A Boston priest has adopted the nom de blog "Father Elijah" for his site Fides et Ratio, which approaches church affairs in Beantown with a refreshing frankness. Welcome, Father E!
A Boston priest has adopted the nom de blog "Father Elijah" for his site Fides et Ratio, which approaches church affairs in Beantown with a refreshing frankness. Welcome, Father E!
Fr. Elijah is correct that his fellow priests share much blame for the Boston scandal. In my wide reading about the scandal in various dioceses, that has been a constant: one member of the Fraternity doesn't turn in another. More than one priest has complained to me about this phenomenon.
Granted, primary responsibility belongs to Cardinal Law. Documents made public by Judge Sweeney make clear that *Law knew* that many priests were repeat, repeat offenders. He *wantonly reassigned men whom basic papa-bear instinct should have said aren't to be trusted around teenage boys.* The same documents make clear that auxiliaries McCormack, Banks, and Murphy *also knew and directly participated in the coverups and reassignments.*
McCormack has gone on to get himself nearly indicted for his own *documented coverup of homosex predators* in NH. Murphy has covered up predators too in Rockville Centre, but has avoided personal legal trouble so far.
But if fellow priests refused to stay silent, as Fr. Elijah argues, the more-than-handful of predators (48 out of under 1,500 active priests in the Archdiocese in the period in question charged so far) would have been removed more quickly. Corporatist mitred protectors of boy-molesters couldn't get away with it so easily.
May Fr. Elijah's courage inspire and strengthen his brother priests.