stand it– I won't–-you can't make me. I can deal with the abuse--maybe, perhaps. But the idea that I can't go back, that my childhood is broken forever–-I can't live with that. I won't know that I never was and never will be just a kid."

Quite understandably, the sexual abuse survivor may act to avoid the ultimate mourning necessary to move on from the abuse and all that was stolen from him. Launching a lawsuit against the perpetrator or against those who abetted the abuser may be one strategy employed to deny unrecoverable loss, while instead pursuing an illusion of full restitution of that which, tragically, never can be restored. No matter the amount of the ensuing financial settlement, a residue of emptiness and lost hope persists. At the core of the survivor's being, the worst has happened yet again; he has been paid off to go away while life goes on relatively untouched for the perpetrator and those who shielded him.

Now let me be absolutely clear. Money can be a little better than nothing and is what the Church too often historically offered victims. Many survivors, in fact, resorted to lawsuits only after being stonewalled in their quest for more personal reparative gestures. Legal action, in this situation, represents a last ditch effort by the survivor to become an agent in his own life. Further, a lawsuit, when all else has failed, puts into action an understandable demand that the truth be told one way or another. In addition, many survivors need financial assistance for therapy, substance abuse rehabilitation, and educational or vocational training previously unattainable because of post-traumatic stress symptoms plaguing the victims. But money is not nearly enough, no mater how much it is, and lump sum payments that are not individualized to meet the specific needs of each survivor fail to meet recovery needs. Rather, what serves healing well it much more difficult, much more personal, and much more humbling for clergy.

Real healing for survivors requires that priests, bishops, and cardinals conform to the template upon which rests the Sacrament of Reconciliation, te ritual cleansing of the soul in which Catholic priests profoundly believe. Real healing thus demands that Catholic clergy apologize personally to each and every victim of priest abuse; not through eloquent public letters but in face-to-face encounters. Bless me, my son or daughter, for I have sinned. The Vatican recently cautioned that the administration of group absolution is not an acceptable venue and that confessions should be heard individually and in private. So, too, survivors deserve to meet with those who have harmed them and to hear from clergy genuine confessions of failings and remorse.

Real healing must draw from the Church a deeply meaningful commitment that every priest, bishop, and cardinal will do everything in his power to prevent further priest abuse, and that he will act swiftly, decisively, and above all, publicly to remove abusers from his ranks. Finally, cardinals, bishops and priest must do penance to restore each survivor's trust in humanity as well as in the Church. Retreats and group processing sessions that include survivors, clergy, and professionals are just some possible approaches to restorative penance. Whatever penitential road is chosen, it is essential that the clergy of the Catholic Church put their mouths, souls, and physical beings where heretofore mostly only their money has been. It is right and it is needed for survivors of priest abuse to heal.

Leaving the realm of sexual abuse survivor's organization of self, we enter a related corridor on our tour, one in which we explore typical characteristics of the victim's interpersonal relationships.

A survivor's relationships with other people are hued and shaded by expectations and anxieties forged during their traumatic experiences. Approaching others from within the psychological confines of post-traumatic stress disorder, the trauma survivor exhibits rapidly shifting relational stances, painfully lurching from periods of extremely dependent clinging, to those marked by vicious rage aimed at the same person. Stark terror and tears can switch in an instant to cold aloofness, while warmth and vivacity may turn kaleidoscopically to paranoid suspicion. All this, of course, leads to many chaotically unstable relationships, often alternating with stretches of the loneliest isolation.

Perhaps needless to say, normal sexual functioning is almost impossible for most survivors until well into their recovery. Too often, sex, even with a trusted other, triggers terrifyingly disorganizing flashbacks during which survivors sometimes literally see the face of their abuser superimposed on the visage of their sexual partner and experience dreadful relivings of their sexual traumas. In addition, survivors frequently are disgusted by and ashamed of their own bodies and sexual strivings. Unreasonably blaming the abuse on their own sexuality, they often desperately insist that it never would have happened were it not for their self-perceived horribly seductive bodies and deplorable sexual desires. Heterosexual boys abused by men additionally are tormented, wondering what it was about them that attracted the perpetrator. Sexual abuse survivors of all genders and sexual orientations are deprived of the right to grow gradually into a mature sexuality and, instead, are forced or seduced into premature sexual encounters they are emotionally ill equipped to handle. As adults, therefore, these men and women often spin between periods of promiscuous and self-destructive sexual acting out and times of complete sexual shutdown during which, like burn victims, they experience the gentlest physical contact as excruciatingly painful.

