I have received a copy of a news release from the Dallas County District Attorney’s office. They are opening an investigation of the Diocese of Dallas “to determine whether the diocese has received any allegations of abuse by members of clergy that have not subsequently been reported to law enforcement.”
This is obviously connected to the resignation yesterday of Fr. Richard and the Dallas Morning News story this morning about allegations made about him in the 90s that were never reported to the police, even after the diocese claimed that all allegations in clergy personnel files had been made public. Combine this with the revelations last week in Cincinnati and the impending explosion in Los Angeles, and you begin to realize that all this happy-talk from the bishops conference about audit compliance and backpatting over “safe environment” programs is nothing more than a veneer over the reality that still exists in locked file cabinets in chancery basements. This is far from over.
Well, it’s about time. I was reading that story in the paper and about the bishop talking to a congregation about the pastor he was forced by THEM to remove … and then he wound up stopping and crying in the middle of his talk. All I could think was “alligator tears.” This is the third such case in the last few days and I have been wondering why the authorities haven’t stepped in to check things out. I’m glad to see they’re finally taking charge of this.
It is worthy of note that the Fr. Bagert who is the subject of Child Pornography investigation, was notable for being prominent in an initiative to support Bp. Grahmann when a petition drive was started to call for his resignation.
How ironic that in the city where “zero tolerance” was devised, that the tolerance was something rather more than zero.
I have to say something about Julie’s point. I’ve met Bishop Grahmann and exchanged e-mails. I don’t think “alligator tears” are in his makeup. Those that know him well say he’s terribly shy. That shyness comes across as an emotional distance that is, quite frankly, rather startling when you first encounter it. He comes across as either non-emotional or cold beyond measure. And please don’t think this is an accurate assessment of his heart. I can’t speak to that, I don’t know.
For him to fake something like this would mean he’s more deserving of an Oscar than The Passion of the Christ is and Mel Gibson combined.
Bishop Grahmann may be many things, but it’s a long job to convince me that he’s faking something like this.
A similar story is unfolding in Chicago, but with a public high school band teacher who is accused of molesting more than a dozen students during his career. The school administration received several letters from victims detailing the assaults, but they stuffed them in a file folder and never notified authorities. If this public high school gets put through the ringer, I guarantee the fallout will cause the powers that be to take a long, hard look at the conduct of the Archdiocese with similar accusations that may or may not have been properly reported.