Priest sues diocesan, college officials for libel

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Priest sues diocesan, college officials for libel
A priest at St. Vincent College filed a libel suit Friday in Westmoreland County against officials of the Greensburg Catholic Diocese and St. Vincent College, alleging they falsely accused him of being a pedophile even though he was exonerated by state police.

The Rev. Mark Gruber, who is a tenured professor, sued Bishop Lawrence Brandt of the diocese; Benedictine Archabbot Douglas Nowicki of St. Vincent Archabbey; former college president H. James Towey; Dr. John Smetanka, dean of academic affairs; and Dr. Gary Quinlivan, dean of the business school.
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Whilst it seems unfortunate and it appears that the Priest is innocent; with the utmost charity; he should still have the humility to obey his Bishop; which he can amply do whilst still protesting his innocence.
 
JohnDamian said:
Whilst it seems unfortunate and it appears that the Priest is innocent; with the utmost charity; he should still have the humility to obey his Bishop; which he can amply do whilst still protesting his innocence.
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I disagree completely. I think he should sue for his name, and those who defamed it-even with good intentions should realize their not above the law.

I sometimes hear priests and other catholcis say, “Be a man.” Or something like that in response to a question or someone who lacks personal accountablilty.

It goes both ways. Bishops, priests, cardinals, etc- who mess up royally need to be held accountable as well.
 
What is the purpose of the suit? The courts cannot force the bishop to reinstate him. Isn’t there a canonical process he can follow?
 
Spirithound said:
What is the purpose of the suit? The courts cannot force the bishop to reinstate him. Isn’t there a canonical process he can follow?
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A libel suit requires monetary damages (or sometimes irreparable harm in the community) be proven for their to be libel, so he therefore has to ask for monetary damages. However, he might just want to “prove” that he is innocent and have it declared in court and the damages might be secondary. Being reinstated would be an unlikely in any libel suit, it is only monetary damages that are awarded.
 
1holycatholic said:
Priest sues diocesan, college officials for libel
A priest at St. Vincent College filed a libel suit Friday in Westmoreland County against officials of the Greensburg Catholic Diocese and St. Vincent College, alleging they falsely accused him of being a pedophile even though he was exonerated by state police.

The Rev. Mark Gruber, who is a tenured professor, sued Bishop Lawrence Brandt of the diocese; Benedictine Archabbot Douglas Nowicki of St. Vincent Archabbey; former college president H. James Towey; Dr. John Smetanka, dean of academic affairs; and Dr. Gary Quinlivan, dean of the business school.
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how sad. what have we come to. clergy suing clergy. speacialy at the council of the wicked. if i recall the Word of God says we are not to seek the council of wicked. we are not to sue one another. hey,. disobedience all around. more shame to us when our clergy is taking Church matters for the world to decide. what is going on witth the CC?
 
wisdomseeker said:
how sad. what have we come to. clergy suing clergy. speacialy at the council of the wicked. if i recall the Word of God says we are not to seek the council of wicked. we are not to sue one another. hey,. disobedience all around. more shame to us when our clergy is taking Church matters for the world to decide. what is going on witth the CC?
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[bibledrb]Psalm 1:1[/bibledrb]
I don’t think anyone is doing that.

Without seeing the complaint it’s hard to tell what is the exact complaint against the bishop since the suit is for libel and rescinding Fr. Gruber’s priestly faculties doesn’t seem to apply. 🤷

Sounds like a case of Sayre’s Law.
 
Anyone can file a lawsuit.

What will be interesting is whether or not he wins that suit.
 
There may be underlying issues. Perhaps he is in finanical straits and no longer has his salary or full pension and is looking for some kind of settlement from the diocese. If he’s truly innocent then the dicoese, in justice, owes him some kind of support.
 
