Investigation launched into sexual harassment claims at Philadelphia seminary

[Cathoholic]

It looks like our seminarians have been harassed and worse over the years in many instances.

Let’s hope and pray that ends soon.

Investigation launched into sexual harassment claims at Philadelphia seminary​

By Ed Condon

Philadelphia, Pa., Aug 17, 2018 / 12:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop Timothy Senior, auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, has announced that the archdiocese is investigating a claim of sexual harassment made by a former student at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.

In a letter sent this week to the priests and deacons of the archdiocese, the bishop said that the allegations concerned actions by a former student against another during the 2010-11 academic year.

The investigation was confirmed in a statement made by the archdiocese Aug. 16.

John Monaco, a former student at St. Charles Borromeo, made the allegations public in an online account posted Aug. 9.

Monaco subsequently enrolled in St. John’s Seminary in Boston, and also detailed alleged “abuse and misconduct” there. Last week, Cardinal Séan O’Malley announced a “full independent inquiry” into allegations of misconduct in St. John’s.

The investigation at St. Charles Borromeo comes in the wake of the ongoing scandal surrounding Archbishop Theodore McCarrick, who is accused of sexually abusing minors and of sexually harassing seminarians during his time in ministry. On Aug. 17, new allegations emerged concerning a “homosexual subculture” among seminarians in his former archdiocese of Newark.

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s announcement also follows the release of a grand jury report into six other Pennsylvania dioceses. That report followed an 18 month investigation . . .

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/...assment-claims-at-philadelphia-seminary-57261

 

[pnewton]

At this point, I would hope every bishop will consider an audit of their seminaries to assure they are complying with the Pope’s rule on homosexuality.

 

[angel12]

At this point, I would hope every bishop will consider an audit of their seminaries to assure they are complying with the Pope’s rule on homosexuality.

I would go further, and ask that they do a full review of their seminaries for any pattern of misconduct.

 

[niceatheist]

It strikes me as rather strange that at a time when the Church’s misdeeds over the abuse of children is ramping up again, suddenly it’s time to start a homosexuality moral panic.

 

[Cathoholic]

niceatheist . . .

It strikes me as rather strange that at a time when the Church’s
misdeeds over the abuse of children
is ramping up again, suddenly it’s time to start a homosexuality moral panic.

(Emphasis mine)

There is homosexual abuse of our seminarians too.

Seminarians are not “children”.

The WHOLE package of abuse needs to be looked at this time around.

 

[pnewton]

In my thinking, I was picturing something like audit that is done on the Catholic schools, or like the state does on prisons, jails, schools, etc. Carrying the name of Catholic is a serious responsibility.

 

[angel12]

In my thinking, I was picturing something like audit that is done on the Catholic schools, or like the state does on prisons, jails, schools, etc. Carrying the name of Catholic is a serious responsibility.

That would be excellent.

 

[Telstar]

It strikes me as rather strange that at a time when the Church’s misdeeds over the abuse of children is ramping up again, suddenly it’s time to start a homosexuality moral panic.

It’s not the case that the abuse of children is suddenly “ramping up again”. Most of the incidents in the PA report are very old. In fact, the greatest number of them occurred before the first reports came out, after the Boston Globe first brought the problem to light in the early 2000’s. The sexual abuse of young children has been almost entirely eradicated in the Church, now. Thank God.

But, the problem that has been completely overlooked (or brushed under the rug), back then and now, is the fact that it was not so much a problem of pedophilia, as it was of pederasty. Over 81% of the cases, back then, were of post-pubescent boys (14-17), which also seems to be the case in PA, although I haven’t seen any of those stats noted in the PA report. (But, I didn’t read it all.) That means that it is clearly a homosexual problem among the Priests involved in most of these cases.

Another missed opportunity with all of these investigations and reports, is that they have never even bothered to investigate the problem of predatory sexual attacks against adults (18+), which were also reported back then, as well as in the recent reports that have been coming out of seminaries across the country, and the world. Most of the criminal charges against AB McCarrick are related to the sexual abuse of seminarians and young Priests. This has been brushed under the rug, too. They really need to take a serious look at this problem and root it out of the Priesthood, as well as all seminaries. The problem of sexual abuse in the Church will never completely go away until this is addressed and dealt with by the hierarchy.