Thursday, May 2, 2013

Help Wanted: Archbishop of Newark

So you want to be the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey, do you?  (See Bad Bishops: Same Old Spin - Different Day). Submit your resume and answer the question below.

Given the following scenario ...

  • A priest under your control and care admits to having homosexual or bisexual desires. 
  • This priest likes to wrestle with 14-year-old boys.  Let me repeat that: this priest likes to wrestle with 14-year-old boys.
  • This priest admits that while wrestling with a 14-year-old boy, he grabbed his genitals, on two different occasions.  The second time he did so, the boy became enraged and refused to talk to the priest the rest of the day, at an event for the boy's family.
  • The priest is indicted, tried and convicted on a charge of aggravated sexual conduct.  The conviction is overturned on a technicality.  The appellate court orders a retrial.
  • To avoid a retrial, you strike a deal with prosecutors, agreeing to remove said priest from any ministry involving youth and from any contact with youth.

Years pass.  Now what do you do?  Do you ....

A. Blow off the deal with prosecutors and allow your priest back into youth ministry and unsupervised contact with youth, without telling any of the parents this priest's history?

B.  Appoint this man as co-director responsible for the Ongoing Formation of Priests?

C. Get huffy and send a letter to all priests in your diocese defending your decision, giving a false impression of the court case by telling only a partial truth?  

***

If you answered D., ALL OF THE ABOVE - congratulations!  You are qualified to be the Archbishop of Newark!


8 comments:

Bob Schwiderski said...

Here’s a shocking list of 228 accused clerics, nuns and staff
--- http://mnsnap.wordpress.com/spooks-fakers-false-spiritual-healers/

Kevin O'Brien said...

Note that the list above that Bob Schwiderski links to is a list provided by SNAP of folks ACCUSED of sexual crimes but not necessarily CONVICTED or even charged with sexual crimes.

Anonymous said...

---Kevin, how dare you speak such nonsense- the Bishops coverup everything- accused, convicted does not matter. THis particular case was oveturned by a tecnicallity, after the man admitted to gropping a 14yr old. What planet do you live on. Meyers has got to go.
The criminals are running the house.

Tom Leith said...

Wow Anonymous -- way to completely miss the point.

Anonymous said...

Tom, that was too funny. I was so hoping someone said something so I didn't have to, and I can say you said it so much better than I could.
I am thinking Anonymous lives on some other planet rather than Kevin O'Brien lol

Warren said...

Call from Cardinal Ouellet of the Congregation of Bishops coming in... 3, 2, 1... .

Unknown said...

He did not allow the priest access to children.

Kevin O'Brien said...

He did indeed and his spokesman has admitted it.