Finally, there is a characteristic relational stance assumed by many sexual abuse survivors that is particularly germane to these proceedings. It involves others who did not abuse them but also did not protect them.

If it takes a community to raise a child, it also takes a community to abuse one so that whenever a minor is sexually violated, someone's eyes are closed. Throughout history and in every segment of society, the most common response to the suspicion or even the disclosure of childhood sexual abuse has been self-defensive denial and dissociation. No one finds it easy to stand in the overwhelming and destabilizing reality of sexual abuse. Thus, blindness, deafness, and elective mutism are responses endemic to many confronted by a victimized child, an adult survivor, or a perpetrating adult. To the extent, however, that the sexual victimization of a minor depends upon the silence of adults who knew, suspected, or should have known about the abuse, the burdens of shame and reparation reach beyond the perpetrator. In the case of the Church, it is not just abusing priests and abetting bishops who must lift a symbolic Sword of Shannara and face what is reflected back to them in its blade. Rather, every rectory housekeeper, every parish maintenance man, every religious woman or lay teacher, every parishioner - any of these individuals who once felt uneasy about a priest's relationship with a young boy or girl and said nothing need ponder their inaction and resolve to behave protectively in the future. Zero tolerance must include the silent as well as the predatory.

What is important to recognize at this conference is that adult survivors of sexual abuse frequently are, at least initially, even angrier with adults who failed to protect them than they are with the perpetrator himself. Because the survivor's internal relationship with his abuser often is organized around competing feelings of attachment and hate, he often feels freer to turn the full blast of his long pent-up rage and bitterness on those who did not protect him and who, in addition, failed to provide for him in ways the perpetrator seemed to, albeit at an unholy cost to the exploited child or adolescent.

How turning down another corridor on our tour of a psyche ravaged by early sexual trauma, we examine the impact of sexual abuse on the cognitive functioning of the victim and survivor. Part of what is overwhelmed during sexual abuse is the young person's ability cognitively to contain, process, and put into words the enormity of the relational betrayal and physical impingement with which he is faced. It is striking and often bewildering to observe in adult survivors completely contradictory thought processes that ebb and flow with little predictability. One moment, you are speaking with an intelligent adult, capable of complex, flexible, abstract, and self decentered thinking. Under sufficient internal or external stress, however, or in situations somehow reminiscent of past abuse, the cognitive integrity of the survivor shatters and becomes locked in rigidly inflexible, self-centered thought patterns, simplistic black and white opinions devoid of nuance and an immutable conviction that the future is destined to be both short and unalterably empty. For example, one survivor patient who worked as an investment banker was so intellectually gifted that she was considered a brilliant whiz kid in the competitive New York world of finance. When beset by psychological or interpersonal stimuli linked to her uncle's sexual abuse, however, she became in her own words, "stupid minded." At those times, she literally could not think at all or could access only immature, disorganizing and panicky ways of thinking.

If a survivor's cognitive functioning is severely ruptured by sexual abuse, his affective life, the next stop on our tour, is even more impaired. When a young person is sexually traumatized, the hyperarousal of the autonomic nervous system and the body's subsequent attempt to restore order disrupt the brain's neurochemical regulation of emotion. In addition, we are now learning that attachment relationships also impact upon the brain's ability to modulate feelings, with traumatic attachment experiences interfering with effective neuropsychological regulation of affect. The brain of the sexually abused minor thus suffers a double assault. Both the sexual traumas themselves and the betrayal of an attachment relationship assail the flow of affect modulating neurochemicals.

