Foxes Guarding the Chicken Coop?
Bishop’s Sex Abuse Committee in Question
October 1, 2002
Membership of the much-ballyhooed lay Committee on Sex Abuse, which will oversee the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) planned office for Child and Youth Protection, was completed last month and announced by USCCB President, Bishop Wilton Gregory. Among the thirteen designees are public dissenters from Catholic Church teaching including some who advocate abortion and homosexual rights. Their presence on the board leads the undersigned members of the Catholic Media Coalition to conclude that the bishops are not serious about addressing the scandals, but in fact continue as public enablers of child abuse.
Leon Panetta, President Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff from 1994-1997 and a seven term Congressman (1977-1993), has a solid pro-abortion record including support for the infamous partial birth infanticide. His presence on a board to “protect children” is ludicrous and conflicts with the bishops’ own statements including Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics which says, “No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life.” To name such an individual to the board is a violation of a sacred trust and blatantly illustrates the hypocrisy or cluelessness of the bishops.
Alice Bourke Hayes, President of the University of San Diego, has during her seven-year tenure allowed the promotion of homosexuality on campus under the guise of “diversity” and “inclusion.” USD activities have included a “coming out” play, Wish Fulfillment, and welcoming many radical gay advocacy groups to speak to the two active homosexual student organizations at USD, Pride for undergraduates and Pride-Law for law school students. Under Hayes leadership the university named homosexual professor Dr. Joseph Colombo chairman of the Religious Studies Department in 1998 and in May 2002 honored a “distinguished graduate” Lynn Schenk, who as a U.S. House of Representatives member had a 100% pro-abortion voting record. In view of the fact that over 95% of the scandal cases involved priests abusing post pubertal boys, naming a champion for homosexuality to the board is irresponsible.
Robert S. Bennett became a household name defending a serial sexual predator who also happened to be President of the United States, Bill Clinton. Bennett’s advocacy for the most pro-abortion President the country has ever known, not to mention the question of how much he knew about Clinton’s perjury, makes his participation on the board a signal embarrassment.
Dr. Paul McHugh, former Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has a background supporting the theories of fraudulent sex surveyor Alfred Kinsey. Researcher Judith Reisman has shown how Kinsey based his studies of “normal” sexual behavior on the activities of sexual abusers, many of whom were prison inmates. McHugh has defended the actions of Johns Hopkins’ Sexual Disorders Clinic in concealing from police multiple incidents of child rape and fondling despite state laws requiring they be reported. His defense of cover-ups makes him a natural ally for bishops who enabled sex abuse by hiding criminal activities while moving abusers from parish to parish and diocese to diocese.
In addition to the lay oversight committee, the bishops have also established an Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse (AHCSA) with bishop members from each of the fourteen episcopal regions of the Eastern Catholic Churches. Among the members is the notorious dissenter, Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany.
Unfortunately, the actions of the bishops to date give little evidence that they are serious about dealing with the scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church during the past year. Until the issue of dissent from Church doctrines, particularly with regard to sexual ethics, is dealt with directly, orthodox Catholics in the United States will continue to challenge the sincerity of the bishops and call them to account.
Catholic Media Coalition (CMC) is an ad hoc group of lay-run Catholic media faithful to the Holy Father and the Magisterium. The mission of CMC is to report truthfully about the Catholic Church and to defend, foster, and spread authentic Catholic faith and culture.
(Mrs.) Laurie Balbach Taylor – Called to Conversion- 1149 Vera Cruz Pike, Milford, Ohio 45150
Michael F. Brennan – Coalition in Defense of Church Teaching – PO Box 15743, Rochester, New York (585) 467-1745
Timothy Ehlen, Chairman – St. Francis Xavier Historic Preservation Guild – PO Box 36, Petoskey, Michigan 49770
Betty L. Gudat – Defenders of the Magisterium – P.O. Box 100492, San Antonio, TX 78201
J. Hallett, Oakland, CA
(Mrs.) Mary Ann Kreitzer – Les Femmes – 1216 Mill Rd., Woodstock, VA 22664
Valerie Lubitz, President – Los PequeÒos de Cristo – P.O. Box 16117, Albuquerque, NM 87191-6117
Cecilia H. Martin -The Catholic Advocate – 9378 Arlington Rd., PMB 346, Jacksonville, FL 32224
Fred Paschall, Editor – The Defender – 120 Flagstone Lane Berkley Springs, WV 25411
Jim Holman – Publisher San Francisco Faith – Los Angeles Mission, San Diego News Notes, La Cruz de California
