Roman
Catholic Faithful
Accuses Bishop Ryan
of Sexual Harassment
By Thomas A.
Droleskey
From the February 20, 1997 issue of The Wanderer
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. —At a press
conference held on Feb. 11th at the Springfield (Ill.) Hilton, Stephen G.
Brady, the president and founder of Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc.,
publicly accused the Most Rev. Daniel L. Ryan, the bishop of Springfield
in Illinois, of the "physical sexual harassment of priests."
At the conference, attended by
several members of the local media, broadcast and print, and by the
communications director of the Diocese of Springfield, Kathleen A. Sass,
Brady gave a brief history of the origins of Roman Catholic Faithful. He
explained that he started his organization to combat the heterodoxy and
liturgical irreverence rife within the Springfield Diocese. Incorporated
on May 15th, 1996, Roman Catholic Faithful has members in all 50 states
and in several foreign countries. There are chapters throughout the United
States.
Brady indicated that he started
the organization because of problems he was experiencing in his own
community, Petersburg, Ill., where a member of the local parish council
was teaching his son in a public school how to use a condom. Another
person, an extraordinary minister who taught at the same school, publicly
endorsed the agenda of Planned parenthood. Efforts to reach Bishop Ryan on
these matters proved fruitless. No action was taken against the
individuals who defied Church teaching in their careers as public school
teachers.
The growth of Roman Catholic
Faithful prompted several priests to contact Brady about problems they had
been having with Bishop Ryan. Two priests, whose identities have not been
revealed publicly, gave Brady detailed information concerning alleged
incidents of having been sexually harassed by the bishop. One of the
priests, who gave an exclusive, detailed telephone interview to The
Wanderer shortly after the press conference, provided this reporter
with extensive corroboration of the charges Brady has made against Bishop
Ryan. The Wanderer has no immediate plans to publish this
interview.
After having gathered statements
from these priests, Brady wrote Ryan a letter. Dated Nov. 8th, 1996, it
stated in part:
"While working with these
Illinois priests we have come to learn that some of them have suffered
abuse and persecution. One form of this abuse has been the sexual
harassment of these priests. In other cases, we have learned that you have
had consensual sex with priests. This is a scandal of the highest order
and an affront to God." Brady then demanded the bishop's resignation by
Nov. 13th, 1996. Failing that, Brady wrote, he would have to make the
allegations public knowledge. An attorney for the bishop wrote to attorney
James Bendell, who serves on the Board of Directors of Roman Catholic
Faithful, that Brady would be subjecting himself to a lawsuit if he made
the allegations —which Ryan vehemently and categorically denies —public.
Brady, however, did not go public
with his accusations. He sought the counsel of many individuals, including
leading canonists and a bishop. At the urging of one priest, the
documentation of these allegations was provided to the papal nuncio,
Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, in November, 1996. A meeting about these
allegations was held at the Nunciature on Nov. 15th, 1996. Unbeknownst to
anyone, however, Cacciavillan had provided all the documentation that had
been given to him concerning these allegations to Bishop Ryan, including a
detailed four-page statement by one of the priests (who had been promised
strict confidentiality in the matter). Ryan thus had all of the evidence
against him, including the names of his accusers. Cacciavillan never once
contacted either of the two priests involved in this case at this
juncture.
Brady went on to state at the
press conference that Cacciavillan now considers the case "closed," even
though no investigation had been conducted. He said that this was a
terrible betrayal of the trust that the priests had placed in the papal
nuncio, as well as a breach of all propriety in the conduct of
investigations of this nature. A woman who answered the phone at the
Nunciature in Washington told this reporter on Feb. 11th that the
archbishop had "no comment" on the entire story. When told that the nuncio
would be criticized for his betrayal of the priests, an action which
helped to precipitate the public revelation of these accusations, the
woman said that she would relay that message to him.
Brady also said that the press
conference held on Feb. 11th had been scheduled originally for Jan. 22nd.