As an adult, the survivor shifts--sometimes quite rapidly--between states of chaotically intense hyperarousal and deadened states of psychic numbing. This inability to modulate emotional arousal often leads to interpersonally inappropriate verbal or motoric actions when the survivor is hyperstimulated, and to similarly inappropriate emotional and psychomotor constriction as the individual moves into psychic numbing. Further, autonomic arousal becomes a generalized reaction to stress in the midst of which the sexual abuse survivor is unable to discern realistically the severity of a perceived threat. Instead of reacting at the actual level of psychological danger, the survivor may engage in seemingly irrational behaviors like temper tantrums or terrified withdrawal. These behaviors do no fit the present day situation but are perfectly complimentary to the now affectively revived earlier trauma.

Because of the damage done by sexual abuse to affective brain functioning, adult survivors often need psychotropic medications for periods of time during recovery. For some, their impairments are sufficiently intractable to require lifelong medication. These drugs are expensive and it would be a specific and reparative use of Church funds to provide survivors who are under the care of psychiatric professionals with the medications they need to function more adaptively.

We now are almost finished with our psychological tour and are about to enter what can be the most shocking corridor of all. Also partly due to disrupted brain functioning, sexual abuse survivors often display a truly spectacular array of self-destructive behaviors. They slice their arms, thighs, and genitalia with knives, razors, or shards of broken glass. They burn themselves with cigarettes, pull hair from their heads and pubic areas, walk through
dark parks alone at night, play chicken with trains at railroad crossings, pick up strangers in bars to have unprotected and anonymous sex, drive recklessly at high speeds, gamble compulsively, and/or further destroy their minds and bodies with alcohol and the whole range of street drugs. Both male and female prostitutes tend to have backgrounds of early sexual abuse. Survivors also are two to three times more likely than adults without abuse histories to make at least one suicide attempt in their lives (Briere & Runtz, 1986). Sometimes they die.

Survivor self-abuse performs a myriad of functions too complex to address adequately today. A quick inventory of a survivor's motivations to act self-destructively includes: punishment for the abuse he blames himself for; mastering victimization by taking charge of the timing and execution of harm; self-medication of turbulent affective storms; and unconsciously seeking states of hyperarousal that then trigger the release of brain opiods, providing the survivor with a temporary sense of calm. At an even more deeply unconscious level, frighteningly self-destructive sexual abuse survivors want to turn the table on present day stand-ins for those who violated and neglected them. Unconsciously, they long to see their own terror, helplessness, impotent rage, and shocked recognition of utter betrayal reflected now on the face of someone in their lives. Who can blame them?

As we exit now from our tour of the terrifyingly disorienting psychological House of Horrors, constructed amidst sexual abuse, and maintained by its aftermath, it should be clear that a survivor's recovery is a long, complicated, sometimes treacherous process. There is a cohort in this country of professional men and women who have labored long and hard in the clinical trenches of trauma since the sexual abuse of children was dragged out of society's skeleton closet in the early 1980's. The bishops and priests of the Catholic Church need the expertise of professionals to effect healing both within the Church and in relationship with survivors. Please call on us to help you.

Psychoanalyst Le.onard Shengold entitled his book on the effects of childhood sexual abuse, Soul Murder (Shengold, 1989). I do not think that early sexual trauma necessarily has to result in soul murder but it most surely batters and deadens the soul of the young victim and the adult survivor. That this ravaging of souls has been administered by priests entrusted with a sacred covenant to protect and enliven souls is despicable; it is evil itself.

The Catholic Church and you, its American shepherds, are at a crossroads. Like the recovering victim of sexual abuse, you can choose to defend, deny, retrench, and rigidify. You can refuse the reflection of a Sword of Shannara and turn away from all your decency, all your love and generosity, all your arrogance and indifference. When a survivor takes that familiar and well-worn road, further fragmentation and diminished integrity of mind and soul ensues. But, as is the case for so many sexual abuse survivors, another road can be chosen. Collectively wielding a blade shining with truth and courageous determination, you can decide to lead the American Church on a path of recovery, growth, and restored faith. This conference could become a new epicenter from which ripples the revitalization and restoration of souls. It is a matter of your will which road is taken. May great grace walk with you and guide you in the days to come. It has been a great grace to me to address you today.

