According to media reports Archbishop Kelly of Louisville, Kentucky, was aware in 1983 that a pastor had molested a 15-year-old boy but let him remain as pastor with no restrictions on him. This according to the two memos written for his own files, with his own initials or signature to show he had read them. And the reason? He didn’t want a scandal. Sure, sacrifice a few kids to prevent a scandal. There are tons of kids out there anyway.
Kelly said in the March 9 memo that Creagh was performing an “excellent pastoral ministry” at St. Albert. Kelly wrote that Hall’s parents could “destroy his ministry and harm the parish greatly if they make public accusations.”
For one thing, what in the world is the archbishop definition of excellent ministry, because in my book it doesn’t include masturbating the kids in your parish. And notice who the potential villains are in Archbishop Kelly’s estimation. It’s the parents who, in their righteous outrage at the horror inflicted on their son, may cause the loss of reputation for a child molester.
Is it any wonder that our Church is in the mess it is with bishops who’s standards of ministry and evengelization are like this? It is a sure sign of the divine nature of the Church that her ministry and the work of the Holy Spirit continue at all despite the depravity.