After consultation with a number of individuals, however, he decided to
postpone it in order to allow individuals at the Sacred Congregation for
Bishops to review material sent to them on Jan. 13th, 1997. Given the
actions of the papal nuncio, though, Brady believed that he had no choice
but to go public with these allegations, if for no other reason than to
let Bishop Ryan know that he is going to be held accountable for them even
if the nuncio has decided that the case is closed.
Quoting from St. Thomas Aquinas'
Summa Theologiae, Brady sought to justify what might be considered
a breach of respect for the office of the bishop:
"It must be observed, however,
that if the faith were endangered, a subject ought to rebuke his prelate
even publicly.
"Article 2: Fraternal
correction is a matter of obligation (precept) out of charity for the
sinner. And if the order of fraternal correction has been observed
(beginning with private admonitions until there is no other recourse for
the sake of the faith than to publicly proclaim the prelate), to do so
for the sake of the faith can be meritorious."
Recalling the fact that a priest
once pulled him out of a line to receive Communion over 20 years ago at a
time when he was not living as he knew he ought, Brady said that the
priest acted out of true love for his immortal soul. It is that kind of
love, Brady said, that he has for Bishop Ryan. He wants the bishop to own
up to his actions, as well as to see to it that the priests who fear for
their priestly careers and personal safety are protected. He said that he
had seen his wife through cancer after she had delivered their second
child, and that he discovered just last year that his 11-year-old daughter
had had a stroke at some point in her life that had gone undetected for
several years. Yet nothing, he said, compares in difficulty with what he
believed he was forced to do by holding the press conference. "This is the
most difficult thing I have ever had to do in my entire life."
Brady spent a good deal of time
outlining the problems extant in the Diocese of Springfield. He noted that
a prominent priest in the diocese had written an article in The
Catholic Times, the diocesan newspaper, which dissented from the clear
teaching of Christ forbidding the admission of women to Holy Orders.
Nothing was said or done to contradict the article. Furthermore, Brady
explained to the secular press in attendance that Catholics have the
obligation to use the faith as the basis of how they act outside of Sunday
Mass, that a practicing Catholic cannot be engaged in activity which is
directly opposed to unchanging moral truths. He said that the allegations
made against Bishop Ryan come in the context of a long history of support
within the diocese for theological "opinions" which are at variance with
what is taught by the Church's Magisterium.
Furthermore, a priest has no
authority to function without the direct permission of a bishop (or of a
religious superior). A priest without faculties from his bishop cannot say
Mass publicly —and he cannot hear Confessions except in emergency
situations. The priests making the allegations against Bishop Ryan fear
that they will be punished for: a) not responding to the bishop's alleged
romantic advances; and b) for bringing these allegations out into the
open. Brady expressed the belief that the full facts of the case may not
be known publicly unless action is brought in civil court at which time
the bishop and his accusers each would be deposed in the discovery
process. Brady said that he is not certain whether the priests will bring
an action of their own at this point; however, he said that all avenues,
including that of using the Signatura in Rome, remain open to exploration.
(Canonists sought out by The
Wanderer for comment on this matter indicated to us that it was a
mistake to provide any information to Archbishop Cacciavillan, who has a
reputation for siding with the bishops in matters of this sort without
conducting any examination whatsoever of the facts involved. We were
reminded that it was Cacciavillan who told the [now] former archbishop of
Honolulu that he had been justified in excommunicating a group of laymen
several years ago, even though the excommunication had been reversed by
the Signatura. The canonists we consulted said that the priests in this
case should have gone straight to the Signatura, as well as perhaps
providing information to both the Sacred Congregation for Bishops and the
Sacred Congregation for the Clergy. "Don't deal with the nuncio," we were
told. "He is a company man all the way.")