Open Letter to Patricia Long, Development Director for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland

2009-08-16T17:55:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP_____

OPEN LETTER

August 8, 2009

Patricia Long
Director of Development
Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland
Portland, Maine

Dear Ms. Long,

Among the many thousands of Catholics that you and Bishop Richard Malone are asking to donate to the bishop's $40 million capital campaign and the $4 million annual appeal are the elderly, most of whom live on limited fixed income budgets.

Past experience tells us that senior citizens are usually the first to offer a donation to their bishop. They will often give more than they can afford. Many will purchase less food or do without much needed medicine so they can be generous.

The elderly are willing to sacrifice their own comfort for the sake of assisting and caring for those in need. They will do so on the sole basis that you, their parish priest and Bishop Malone asked them to do so.

I hope it breaks your heart, as it does mine, and pains you to realize that these wonderful and kind people are, in a real sense, being fleeced by you and Bishop Malone.

"Fleeced" is a strong word, Ms. Long. By definition, it implies "fraud," or "swindle." So, before you and Bishop Malone send the sheriff to my home with yet another "cease and desist" order, please allow me to explain myself.

In my mind, it is deceitful for you (and Bishop Malone) to solicit millions of dollars from Maine's Catholic community while, at the same time, you refuse to provide a detailed prospectus which includes an explanation of how each and every dollar will be spent.

It is also incumbent upon you to publish the annual diocese financial report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008 (it is interesting to note that the diocese had a $20 million surplus of revenue during the prior two fiscal years).

(Ed. One week later, the report was suddenly published on the diocese web site).

Ms. Long, you have to know that there is an abundance of waste in this diocese. A friend once told me that everything she doesn't use in her closet belongs to the poor. So, it should be with our church.

Will you please publish an inventory, including the market value, of all unused or under used property in the diocese?

Will you please publish the annual cost of operating and maintaining the bishop's 7,000 sq.ft. mansion (he lives there by himself)?

Let's pause and reflect for a moment on why Bishop Malone insists on living by himself in a six bedroom, four bath mansion. We know that the mansion's property taxes alone amount to $18,000 per year. We know the City of Portland has assessed the property at $1 million plus (including the bishop's 3 car garage).

Do we dare even think about the heating costs, or about the expense of maintenance and repairs for the mansion? There has always been more than adequate space for the bishop to live in any one of the local rectories at a much reduced annual cost.

We must always ask ourselves "How shall what we are doing...affect or involve the poor?" (see article below).

During the past five years, I have asked many times for an accounting of Bishop Malone's travel expenses. For example, potential donors have every right to know the purpose of each "business" trip the bishop makes and how much the bishop spends on air fare, meals and entertainment, hotel costs, etc. Many of the bishop's out of state meetings have nothing to do with the common good of the people he is ordained to serve in Maine.

Every wasteful dollar we can squeeze from wasteful spending in the diocese is one more dollar available for food, clothing, safe shelter, education and health care for those in need. Think about this. A thousand dollars saved on just one of the bishop's trips could purchase nutritious breakfasts for hungry and undernourished school children.

Before I leave you, Ms. Long, let's not forget about the greed and pomposity of Yarmouth's Rev. Raymond Picard. Pastor Picard has been spending $20,000 of parishioner's money each year so that he can provide for his personal comfort by employing a full time, housekeeper/cook who lives with him in his rectory apartment.

How many sacrifices and financial donations from the elderly does it take to pay for Father Picard's housekeeper?

And how about this heartbreaking news? Members of Father Picard's parish recently informed their sister parish in Haiti that less funds will be forthcoming for the poor due to the bishop's
$40 million Capital Campaign.

The Poor are the Church.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

Paul Kendrick
Freeport, Maine
kendrickpt@aol.com
______________________________________________________________

How Should We Think About the Poor?

A Bishop Reflects

On March 26, 1991, Bishop Kenneth E. Untener of Saginaw, Michigan, issued a “decree” that from that day forward, until July 1, 1991, all meetings held under Church auspices, at the parish or diocesan level, no matter what their purpose, must begin with the agenda item: How shall what we are doing here affect or involve the poor? The following are his reflections as he looks back on the decree.

