The case of the whistleblowing Connecticut priest continues. Recall Fr. Michael Madden who hired a PI to investigate his pastor who was suspected of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from his wealthy parish. When the PI’s report came out the Diocese of Bridgeport pulled the pastor, Fr. Jude Fay from the parish, but it was Fr. Madden who was punished. Now the parishioners are possibly even angrier about the treatment given to Madden than about Fay, believing that Bishop William Lori coerced or browbeat Madden into retracting earlier statements, apologizing for his actions in exposing Fay’s misdeeds, and announcing that he would take time off for “rest and reflection.”
This, in turn, led to a tumultuous meeting at the church when a crowd estimated at 200 voiced their dissent to Bishop Lori. Many of them seemed to believe the apology had been coerced from Madden and that the requirement of “rest and reflection” essentially amounted to an attempt to oust him from the parish.
... Regarding Madden’s decision to hire the private investigator, parishioner Cyndy Ashburne told the Echo, “Obviously, the man was in a position where he felt he had no choice. The Catholic Church has had a problem for a long time with hiding things, with keeping things covered up. So it’s important that people step forward to right a wrong.”
The initiative for hiring the private investigator is believed to have come from the bookkeeper rather than from Madden himself. But the priest is understood to have gone along with the idea after doubts emerged as to whether the diocese would be sufficiently robust in investigating suspicions of wrongdoing by Fay.
... Ashburne said that Madden “looked in pretty bad shape” at the meeting. “He looked like he had been put through the wringer,” she said.
In separate interviews, both Ashburne and Dolcetti suggested that concern about the treatment of Madden is beginning to overshadow parishioners’ anger at the deeds in which Fay is alleged to have been involved.
Fay not forgotten
Technorati Tags:bishops, Catholic, financial misconduct, priests, scandal
Madden rubbed the diocese’s nose publicly in that particular pile of dog poo. Did he expect a hero’s welcome?
It’s the lesson I am teaching my daughters. Sometimes doing the right thing is tough.
I’ve recently learned that Fr. Fay was long known as “Fr. Gay” by virtually every priest in the Diocese. His homosexual lifestyle was hardly a closely kept secret. Let’s be honest…if Bishop Lori wasn’t confronted by criminal acts of theft, he was perfectly content to let Fr. Fay continue to sodomize his boyfriend, so long as he didn’t use diocesan funds. While I can’t excuse Bishop Lori for his refusal to call Fr. Fay to repentance, I understand that most bishops are confronted with the same problem—If they really crack down on the homosexual sub-culture that ensnares are large percentage of priests, they could end up with half their clergy under suspension. Yes, it really is that bad.
If they really crack down on the homosexual sub-culture that ensnares are large percentage of priests, they could end up with half their clergy under suspension. Yes, it really is that bad.
I say: “So what”. I’d drive 50 miles to mass, or watch it on EWTN to get rid of these priests. We may need to go back to the catacombs.
Yes, it really is that bad.
I agree!
“I’d drive 50 miles to mass, or watch it on EWTN to get rid of these priests”
Amen.
“Very few bishops oppose the homosexualization of the priesthood” because as Randy Engel points out in her soon-to-be-released book “The Rite of Sodomy,” many bishops ARE sodomites and leaders of what she calls the “Homosexual Collective” within the priesthood. It’s becoming an automatic reflex now that when one learns about an infestation of perversion and long-term abuse in a diocese the bishop’s persuasion is suspect as well.
orthodox,
I don’t know what really happend in Bridgeport, or about the rumors regarding Fay, but I know Bishop Lori isn’t a sodomite.
In regards to driving 45 minutes, in the near future you may have to. In my diocese, we are on pace to go from 120 priests to 60 priests by 2020. We have 95 parishes with 350,000 Catholics.
If you are a normal, orthodox, and prayerful unmarried male and feel you may have a vocation to the priesthood, send me an email.
This latest turn of events isn’t what I would have expected from Bp. Lori, who had to handle difficult cases in DC for years. Public relations were a strong suit of Abp. McCarrick, but Lori comes off looking bad now in a couple of ways.
First, people don’t like it when a whistleblower appears to be punished for exposing wrongdoing.
Also, if Fr. Madden’s superiors demanded that he make a public confession, it leaves people thinking that those superiors cared more about saving face than about stopping a crime.
More troubling is the fact that many among the faithful believe that the apology doesn’t reflect Fr. Madden’s real views; this raises suspicion that someone has pressured Fr. Madden to compromise his conscience.
“all these years”? Bp. Lori’s been in Bridgeport a total of five years.
Apparently such lackadaisical discipline is not for Fr. Madden…
Thanks for the link Rufus Choate.
I hope my meaning was clear in that what I meant was, the Bishop has been so very lackadaisical about disciplining the flagrantly errant priest, Fr. Fay. But for Fr. Madden correction has been swift and strong. None of that lackadaisical stuff for him!
“He’s been very kind to me in light of my transgressions,” Madden said.
…of Bishop Lori.
Pathetic.
Fr. Madden is apologizing for bringing the truth into the light.
Appalling.
The Bishop may have said to the parishioners words that condemned Fr. Fay’s conduct. But some of us little people in the pews (who pay the bills), think actions speak louder.