Tuesday, June 11

From the NYTimes: (LRR)

Once abused, a priest now wants zero tolerance.

Still, it has taken years of therapy, for Father Hayes to stop blaming himself for what happened. The abuse went on for two years, he said. He entered the seminary in upstate New York as a deeply troubled young man who drank too much, and he defied the authority of seminary officials at every turn.



During a session with a psychologist at the seminary, who was also a priest, he revealed the source of his pain for the first time.



"At the next session, I started telling him about the abuse again," Father Hayes said. "He said, `You told me that last week. Let's move on.' "



Another one bites the dust

Will there be any bishops left by Thursday?

An auxiliary bishop in NY resigns over affairs with women

-- A high-ranking priest in the Archdiocese of New York resigned his positions as church pastor and auxiliary bishop after admitting to several affairs with women, the archdiocese announced Tuesday.



Bishop James F. McCarthy, pastor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak in Westchester County, admitted to the affairs after they were brought to the attention of archdiocesan officials in a letter that arrived Saturday.


"I take this opportunity to express my personal care and concern for all involved in this situation, in particular any women and their families who may have been hurt, and Bishop McCarthy as well," Archbishop Edward Egan said in a statement.




The affairs took place over the course of several years, according to the archdiocese. Church officials will cooperate with prosecutors if any legal issues arise from the affairs.

From the Chicago Tribune: (LRR) Cardinal George suggests the bishops will look at sanctions for...bishops.

George did not elaborate on what sanctions he will seek for bishops who fail to properly handle abuse cases in their dioceses. "What those sanctions are is something we submitted to the board, so I'm not free to say exactly how we elaborated that," George said. "But what I'd like to say, the principle that bishops have to be accountable, as are priests, is a very important one."


From the LA Times: (LRR), a fascinating article about Catholics in Tibet:

Yet every week, scores of committed believers gather in the village's beautiful old church for intimate Sunday services. Men and women sit on separate sides of the aisle on low-lying wooden slats. Sometimes in unison, sometimes alternating between male and female voices, the worshipers sing their hymns, Christian lyrics set to traditional melodies of the Tibetan highlands.



One family's worn little orange hymnal provides a clue to the origins of this isolated Catholic community. Printed on its frontispiece, in an old-fashioned typeface, is the title, "Chants Religieux Thibetains," and the year and place the book was published: 1894, in Rennes, France.



It was nearly 150 years ago that priests from the Foreign Missions of Paris made their way onto the Tibetan upland, eager to spread their gospel to what they considered a benighted land.

Why "lay people's involvement" is not the simple answer: Exhibit 256

From the NYTimes (LRR) Priest's defenders see affection where accuser sees abuse.

What's the next headline? Man's defenders see borrowing where homeowner sees theft. Or maybe Creepy cretin's defenders see romance where woman sees stalking. Or perhaps even Husband's defenders see passion where dead wife sees....nothing anymore.

Mr. Lyons [a defender of the accused priest Kavanaugh] said he had spoken with about 15 former students at Cathedral Preparatory who support Monsignor Kavanagh. He said he met with officials at the archdiocese on June 3. "They were very supportive," he said. People familiar with the meeting said Cardinal Edward M. Egan attended, showed keen interest in the discussion and asked for prayers for Monsignor Kavanagh.



Like other Kavanagh supporters, Mr. Lyons said the monsignor's suspension was a sign that he was being considered guilty without a fair hearing. The guidelines call for a diocese to relieve a priest of his duties "when the investigation of a complaint against a cleric so indicates."



Mr. Lyons said, "You could say `Boo' and a priest is going to be out. It's almost like a lynch mob."



The Kavanagh case was the object of muted discussion Friday night at the annual gathering of Cathedral Preparatory alumni at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers. Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell celebrated the Mass. At the end, he asked for prayers for Monsignor Kavanagh but not for Mr. Donohue, disturbing the former student's supporters.



Mike Hardy disagrees with Mary Eberstadt. Vigorously.
Details on the monastery shooting from the Kansas City Star

Also from the Star, background on the monastery.

Bishop Williams of Lexington resigns.

Bishop J. Kendrick Williams of Lexington, Ky., accused in several sex abuse cases, resigned Tuesday, the Vatican said.



James W. Bennett alleged Williams abused him in 1981 while Bennett was a 12-year-old altar boy. David Hall alleged Williams fondled him when Hall was an 18-year-old high school senior. A third plaintiff, who filed suit last week, also accuses Williams of molesting him when Williams was a priest in Louisville.

The bishop is quotes as saying that he's never "sexually abused" anyone. That sounds a lot like Weaklandese to me.