The decree on the poor was in effect for 97 days.

Never in my life had I talked about and listened to so much about the poor. On some days I had four or five meetings, and each began with: the poor.

I learned a lot, not only about the poor, but also about us, and how we think about (or don't think about) the poor. Believe me, I am no expert on the poor. But I learned eight things in particular during those 97 days.

1) We tend to forget the "poor" poor.

A typical scenario: The chairperson begins the meeting by saying something like, "Well, the bishop has asked that we begin each meeting with a discussion about how this affects or involves the poor. So we're going to spend a few minutes doing that. I'll throw it open for anyone who would like to say something."

Silence.

Then someone says, "Well, people can be poor in a lot of different ways. There are some people, for example, who don't have friends, and they are poor..."

I interrupt. "I agree with you. But this decree has to do with the 'poor' poor. They are the ones who get left out, because they're usually not part of what we did yesterday or today. The other kinds of poor people are part of our lives, and we need to be concerned about them. But I want us to connect with the 'poor' poor. If we deal with them, all the rest will follow. The 'poor' poor are the ones who rarely if ever are first on an agenda. So let's talk about them."

Mental note: Always start with the "poor" poor.

2) The poor are often "invisible."

We rarely sat too long through those awkward group pauses that drive everybody nuts.

Thankfully, someone was always present who could speak firsthand about an experience with a poor person. Once they did, others began to think of things to say about the poor.

The real-life poor do not come as easily to mind as, say, the sick. After the ice was broken, a person might say, "Well, now that you mention it, I did hear about such-and-such family, and how they haven't been around much lately, and that they've been having a hard time of it." Then somebody else would tell of someone they knew or heard about, and we would all be somewhat surprised. We didn't expect poor people to be in our neck of the woods.

Poor people are everywhere, and once we tune in to them, a whole new world opens up. Tuning in to the poor, however, is no small trick.

The poor around us (as opposed to the ghetto, or some distant country) are often invisible. They aren't in our same "networks."

They aren't at the same gatherings.

They don't belong to councils or committees.

They don't always go to church (and if they do, they try hard not to look poor).

They don't bump into us at the mall or the supermarket.

Take tuition assistance at schools. We offer help for those who cannot pay full tuition—or cannot pay any tuition. But the poor often do not come forward. Why? It is announced in the parish bulletin. There are even fliers about it.

But the poor don't get the parish bulletin. They don't see or respond to the fliers. If you want the poor to take advantage of help to the poor, you must reach out to find them. To find the poor, you must go out of your way. You must look with different eyes, for the poor feel that we do not want them in the normal parts of our lives. So they disguise themselves or absent themselves.

Mental note: It takes initiative and creativity to reach the poor.

3) The biggest problem is the "undeserving poor."

Place a child before us with a hungry face and ragged clothes and we jump at the chance to help.
Children, you see, haven’t done anything to make themselves undeserving. They haven’t made the bad choices that landed them in this mess. They can’t be blamed for failing to do what they can to help themselves, because children can’t help themselves anyway. They really can’t help it if they are poor.

Poor children don’t make it hard to help the poor. Poor adults who have had bad luck don’t make it hard to help the poor.

The “undeserving poor” are the ones who make it hard to help the poor. They are the ones who have made the bad choices, or failed to make any choice at all. They are the ones who have been helped before—and it didn’t help. They are the ones who seem to expect us to bail them out, and who hardly say "thank you" when we do. They are the ones who seem to take advantage of the system, or other people.

Help them anyway. If you start to distinguish between the deserving and the undeserving poor, you are finished—at least as far as the gospel is concerned. Who is really to decide if they are undeserving?

I do not mean that we shouldn't try to help them help themselves. As the saying goes, "Give me a fish and you feed me for a day. Teach me to fish and you feed me for life."

We should always try to help the poor help themselves. But be careful about metering out your help too carefully. Jesus was never overly careful about metering out his mercy. He was criticized for his largess, his "reckless" mercy toward undeserving sinners. The memory of Jesus helps us deal with the "undeserving poor."

