Have the Shepherds of the Catholic Church failed the Laity?

by Sonja Harris on October 16, 2018 at 10:43 AM

If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve, the Gods your fathers served beyond the river or the Gods of the Amorites in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 24:15

Pope Leo XIII understood how evil roams the world seeking the destruction of souls. He understood the power of Satan. Present-day Shepherds of the church must acknowledge this fact. Current news reports reveal many allegations of abuses by Catholic clergy and others. While some parish priests recognize this evil by condemning the abusive priests as criminals and satanic, many do not. What is worse is that the hierarchy, in an effort to avoid scandal have covered up these abusive behaviors. These Shepherds of the church should be held to a higher standard. We must remember that we, the laity, are the church, we are the body of Christ. Jesus Christ is our founder and that is who we follow. The priests and those who abuse are just men. They must be removed as they are the cancer in the church.

On July 27, 2018 an investigative grand jury report was released to the public in Pennsylvania which contains disturbing allegations about the priests and hierarchy in that state. The grand jury report, Pennsylvania Diocese Victims Report, identified over 300 predator priests and more than 1,000 underage victims. Not since the 2002 Boston Globe investigation where 271 priests were involved in abusive sexual behavior have the laity been attacked so brutally by the hierarchy's hiding the crimes committed by priests and others in the church.

Don't pretend that sexual abuse only happens in Massachusetts and now Pennsylvania, it happens in Texas too! Since so many Catholics are in disbelief of the recent crimes committed by parish priests, let me be perfectly clear that this sexual abusive behavior has been around for a long time. We should be screaming that the abusive priests, no matter how many, be removed if found guilty of crimes with an underage child or on an unwilling victim. We should be praying for the victims not the priests who hear and forgive each others' confessions, therefore mocking the sacrament of Reconciliation.

And what about the bishops, archbishops and cardinals that cover up the crimes of their corrupt colleagues by moving them from parish to parish? These are the men that perpetuate the satanic cult of sexual abuse. These are the men that think more of the reputation of the church than their flock. For years Catholics were advised not to say anything as to not 'scandalize' the church and its priests. Today, that in itself was self-serving and hogwash. There are many in the hierarchy that hopefully will be removed from their positions and stripped of their Red Caps.

Homosexuality is the key reason for the debauchery in the Church. The church has become a sanctuary for homosexuals. In the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report Debunked authored by Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, he uses the John Jay study to clarify that “81 % of the victims were male, 78% of whom were post pubescent.” Donohue strongly states that, “that is a problem called homosexuality. There is no getting around it.” The same study found that less than 5% were pedophiles. The Pennsylvania grand jury report showed that 74% of the abuse were homosexual in nature.

The following three are personal encounters that I will use to make my point. There was a boy in our neighborhood who came from a very Catholic home and whose parents were ecstatic that their son had decided to answer the call to become a priest. He became a missionary priest serving in Mexico. In the mid to late '90's we attended his funeral in San Antonio, Texas because he had died of AIDS. No one said a word, the silence was deafening. Who was guilty of leading this young priest to his physical and maybe his spiritual death?

We frequently travel to the Bay Area in Texas to visit family. When there we attend the same church and used to enjoy hearing pastor Fr Alberto Maullon give his homilies. In 2010, to our surprise and dismay, Fr Maullon was caught in a sting operation committing a sexual act in front of a police officer. He isn't even on the bishops accountability list from Texas, so there is no tracking for this priest. Many priests that are caught and released on bond, according to the accountability list, flee to their country of origin.

As president of the largest CYO, Catholic Youth Organization, in San Antonio in the '80's, I was informed that one of the assistant coaches had been caught with a minor. I demanded to know the details but was refused any information on the grounds that our parish priest wanted to keep it quiet. So the assistant coach was let go of his volunteer duties without any consequences.

Reading the Texas Bishops Accountability list is a wake up call. Texas and San Antonio certainly do have a priest problem and the archbishops and bishops should be respectfully notified to remove any priest found guilty of any sex crime. The question is, will there be a 'cover up' in order to get a dismissal?

Following names taken from the Bishop Accountability list San Antonio, Texas:

Jose Aviles – accused

Theo Clerx - sued

Johnny Davila – convicted

Virgil Elizondo – sued – committed suicide

Federico Fernandez – settled – working in Cartagena

Eugene Fitzsimmons – accused

John Flynn - retired

Larry Hernandez – accused

Hubert Joseph Janak – accused – deceased

Michael Kenny – settled – living in Ireland

Carlos Lozano – convicted

Emmett Malone – settled

Michael O'Sullivan – accused – died in Ireland

Xavier Ortiz Dietz – convicted

Alfredo Prado – accused – celebrating mass in Costa Rica without church permission

Donald Ruppert – sued - reassigned

Jose Luis Sandoval – accused – reassigned

Jerzy Sieczynski – indicted

Myron Suize – sued

Louis Paul White – sued – no show at trial

David Zumaya – accused – retired in Mexico

What about those priests that are not on the list? Priests known to the archdiocese that have been accused of sexual 'improprieties'? You can usually find articles on these priests in newspapers. The bishops list has not been kept up to date and it's also apparent that many of the bishops have not done their due diligence in protecting their flock.

As the Body of Christ we have a moral responsibility to weed out the bad seeds from our church. Please write to our bishops and demand that there be transparency and accountability on the abusive priests, including the names of the hierarchy that covered the crime. This would be a good time to ask, “Why are homosexuals permitted to enter the seminary if in fact they seem to be the problem?”

Words no longer mean anything, it's time for us to Rise to Action. Most certainly there will be more information on the cover ups in the Catholic Church. Pray, fast and ask for justice for the victims.

THE RED REPORT(C)
RED SONJA
Fight, Never Give UP!

Who to contact:

Please contact your Archdiocese Bishop and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo

Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller

Archdiocese of San Antonio

2718 W Woodlawn Ave

San Antonio, Texas 78228

email: Paula Garza Administrative Assistant [email protected]

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo

President of the USCCB (United States Conference of Bishops)

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

1700 San Jacinto St.