Author: Sal

Bishop Loverde responds to criticism of how the Diocese deals with allegations of misconduct in general and with Fr. James Haley’s suspension specifically:

In the case generating the most media interest, that of Father James Haley, some facts need to be clarified. 1) Father Haley has not been made a pastor because of separate issues concerning his own past conduct which came to light before he brought the misdeeds of three other priests to my attention. 2) When Father Haley began a period of discernment and his faculties were withdrawn last year, I ordered Father Haley to behave in a manner consistent with principles of our faith and canon law, and to respect the privacy of others as well as his oath of obedience to me as his Bishop. While Father Haley was always free to “go over my head” and bring his accusations and criticisms to other ecclesiastical authorities, he chose instead to resort to the media. 3) As to the perception that Father Haley was complying with some sort of civil law duty to give a deposition in a civil proceeding, it is our understanding that no subpoena was issued by the Court or served on Father Haley. A notice of deposition was served on our civil law counsel, but a notice of deposition is not a subpoena. Father Haley volunteered his testimony to his own lawyer. No one from the Diocese attempted to stop him from doing so. The lawsuit was then dismissed on August 29, 2002, on multiple grounds, including the failure to state a valid legal claim. The deposition was not even used in support of the lawsuit and most of it had nothing to do with the allegations in that suit. The Diocese requested that the court protect the privacy of non-parties, including priests and parishioners, by sealing the transcript, but the court declined to do so.
Most important to note, Father Haley is still a priest. He is receiving a monthly stipend plus full healthcare benefits. The canonical process currently underway involving Father Haley does not seek in any way to punish him for bringing to my attention any concerns about the three priests mentioned above. This canonical process is dealing with other issues regarding Father Haley and will be carried out in accordance with canon law.

Eric – here are the facts you were looking for. I was certain that one of the reasons for Fr. Haley’s suspension was his going to the media with the goods on those miscreant priests. We will probably never know why Fr. Haley did what he did. It’s clear that he is not being punished for bringing the allegations (which turned out to be true) to the Bishop, he is being punished in part for his disobedience in bringing them to the media.

NOT a laughing matter

Over at Mark Shea’s joint and at HMS they have been soliciting ad ideas and slogans for Planned Parenthood’s “Celebrating 30 years of legalized holocaust” poster contest. This topic does not lend itself to satire. Consider that the Bush adminstration sent Solicitor General Ted Olson to argue before the Supreme Court in favor of RICO being used to crack down on protests in front of abortion mills. I have only seen snippets of Olson’s lawyering with regard to Scheidler v. NOW and Operation Rescue v. NOW. Here is a link to the amicus brief he filed. I don’t understand the administration’s position on this completely but it appears the administration is indeed in favor of using RICO against some forms of organized protest, including anti-abortion protests. If it is true it is beyond disheartening – it is an total betrayal of the pro-life movement. If any of our readers have more info please post it in the comments.

We’re gearing up for some weather…

The DC area is gearing up for a “snow event” tomorrow. The weather people call it a “snow event” when they have no idea how much of the white stuff we’re going to get. It also means that every store in the area is going to be out of toilet paper, milk and bread by 7 PM tonight. I don’t understand how people think they are going to run out of toast if they can’t get on the road for a day.

The other quirky thing about DC is that as soon as the the first flakes start to fall every eldery person with an old Buick gets on the road. It’s like they all have to get to Denny’s for an eldery Buick driver meeting.

I’m staying off the roads tomorrow – I’ve gotten in two accidents in past “snow events” because of other idiots on the road.

DC Metro Blog Map
This snazzy map is part of a blog “by maureen, a law student and sad, sad punk wannabe.” Email her if you have a local blog and want it listed.

On the bookshelf

When Mormons Call by Isaiah Bennet. It’s the most concise dissection of Mormon beliefs and missionary practices I have ever read. Bennet was a Catholic priest who renounced the faith to become Mormon then returned to the Church after two years. The inside perspective is unique, but I have to ask – what was he thinking? What kind of formation did Bennet have as a seminarian that he would become an apostate? And are those actual Mormons in the picture?