Reporters from the secular media
expressed a wariness of the allegations, especially since none of the
priests involved were present at the press conference or had provided
notarized statements for Brady to distribute. These reporters indicated
that the case, as it stands now, is essentially one of Brady's word versus
that of the bishop. And since Brady is known to be an irritant in the
Diocese of Springfield, the allegations are rendered slightly less
credible, the reporters suggested, because he was the individual making
them public. But Brady held his ground, stating that he believed that he
had to start this process, especially in light of the nuncio's betrayal of
the priests. He said that he is a simple family man whose pizza business
has suffered a 30% decline since he became visible in his battles against
Bishop Ryan. Going public with this information, he said, was a matter of
conscience for him.
Brady went on to state that he
was going public to give support to those priests in the diocese (and
elsewhere) who have been sent away for psychiatric treatment solely
because of their doctrinal orthodoxy. He specifically mentioned a place in
St. Louis where priests of the Springfield Diocese have been sent for
reprogramming. One reason for sending priests to such a place, Brady
reported, is to stigmatize them for the rest of their priesthood, making
whatever they say less credible in the eyes of others. After all, Fr.
"So-and-So" has a "disorder." "He has been sent away. You can't believe
him."
"Just because the nuncio has
closed the case, that does not mean that it is closed. There is a process
for the laity and the religious to pursue a case on different grounds.
That's what we're going to start working on now," Brady said in response
to a question about where he will proceed. However, the possibility of
civil action is something that he and his board are considering, in
consultation with legal advisers. Brady did say that one of the two
priests had agreed to be interviewed by this reporter, and that the
interview would be made available to other reporters subject to the
parameters established by the publisher-editor of The Wanderer, A.J.
Matt, Jr. (This prompted Kathleen Sass, the diocesan communications
director, to ask Brady if this reporter is a member of Roman Catholic
Faithful. Brady replied that he is not.)
Sass said that her reaction to
the press conference was that "this is very sad. Very sad and very
distressing that relations between Mr. Brady and his bishop have
deteriorated to this point. I am aware that Mr. Brady has had
disagreements with the diocese and with Bishop Ryan but it is saddening
that it has deteriorated to this point. Bishop Ryan has received the
letter, of course. The allegations are totally untrue." She said that the
diocese would welcome a full investigation into these charges, saying that
"Bishop Ryan has been very open in sharing all the information he has
received from Mr. Brady on this matter with the Congregation for Bishops,
with the Vatican nuncio, and with the administrator of the Chicago
Archdiocese."
Attorney and RCF board member
James Bendell wrote a letter to Archbishop Cacciavillan on the same day as
the press conference, Feb. 11th. Noting that he was "disappointed (but not
surprised) to hear you have decided to 'close the file' on the matter
concerning the misconduct of Bishop Ryan," Bendell went on to remark that
Cacciavillan had not even had the courtesy to acknowledge an earlier
letter that he had sent to the Nunciature. As a result of the nuncio's
action in this case, Bendell wrote that:
"1) Your file on Bishop Ryan may
be closed, but ours is open.
"2) For years, faithful Catholics
throughout this country have patiently submitted information to your
office concerning serious deviations from Catholic teaching and practice
permitted and in some cases encouraged by some of the bishops in this
country. Your office has done little or nothing in response. Meanwhile,
the state of Catholicism continues to deteriorate in this nation.
"3) We are no longer going to
wait for you to act. We lay people are the ones that have to watch our
children fed error in many Catholic schools and proceed on to colleges and
universities that falsely claim the name of 'Catholic' We lay people are
the parents whose sons are molested by pedophiles in an atmosphere often
tolerant of homosexually active priests. We lay people are the ones who
drop the money in the collection plate that is used to pay for speakers
and programs that deny the fundamental truths of our faith. . . . We will
make sure our efforts are consistent with Canon Law. . . . The orthodox
laity of this country will no longer sit back and watch the foundations of
our faith eroded. We hope you will join us in this effort."
No response from the Nunciature
has been forthcoming.
Civil and canonical actions are
being considered by Roman Catholic Faithful at this juncture.
(The address for Roman Catholic
Faithful is P.O. Box 109, Petersburg, IL 62675; the phone number is
217-632-5920. The Internet address is
http://www.rcf.org) [UPDATED]
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