The "undeserving poor" remind us that something deeper needs to change—whatever it is that makes them feel so hopeless and helpless. We need to address that something deeper. In the meantime, help them. Do not be judgmental or overly careful.

Mental note: If you're going to err, err on the side of largess.

4) If you try to help the poor, you will sometimes get taken.

Every parish minister can tell stories of people who have come with a sad tale. You check it out very carefully, give them money—and later find out that they did the same thing at three or four neighboring parishes.

Helping the poor has its risks. You will sometimes get taken. (The same is true of forgiveness. If you try to forgive 70 times seven, you will sometimes get stepped on.) It's a darn shame. Be generous anyway. Don't be foolish, but don't overdo the safety rules.

It's like playing racquetball. You're going to get hit with the ball now and then, and it hurts. You can learn how to step out of the way of certain shots—but you are still going to get hit sometimes. The only way to avoid it is to stand in the corner and never get into the game.

If you are going to be generous to the poor, you are sometimes going to get taken. The only alternative is to "stand in a corner" and never really get into helping the poor.

Mental note: Learn to write off your losses.

5) Helping the poor is not always a pleasant experience.

It's no picnic helping the poor. There is often no feeling of fulfillment. It's work—like a lot of virtue is work—like taking care of an elderly parent is work.

The poor, as fate would have it, are just like us. They are mixtures of virtues and vices. Like us, they are not always grateful. Like us, they don't always trust. Like us, they don't always respond. Like us, they are both generous and greedy. Like us, they are sometimes wonderful and sometimes awful. Whatever happened to the noble poor? Some are out there, but mostly they are in Charles Dickens.

The "poor" poor are not always so noble, and they are the hardest to deal with—which is probably why we don't.

Mental note: When you help the poor, you always receive more than you give—but it may not seem that way at the time.

6) Food baskets at Thanksgiving, toys at Christmas are good as far as they go—but they don't go very far.

People easily talk about direct help to the poor on special occasions—clothes, food, money. Those fine things shouldn't be taken lightly. But that is the easy part. The hard part is trying to do something about the poor's state in life.

The discussion always slowed when we tried to focus on this. Where do you begin? What do you do?

It's hard when you deal with the causes. How can we give them basic skills to manage their lives?
Can we make loans available to them through our own credit unions—at considerable risk?

Shouldn't the state make better provision for dependent children? What about health insurance? How do we help them find work? How do we help them find work that pays a living wage? Why are single parents, usually women, abandoned so easily by a spouse?

Mental note: Direct assistance is good. Tackling the causes is better.

7) Sometimes the poor are overwhelmed into inaction.

People who deal with the poor can tell a hundred stories about how they waste money and opportunities. You bring food to their home—and notice a large-screen TV. You give them money—and they buy groceries at the nearby convenience store (where prices are much higher). You have their car fixed—and find out it is a Buick Skylark. Whenever you visit, they are watching TV.

Why? Let’s try to put ourselves in their shoes.

You are thinking about cleaning the garage (or the basement, or your desk). Actually, you have been thinking about it for weeks. Well, to tell the truth, you have been thinking about it since last winter when you were trying to find room in the garage for the snow blower.

It is a hopeless mess, but today is the day you are going to tackle it. Getting started is the problem, because with a mess like that, there is no logical place to begin.

So you decide to have a beer first, and watch a couple innings of the ball game. Hold that thought. Right there, in that moment, you are in their shoes. You may spend only half an hour watching the game, and you will eventually get to your task—but in those 30 minutes of doing nothing, you know exactly how they feel all day each day. At least with cleaning the garage, there is an end in sight. But for the poor, the task seems to have no beginning and no ending. They can't get enough together even to get started—a down payment, transportation, protection from an abusive husband, an education.

Their life is like that all the time. It is too big a mess even to know where to begin. So they try to forget it by enjoying some "luxuries," having a beer, watching TV, etc.

Mental note: Don't judge their "laziness" too quickly.

8) The poor also help the poor.

