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June 25, 2003 The sexual molestation of children by priests in the Catholic Church has been going on and quietly reported to the various dioceses for many years. The abuse was hushed up and swept under the rug with offending priests being shuffled around to other parishes to cover up the scandals. It wasn’t until parishioners got the courage to go to civil authorities with their complaints, after years of frustration of trying to deal with the clergy, itself, that the scandals have become public knowledge. The latest scandal became headline news several weeks ago when Bishop Thomas J. O’Brien, head of the Phoenix (Arizona) Diocese for almost 30 years, acknowledged that he covered up allegations of sexual abuse by priests for several decades and offered to relinquish some of his power to avoid possible criminal indictment when Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley threatened to bring him before a grand jury. There was a clamor for the Bishop’s resignation but only a pope can dismiss a bishop according to Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, chief diplomat in the United States for Pope John Paul II. As of June 18th, the Pope had made no comment but sent Archbishop Michael Sheehan of the Santa Fe, New Mexico to Phoenix to investigate the matter for the Vatican. On Monday June 16th, Bishop O’Brien was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a fatal hit and run accident that had occurred on Saturday night, June 14th when the Bishop struck and left a 43 year old pedestrian, Jim Lee Reed a Navajo Indian, from Tuba Coty, AZ, to die on the street after fleeing the accident. O’Brien was arrested and resigned his position from the diocese on Wednesday June, 18th. The Bishop is out on $45,000 bail and awaits a preliminary hearing on June 25th. Human hair and tissue were found on the broken windshield of Bishop O’Brien’s car and he admitted to drinking sacramental wine prior to the accident As of this writing, June 21st, Archbishop Sheehan is the new caretaker for the troubled Phoenix Diocese. The Archbishop has his work cut out for him. He has vowed to cooperate fully with civil authorities, aggressively remove offending clergy and meet one-on-one with victims of sexual abuse by priests to apologize for their suffering. Three top diocese officials attended the funeral at the Tuba City Assembly of God Church for Reed, the hit and run victim. Not all Navajos welcomed the church officials with open arms. Many felt it was too painful to think about going inside the church for a funeral for one of their own, while they are still trying to recover from the death of another one of their own – Army Spc. Lori Piestewa a Hopi Indian who lived in Tuba City. Piestewa is the first female American soldier to die in combat during the U.S. Iraqi War. The group most adversely affected by the events taking place in the Phoenix Diocese are the Hispanics, who constitute more than 200,000 of the 478,000 parishioners. They treat the church’s authority with the most reverence. Their faith is their identity. Many of them have grown up with photos of John F, Kennedy, the first catholic president of the United States, and crosses as a major part of their living room decor. Their faith has been shattered by the sex scandals that have been exposed over the past few years leaving Hispanics with the impression that the Mexican community has been used as a dumping ground for abusive priests. Records and legal documents show a pattern in transfers of priests who have been criminally indicted: Of the approximately 24 priests who have been involved in the diocese scandal, all but one were sent to Hispanic parishes after allegations of sexual abuse. They also know that because so few of the victims have come forth with claims of abuse, there are still hundreds out there still keeping silent, still remaining true to the church not wanting to question a priest’s reverence and the authority of the church. That faith is slowly but surely eroding as Protestant churches are reaching out to Hispanics. Not only the Southern Baptists, and Pentecostals, who have had the most success in converting Hispanics, but Presbyterians, Lutherans and Methodists – all mainline Protestant churches have intensified efforts to reach Hispanics by adding Spanish language services, hiring Hispanic clergymen or offering assistance such as English classes and food assistance. The increased effort by the Protestants are having repercussion on the Catholic Church, itself. As the church sees its foothold slipping, it has beefed up efforts to retain its Hispanic parishioners. With each new generation, the percentage of Hispanics who consider themselves to be Catholic is slipping as the percentage who call themselves Protestants is increasing. The new Phoenix Diocese interim bishop has his hands full with the misdeeds of the arrogant and aloof man he is succeeding. Under the immunity agreement between Bishop O’Brien and County Attorney Romley, O’Brien will not be prosecuted for obstruction of justice in his handling of sex abuse cases – a separate matter from his hit and run felony charge. The agreement contains provisions that prevents the bishop of the Phoenix Diocese – now Sheehan – from direct involvement in investigating sexual abuse claims against priests. The diocese will have to appoint a new chief of staff and an independent youth protection advocate to deal with the abuse cases. The Archbishop has removed 20 priests accused of sexual abuse and began a series of meetings with victims of sexual abuse, something O’Brien was reluctant to do even under the advice of his attorneys. So far, 150 victims have been counseled He has prepared a letter to be read to the Phoenix faithful at all masses starting this Saturday night. He’s expecting to reassure Catholics about the future and rally them around their faith asking them, to “put their faith in the sacraments of the Lord.” With Hispanic faith crushed by the events and revelations of the past few weeks, Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan has a rough road of him. He has not only to repair the damage done to the church by abusive priests, he has fight to regain the faith of his Hispanic flock, and at the same time contend with Protestant denominations also vying for Hispanic membership in their churches. On top of everything else on his plate, the Archbishop will have to bear the brunt of the forthcoming felony hit and run trial of Bishop O’Brien which is bound to make headline news across the country. Information for this article has been compiled and edited from the pages of the The Arizona Republic – a Phoenix paper and The Sun, of Yuma. One thing for certain, the Catholic Church will never be the same, again, in America. I know it and so does the Vatican! ------------ About the author: Bobbie Hart O’Neill is a retired print media journalist, CSU-Sacramento, ’74, with 40 years experience in the field. She has worked as a reporter, feature writer, columnist, public relations writer, magazine/newsletter editor and publisher. She is currently a freelance writer residing in Yuma, Arizona and has published a children’s book, written three screenplays and a novel. In addition, she is interested in civic affairs, politics, current events, ethnology and animals. Email Bobbie: bobbieo@digitaldune.net Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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