JohnDamian said:
Whilst it seems unfortunate and it appears that the Priest is innocent; with the utmost charity; he should still have the humility to obey his Bishop; which he can amply do whilst still protesting his innocence.
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He is currently obeying the bishop and the archabbot. He does not say mass or administer sacraments. He, however, is being unjustly accused and punished by the college and the archabbot even though his innocence was proven. One professor at Saint Vincent was warning the students and their parents that he was a “pedofile.” That is defamation. There NEVER was an issue with that. His lawsuit is about clearing his good name.
 
NewEnglandPries said:
There may be underlying issues. Perhaps he is in finanical straits and no longer has his salary or full pension and is looking for some kind of settlement from the diocese. If he’s truly innocent then the dicoese, in justice, owes him some kind of support.
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He never was salaried…he’s a monk with the vow of poverty.
 
wisdomseeker said:
how sad. what have we come to. clergy suing clergy. speacialy at the council of the wicked. if i recall the Word of God says we are not to seek the council of wicked. we are not to sue one another. hey,. disobedience all around. more shame to us when our clergy is taking Church matters for the world to decide. what is going on witth the CC?
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What is “sad,” Wisdomseeker, is that because of all of the legitamate priest scandels, this priest doesn’t get due process. He has been condemned and punished for a crime he didn’t commit…a crime that the state police say cannot be traced to him and that isn’t a crime to begin with. He’s been kept away from his students and his ministry to the church for over a year. He has patiently waited for the bishop and archabbot to reinstate him, but they have ignored the truth. Why? Because they dislike him for speaking up against atrocities in the college and monestary…plain as that.
I assure you, he isn’t happy to file suit. He’s not looking for the “world to decide” anything. He wants his name cleared because the “guys on his own team” don’t have his back.
 
No, what is really sad is that the Church can NOT take a chance with anyone that could be a pedophile. The Church is in a position where, if there is the slightest chance that a man MAY be guilty, they have to remove him from active service.

They do not have any choice in this, because for way too many years they took the word of very sick people that they would “sin no more”. They believed this was a matter of sin, not of law or the actions of people that placed themselves where they could use their office to abuse children. And, keep in mind that it is not just pedophiles that the church has to worry about.

Far too many priests, men that took a vow of celibacy, were also taking advantage of the vulnerable adults in their parishes. I personally know of a religious priest that targeted mentally disabled women, as well as severely disabled women, in his parish for his sexual gratification. There was nothing illegal about what he did, and his community adamantly refuses to remove him from ministry, because he broke no laws. Of course, he repeatedly broke the laws of God and of the Church, but what does that matter?

I am sorry, but if I were a Bishop, and there was even the slightest possibility that one of my Priests was inclined toward sexual behavior with children, I would be forced to remove him from active ministry. If I did not, and it became common knowledge that I had not done this, the media would splash it all over the world that once again the Church is supporting and helping sexual deviants.

This is NOT an area where the Church has any choice. The press WILL attack, at the slightest provocation (or even none at all), and every such attack drives more people away from the Church.

AND, if this man is seeking any monetary compensation, then this is not really about clearing his name, it is about enriching himself. at the expense of the church.

Jesus told us that if we follow him, we have to help bear the cross. Why can’t this man accept the fact that for a while, he has a cross to bear?

What is truly sad is that this priest can not understand this. He is MUCH more interested in his own welfare, than he is of the Churches.
 
The_Old_Medic said:
No, what is really sad is that the Church can NOT take a chance with anyone that could be a pedophile. The Church is in a position where, if there is the slightest chance that a man MAY be guilty, they have to remove him from active service.

They do not have any choice in this, because for way too many years they took the word of very sick people that they would “sin no more”. They believed this was a matter of sin, not of law or the actions of people that placed themselves where they could use their office to abuse children. And, keep in mind that it is not just pedophiles that the church has to worry about.

Far too many priests, men that took a vow of celibacy, were also taking advantage of the vulnerable adults in their parishes. I personally know of a religious priest that targeted mentally disabled women, as well as severely disabled women, in his parish for his sexual gratification. There was nothing illegal about what he did, and his community adamantly refuses to remove him from ministry, because he broke no laws. Of course, he repeatedly broke the laws of God and of the Church, but what does that matter?