People who work with the poor can tell a hundred stories about the “generous poor.” A hundred stories. A family takes in a neighbor’s child without a second thought, because the child needs to be taken in somewhere. A person who has next to nothing gives money to someone who has nothing at all, simply saying, “Well, they need it more than I do.” A poor family in a small house takes in another family because they had their heat turned off in the dead of winter. Food is shared even though there isn’t enough to begin with.

There are countless true stories about the “generous poor.” The widow’s mite wasn’t a parable that Jesus made up. It was a true story that unfolded before his eyes. And it still happens every day in poor communities.

Mental note: God loves a cheerful giver, which is one of the reasons why God loves the poor.

Putting our insights into action

When the 97 days had ended, I asked myself, “Is it all over? Can we now get back to normal?”

Yes. We can get back to normal by realizing that “normal” means talking about the poor at normal meetings, and finding ways to translate our words into actions. “Normal” means focusing on the poor as much as Jesus did.

I hope that the decree simply primed the pump. I hope we have only just begun, for there is more to learn, more to do.

The decree was successful, but it was like the success of someone who joined Weight Watchers and reached their goal by losing 37 pounds. They are congratulated, cheered by all at the meeting and given a pin. But the true measure of success is whether they will change their eating habits in the weeks and months and years ahead. Some do, and some don’t.

The Church of Saginaw achieved its goal of talking about the poor at all meetings for 97 days. Now we must see if we have changed our meeting habits, and if we will think and act differently. The true measure of success lies in the months and years ahead.

May God, who has begun this good work in us, sustain us along the way as we strive mightily to live what we have learned.

Bishop Kenneth E. Untener, now deceased, was a native of Detroit, was ordained to the priesthood by Cardinal John Dearden in 1963. After parish and chancery work, he obtained a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome and then returned to Detroit. In 1977 he was appointed rector of St. John’s Seminary, Plymouth, Michigan. In 1980 he became bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw. A writer and a popular lecturer, Bishop Untener regularly conducted retreats for priests and gave talks around the country.

Bishop Richard Malone wastes church funds on expensive mansion

2009-08-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

IGNATIUS GROUP____

Questions for Bishop Richard J. Malone:

1) Why do you waste Church funds to pay for one person (you) to live in a 7,000 sq. ft., 16 room, $1.2 million mansion?

2) As a spiritual leader, how do you justify the cost of your living arrangements when so many people are in need of food, medicine and shelter? "Decisions must be judged in light of what they do for the poor, what they do to the poor, and what they enable the poor to do for themselves." Economic Justice for All: Catholic Social Teaching, U.S. Bishops, 1986

3) What are your annual expenses for airline tickets, hotel rooms, taxis, parking, meals and entertainment for your travel to other states for the purpose of meetings, conferences and speeches? What benefit do these meetings serve for the people of Maine?

4) How many days per year are you away from the Diocese of Portland? Many chancery workers and diocese priests claim that you are too often away attending frivolous events, ignoring the work that needs to be done here for the people of Maine.

Is there anyone other than you, Bishop Malone, who believes that a prudent steward would invest $1.2 million of church resources in a costly 6 bedroom, rent-free home for one person to live in?

In addition, it is estimated that it costs Maine's Catholics more than $40,000 per year to pay the property taxes, maintenance and operating expenses for Bishop Malone to live in the mansion.

We continue to ask Bishop Malone to call for all meetings held under Church auspices, at the parish or diocesan level, no matter what their purpose, must begin with the agenda item: How shall what we are doing here affect or involve the poor?
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The Bishop's Mansion

Bishop Richard Malone lives by himself in a three-story, 7,000 sq. ft. brick mansion in Portland's most expensive neighborhood. His stately residence has sixteen rooms, including six bedrooms, four bathrooms and a three-car garage. The bishop refuses to tell parishioners the annual costs of heating, operating and maintaining his luxurious home.

The bishop's property has been assessed by the City of Portland at an approximate value of $1.2 million. Property taxes amount to more than $18,000 per year. It is estimated that the additional expense of heating, operating and maintaining the mansion cost approximately $22,000 per year.

Bishop Malone refuses to relocate to a more cost efficient and affordable residence, even though there is an abundance of comfortable living space available in any one of the nearby parish rectories.