Notable and Quotable (II)

Posted by Kendall Harmon

Now let's be serious. When 815-level lawyers threaten and cajole diocesan bishops not to reveal multiple sex-abuse cover-ups at the highest level lest former leaders be embarrassed, what can we expect, and why do we look down on the RCC? Serious and credentialled investigative reporters can contact me.

As a rector I had to follow a priest who was simply passed along by another bishop, and as a bishop have had the same experience with a staff member who was protected by his bishop, with catastrophic results here

On paper, we are a one-strike church, but in reality, too may people are walked. 815 refused comment on this story with principled-sounding obfuscation, which essentially tells it all, doesn't it? There is no more transparency at 815 than previously, as some of the commentators above [on this thread] know to their pain.
-- Bishop Paul Marshall of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem, Penna.


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23 Comments
Posted June 25, 2011 at 5:51 pm [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Dan Crawford wrote:

The Good Bishop is just discovering this? Where’s he been the past ten years?

June 25, 7:16 pm | [comment link]
2. TACit wrote:

This wouldn’t have relation to the recent revelation of the ex-Conception Abbey priest who was accepted into the Episcopal diocese of Nevada, would it?

June 25, 7:30 pm | [comment link]
3. Sarah wrote:

RE: “When 815-level lawyers threaten and cajole diocesan bishops not to reveal multiple sex-abuse cover-ups at the highest level lest former leaders be embarrassed . . . “

Not to worry—we all already know about Browning and Griswold’s values and foundational worldview anyway.  Naturally those two things lead to a bit of winking and nudge-nudging regarding silly quaint notions about sexual morality.
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/13385/
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/13395/

They’re “un-embarrassable”—but the consequences of their beliefs being publicly revealed is somewhat demoralizing for some, that’s true.

June 25, 8:20 pm | [comment link]
4. LumenChristie wrote:

815 used: “principled-sounding obfuscation”??  Really?!  THEY did THAT?!?

How amazing.  How shocking.

So, what else is new?

June 25, 8:58 pm | [comment link]
5. Pageantmaster [KJS to Coventry] wrote:

I would say this is new.  Time to check out Wikipedia.

June 25, 9:42 pm | [comment link]
6. Eastern Anglican wrote:

Will anyone dare presentment on her?

June 26, 9:53 am | [comment link]
7. carl wrote:

6. Eastern Anglican

Will anyone dare presentment on her?

Ha!  “Comrade Stalin!  I hereby arrest you for conspiracy in the murder of Comrade Sergei Mironovich Kirov!”  Not likely.  Not likely at all.

carl

June 26, 11:23 am | [comment link]
8. cseitz wrote:

One newspaper account said that in 2000 the formal psychiatric report about this man was sent to the Diocese of Nevada.

June 26, 12:17 pm | [comment link]
9. antistes wrote:

While it is interesting to see the character disorders displayed in these comments, I would point out:
1. I did not even wildly imagine that I was saying anything new, just saying again, no matter futilely ( see my website)
2. Dan Crawford needs to visit our diocesan website. At GREAT financial and personal cost we dealt with two pedophiles during the last decade or so.
3. In my parallel life I am a psychotherapist, and treat adults who were abused as children. I have no sympathy for abusers, and am highly offended by people in bourgeois bleacher who suspect otherwise.

Best,
+Paul Marshall

June 26, 2:09 pm | [comment link]
10. cseitz wrote:

#9—Kindly leave me out of your professional sounding declarations re: character. The comment at #8 had to do with facts in the record, indicating the Diocese of Nevada was aware of the psychiatric evaluation of Bede Parry.

June 26, 2:23 pm | [comment link]
11. antistes wrote:

Cseltz Dude,
It isn’t about his character. It is about yours. And, in fact, I am a professional in these matters. Email me if your quest is a serious one.

+p

June 26, 2:32 pm | [comment link]
12. cseitz wrote:

#11 I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.

Good day,
Professor Christopher Seitz

June 26, 2:39 pm | [comment link]
13. driver8 wrote:

Blimey. How weird.

June 26, 2:43 pm | [comment link]
14. Sarah wrote:

RE: “Kindly leave me out of your professional sounding declarations re: character.”

Oh I have no problem at all with antistes declaration about the “character disorders” of the commenters.  It’s amusing.  Knowing the values and foundational worldview of our TEC revisionist bishops, I’m complimented, as hopefully the rest of the commenters are.

