Berry: Say no to Cardinal George

Jason Berry, the Catholic journalist who is one of the most experienced in covering the sex-abuse scandal in the Church, writes against Cardinal Francis George of Chicago taking over the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which meets this week in Baltimore. Why? Because the cardinal, whom everybody agrees is intellectually brilliant, has not distinguished himself in a good way in his handling of the scandal (even conservative groups like Roman Catholic Faithful have called on the cardinal to resign over his handling of the scandal). Here's Jason:

The problem is that George shows little indication of having internalized the lessons of the scandal. He displays a stunning insensitivity to the church's failures. And twice since the 2002 conference in Dallas that adopted the youth protection charter, George has flouted the church's supposed zero-tolerance attitude in his handling of abusive priests.

The first instance involves Cdl George's allowing a convicted pederast priest -- he'd pled guilty, and received a suspended sentence -- to stay at his mansion during monthly visits to Chicago. When this ongoing hospitality was reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the cardinal bristled.

When Sun-Times reporter Cathleen Falsani asked George why he had allowed Martin to stay in his official residence after his misdeeds had become known, and why the priest was still working for the archdiocese as a consultant, George did not apologize but defended his colleague. "Are we saying that people with any kind of question in their past are not employable?" he responded.

More:

"When I read the Sun-Times," said former Rep. Leon Panetta, a California Democrat who served on the National Review Board [appointed by the bishops to assess the fallout from the abuse scandal, and to recommended reforms -- RD] and was one of those who had met with George that week, "it confirmed for me what is at the heart of this [pedophile priest] problem -- the [Catholic] hierarchy's failure to understand the seriousness of the crisis."

Members of the National Review Board made a second trip to Chicago nearly a year later to consult with the cardinal. George celebrated Mass for them, but then, according to three sources present at the meeting, he issued a warning over coffee and doughnuts: "You will be the downfall of the church!"

The second case involves the 2005 matter of Father Daniel McCormack, whom George allowed to remain in school ministry, teaching and coaching kids, after his own archdiocesan review board recommended removal following a mother's charge that McCormack had molested her 8-year-old son. And then:

In January 2006, McCormack was arrested on charges of sexually abusing another boy at the school. When asked about it, the cardinal, incredulously, said he had taken no action because he had had no information from law enforcement. McCormack has since pleaded guilty and gone to jail.

The archdiocese did take action against Barbara Westrick, the school's principal, who had called the police after she learned of the complaint against the priest. She was fired in June. Although the archdiocese denies it, it seems likely that her criticisms of the church's response cost her her job.

It is nothing short of stunning that the victims of these clericalist attitudes have been Catholic children and Catholic families -- but some bishops, acting like tribal chieftains, try to blame those outside the Church for their problems. Berry again:

Listen to the words of Thomas J. Paprocki, one of George's auxiliary bishops in Chicago. Paprocki, who has a law degree and church license in canon law, gave a sermon Oct. 15 for the Red Mass, a gathering of lawyers and jurists, in Grand Rapids, Mich. The bishop scorned the church's escalating financial losses to victims of predatory priests. "The church is under attack," Paprocki declared, comparing the civil litigation to Henry VIII's seizure of "church property and kill[ing] those who did not accept his notion of the supremacy of the crown."

Displaying the callousness that has cursed so many Catholic bishops for so long, Paprocki insulted the victims of the scandals, as well as the attorneys and judges in their cases, with these words: "We must use our religious discernment to recognize that the principal force behind these attacks is none other than the devil."

Ah, but we know that the devil hath power to assume a pleasing shape -- even an episcopal one.

(Special note for the Usual Suspects: Yes, I know, I know, bad Orthodox bishops, blah blah blah. Down with them too. Up with reform and transparency and holiness. But in your commentary, stick to the subject of this post.)