I am sorry, but if I were a Bishop, and there was even the slightest possibility that one of my Priests was inclined toward sexual behavior with children, I would be forced to remove him from active ministry. If I did not, and it became common knowledge that I had not done this, the media would splash it all over the world that once again the Church is supporting and helping sexual deviants.

This is NOT an area where the Church has any choice. The press WILL attack, at the slightest provocation (or even none at all), and every such attack drives more people away from the Church.

AND, if this man is seeking any monetary compensation, then this is not really about clearing his name, it is about enriching himself. at the expense of the church.

Jesus told us that if we follow him, we have to help bear the cross. Why can’t this man accept the fact that for a while, he has a cross to bear?

What is truly sad is that this priest can not understand this. He is MUCH more interested in his own welfare, than he is of the Churches.
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You obviously don’t understand the matter at hand. I’ll give you a pass for that. I would feel the same if I didn’t know the details. Innocence was proven. The accusation was that he was viewing adult male pornography (older than age 18…pedophelia is for under 18). It was an unfounded accusation because many others (students and professors) used the computer in question and in fact someone else has confessed to viewing it there. Fr. Mark had nothing to do with it. This other individual was questioned by police and they have proven him to be the one responsible. Fr. Mark has been and continues to be openly defamed by those of the school and monastery through the media and other ways. THEY called the media and made the church look bad. THEY wanted it in the news. Fr. Mark was thrown into this living hell by his own abbot and bishop. Guilt isn’t the issue here…it may be for the other priests you mentioned. For that the church suffers as well. This was self-inflicted by the church. This never had to be.
You want him to accept his cross…he has. He has accepted his stripping of faculties. He has accepted his loss of his professorship. He has accepted all of the knee-jerk reactions to this false claim. What he cannot accept is continous defamation when the proof of his innocence has been crystal clear for over a year. Put yourself in his position.
As for being much more interested in money. You couldn’t be more wrong. He is incapable of having money. He is a monk. He took a vow of poverty. At the very most, he would be able to direct the money towards some cause. He would not posess it at any time.
This fight of his has to happen. He is fighting for all the innocent priests who are accused. He wants the church to give due process…to conduct their investigations without libel and slander. He doesn’t want them to be able to do this to someone else.

If you wish to discuss this further, you may privately email me.
 
I agree with him suing for libel.

He was innocent - this case may get more attention - an innocent priest accused of pedophila? It will prove a message that not all accusations are true.
 
Sir, Fr. Mark is not at all as you have characterized him. The perpetrator had confessed to Fr. Mark himself, and Fr. Mark maintained the confidentiality of the confession and obeyed the Arch-abbot and Administration for a full year. He knew the truth, and waited patiently for the right thing to be done. The right thing was never done, so now he is in the position to let the truth out. How would you feel if had to bury the truth for as long as he did? Besides, I feel terrible for the students who are now not able to take his anthropology classes or discuss the faith with Fr. Mark. I personally learned more about my Catholic faith from this man than I did from any other person I ever encountered, and believe me, I have met many Catholic and religious people. Fr. Mark Gruber was an expert at communicating the faith by relating historical episodes with current modern day issues, and as a linguist, he could relate to his students in precise terms and concepts, what was being said. It is a tragedy that one of the best professors/monks/holy men, is shut of from the rest of the world and is being persecuted by his own church. Knowing him personally, I believe its not for himself that he is suing, its for the future generations who would benefit greatly from his classes/counsel. We need more people like Fr. Mark in our classrooms. Its rare to find one who teaches not only how to think, but how to also seek the truth.
 
fosterjoy said:
He is currently obeying the bishop and the archabbot. He does not say mass or administer sacraments. He, however, is being unjustly accused and punished by the college and the archabbot even though his innocence was proven. One professor at Saint Vincent was warning the students and their parents that he was a “pedofile.” That is defamation. There NEVER was an issue with that. His lawsuit is about clearing his good name.
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That is how I understand it as well.
 
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