The main interesting thing is the defensive anger in the comment, coupled with the oh-so-charming touch of contempt for the proletariat in the pews.  A fascinating—if fairly typical—mix.

RE: “Blimey. How weird.”

Yup—these are the TEC bishops, driver8.  Simply incredible.  So many . . . um . . . . well, you already can fill in the blank with the adjectival descriptions.  ;> )

June 26, 3:14 pm | [comment link]
15. Sarah wrote:

And oh look, driver8—blustering public threats, too!  These are our bishops.

June 26, 3:16 pm | [comment link]
16. Sarah wrote:

Oh dear—I see the elves got in to erase antistes public blustering threat.

Nice, elves—preserve the man from his embarrassment.

RE: “I mistakenly thought this was a blog for people with some intelligence AND observing ego.”

Oh. No. 

I am so hurt and distraught.  Why—I’ve been quite crushed to the ground to receive such a dire judgement from Bishop Paul Marshall, whose opinion I so greatly value.

I hope I shall recover from this distressing blow!

But it will be a hard, long struggle.

Driver8 . . . see what I mean?

June 26, 3:22 pm | [comment link]
17. Teatime2 wrote:

Hmm, why has a Monty Python sketch suddenly come to mind?
“Come see the violence inherent in the system! Help, help, I’m being repressed!”
wink

June 26, 3:40 pm | [comment link]
18. Bookworm(God keep Snarkster) wrote:

I see nothing wrong with comment #8; that’s simply stating a fact. 

And, as a health-care type, I’ve seen plenty of psychotherapists with their own sets of overly defensive and dysfunctional issues. 

I also find it most disturbing that the subject of said psych evaluation sent to DioNevada in 2000 still had a collar and a job in the Church.

June 26, 3:57 pm | [comment link]
19. Ralph wrote:

Perhaps the psych evaluation was sent, but not received.

Perhaps it was received, but not read.

Perhaps it was read, but ignored.

How does that old line go - “I see NOTHING! I hear NOTHING! I know NOTHING!”

Perhaps the PB knows nothing. NOTHING!

I honestly don’t know what the standard of due diligence is when receiving a Roman Catholic priest into Holy Orders in TEC. Perhaps someone might enlighten us.

June 26, 5:00 pm | [comment link]
20. Pageantmaster [KJS to Coventry] wrote:

Monty Python it may be, but an unfortunate distraction from an important story which I would like to hear more about.  I have had very little time for the RC Church in its cover ups and sending abuser priests off to remote congregations where they have continued to abuse the young.  In the CofE there were some cases which were historically not handled well, but we have put in place measures which to the extent possible tries to ensure that people are criminal records bureau checked, references and past reports taken up and things not brushed under the carpet, together with basic measures such as ensuring that youngsters in the church are not left with one adult.  You can never be 100% safe as a church, but you have to try your best.

There are very serious allegations here concerning:
1. cover up of abuse;
2. not checking reports and taking up references;
3. ignoring reports of abuse;
4. giving lee way to candidates who already have allegations against them, not to mention psychiatric reports.
5. personal involvement in all of the above by the PB while Bishop of Nevada and subsequently.

History tells us that unless a church faces up and deals with such issues, people are not safe to entrust their children to it; and moreover I strongly believe that children are entitled to expect to be safe when at church. 

Suffer little children to come unto me is not meant to have this meaning.

I hope TEC deals with this issue, much as I would expect my own church, the CofE to do [and from what I see, I believe that it does do].

On the face of it, things have gone very wrong, culpably wrong.

June 26, 5:01 pm | [comment link]
21. The_Elves wrote:

Commenters are requested to avoid inter-personal comments but stick to the thread topic please - thanks - Elf

June 26, 6:13 pm | [comment link]
22. Bookworm(God keep Snarkster) wrote:

Full agreement with #20; thank you, Pageantmaster.

June 26, 10:20 pm | [comment link]
23. cseitz wrote:

The watchdog group SNAP has properly asked if anyone will come forward who has experienced sexual abuse in relation to this man. Perhaps that will happen. But by what mechanism does the follow-up now take place re: decisions made in Nevada to accept this man into Holy Orders in TEC?

June 27, 4:07 pm | [comment link]
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