W.Va. Bishop gave powerful cardinals and other priests $350,000 in cash gifts before his ouster, church records show
For people who still wonder how McCarrick could have gotten away with so much for so long, we now have the details of how a W.Va. Bishop abused seminarians, all the while giving gifts to influence as many people as he could. It is really stunning how many people in the diocese knew about the bishop. And, of course, the bishop was busy buying friends elsewhere in the church just in case one of the those who knew decided to do something about it.
The source of the bishop's power :
The roots of the West Virginia diocese’s unusual wealth date back to the late 1800s, to a friendship struck on a transatlantic cruise ship between a bishop from Wheeling and a New York heiress. When she died in 1904, Sara Catherine Aloysia Tracy left the majority of her estate to the diocese, including a large tract of land in west Texas. Oil was discovered there decades later.
The income from the mineral rights generates annual revenue averaging nearly $15 million in recent years and has funded an endowment now valued at $230 million, according to financial documents. As a result, West Virginia’s parishes are largely supported by the diocese — unlike across the rest of the country, where dioceses must be supported by local parishes.What has the former Bishop of Wheeling in common with McCarrick and the former head of the Legionnaires? They were able to thrown money around to pave their way through life.. Money may talk but it also appears to shut people up when it comes to sexual abuse.
"For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
ReplyDeleteMoney didn't cause the transgressions of the bishop, but the availability of it certainly enabled him.
"That priests, through the modesty and humility of their lives, commit themselves actively to a solidarity with those who are most poor."
ReplyDelete-- June intention of the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network (formerly Apostolate of Prayer).
I imagine that it can't be too hard to find poor folks to be in solidarity with in West Virginia. But it might be a little harder to find them while driving your BMW to a steakhouse for a couple of drinks and dinner. Go, ye, therefore and spend this bribe.
This is sickening. If the bishop can give "gifts" like that legally without approval of an oversight board, West Virginia needs new laws about charitable spending. And the Church needs not only new laws but a whole new bunch of bishops, top to bottom.
Tom,
DeleteIf my memory is correct, this guy had his own personal chef, with that $1000 dollars a month in alcohol to spend, he isn't going to be driving anywhere except on official occasions when someone else drove him, and was one of his targets for overnighters. His several residences were also places to invite his targets.
Insiders have long said that the financial scandal is really much more pervasive that the sexual scandal. Ultimately we need new and tighter laws especially about religious organizations.
A former diocesan comptroller pointed out to me that the original diocesan comptroller was Judas.
DeleteOh for heaven's sake! Is ANYONE surprised that money talks in this denomination? How frigging naïve are you???
ReplyDeleteMoney not only talks in this denomination, it walks. Finance lady in my parish stole $500k over several years. The Great Recession provided cover as an excuse for the drop in collections.
DeleteSeems like there has been a rash around here in the last few years of people working for nonprofits (including churches) who embezzled funds. Often there is a gambling addiction involved. There is usually an absence of sound accounting practices which makes it possible to misappropriate funds. For a while.
DeleteYes, poor diocesan oversight in the case of an embezzler priest, late of The Boy's Catholic school.
DeleteWeirder case was the one using parish funds to build a mansion and using parish funds to finance the contracting business he ran on the side. Said he always paid the money back, as his family was wealthy. Lots of people seemed to feel that was okie-dokie.
Sounds like that guy's heart wasn't really into being a priest.
DeleteEmbezzlement is equal opportunity. There is the case here where a woman who worked for a (secular) nonprofit embezzled quite a large sum of money. She got caught, and is in prison. Which is too bad because she has a lovely family. She has already missed two of the kids' Confirmations and eighth grade promotion, and will likely miss the oldest one's high school graduation. Meanwhile they all have to negotiate the teen years without her. What is puzzling is what did she do with the money. There were no fancy cars or trips to Europe or anything like that, maybe it was the gambling thing.
It would be pretty hard for a marriage to withstand a breach of trust like that. We'll see, I guess.
As the number of priests shrinks, I think the Church takes just about anybody it can get these days, so even the best formation efforts fail when you attract mostly duds to begin with.
DeleteAt the churches closest to me, we had the forementioned embezzler replaced with a Congolese no one can understand (though he was the one who discovered the embezzler); an elderly priest on hospice who can scarcely function; a young alcoholic who was sent away to dry out and has since been replaced by a 50ish guy I know nothing about; an ethnic parish priest who conducts Mass in Czech; and a new guy, about 30, who is hyper and always seems to want to be elsewhere and.doesn't want to chit chat.
I recently went to a funeral where the priest at the homily walked into the congregation and was trying to make some point about Jesus loving us by embracing random people. It was creepy as hell, and people visibly recoiled. This was a very wealthy, white, and uptight parish, and I suspect that this is the best they can do with the priest shortage.
All anecdotal evidence, of course.
But explains why, when I want normality, I go to the lady Episcopal priest.
I am proud of the young man from our parish who was ordained last Saturday. He is a sweet, nice kid who can give a decent homily. And is bilingual as a result of taking part in an immersion program in Central America. Only trouble is I am afraid witb the shortage they'll work him to death.
DeleteUnfortunately with the foreign priests sometimes they don't vet them sufficiently. The archdiocese got burned recently with a priest from India. Makes one wonder sometimes if there is a reason why they left their home.
I know there are some good ones out there, but it's a hard life under any circumstances, and formation is either poor or the priests develop problems once they're cut loose in a parish and the years take their toll.
DeleteOnce a priest gets into a parish on his own there appear to be little formation or accountability mechanisms; they are basically on their own unless they ask for help. There appear to be few mechanisms for support or asking for help.
DeleteJack, that is my impression, and I don't want to lay all the problems on the priests, but, practically speaking, they're going to have to learn to operate differently.
DeletePriests in merging parishes are called on to cover a larger geographical area. The aging (and often grumpy and querulous) congregations feel their needs aren't being met as they were in days gone by. The atmosphere becomes discontented and toxic. Priests get discouraged. If they've mental
or physical problems to begin with, they get worse.
I suppose they can appeal to their bishops, but the bishops can do little if there aren't enough priests to go around.
I don't sense that priests rely on the laity for support. Probably lots of practical reasons for that--not wanting to play favorites, not wanting to look less than "leaderly," etc.
Plus they're men, and men don't ask for help until someone notices they are screwing up and are removed for their own good.
Catholic priests don't seem to want to mix with Protestant clergy. They steer clear of ecumenical ministerial associations.
Some of the same problems apply to deacons. Ours is in his 60s, doesn't seem too physically fit, and he does all the baptisms, marriage counseling, sick visiting, and a lot of the funerals.
Our "Ordinary Joe". Just to give the good guys among the bishops some equal time.
ReplyDeleteThis story really sickens me. I guess it's yet another example of corrupt Vatican culture. I recall reading that Marcial Maciel also used to spread largesse when he went to Rome, as did former Chicago Cardinal Cody.
ReplyDeleteThis pay-to-play (or pay-to-exempt-oneself-from-consequences) mentality is precisely what Francis was originally elected to reform, after Benedict chose retirement over confronting that dysfunctional culture. Francis's original broom, Cardinal Pell, has fallen into a vat of hot water himself, as have one or two others of his original Council of Nine. Those setbacks are unfortunate, but they don't diminish the urgency of reform. Francis needs to summon the resolve to carry through with it, and find allies willing to crack a few eggs, send a few (or more than a few) cardinals, bishops and monsignors off to retirement, and refer a few (or more than a few) to the secular police and prosecutors for criminal investigations and charges.