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HagiaSophia
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The “stuff in the air” to which Roberts referred comes from two main sources. One was the near-fatal beating in December in Douglas Park of the Rev. Eugene Costa. The park has long been notorious locally as pickup spot for gay sex. After Costa was beaten, the diocese released a statement that “previous instances of inappropriate and risky behavior” by Costa had come to its attention. Costa resigned his post at chancellor of the diocese and as pastor of St. John Vianney Church in Sherman and Holy Family Church in Athens and left Illinois for an out-of-state rehabilitation facility last month.
The Costa case left lingering questions of how the incidents of “inappropriate and risky behavior” did not come to the attention of diocesan officials sooner. It also reignited the long-smoldering discussion of church tolerance of a so-called “gay subculture” among its priests.
The other source is an allegation by Stephen Brady of Petersburg, president of conservative Catholic group Roman Catholic Faithful, that involves Lucas himself and that Lucas on Thursday described as “totally false.”
Roberts is a Methodist with no ties to the Church, and he will have two assistants, plus access to state and national investigators. He should be able to efficiently and objectively vet all current issues and, more importantly, future allegations involving priests in the diocese. To prevent those allegations from lurking indefinitely in the rumor mill, the diocese has established a toll-free number, (866) 346-2003, and an e-mail address, clergymisconduct@aol.com, at which Roberts and his assistants can be contacted directly and confidentially.
All of this should go a long way toward reassuring Catholics in the Springfield Diocese of the seriousness with which Lucas treats allegations of clergy misconduct and of his desire to deal in a serious and practical way with those allegations.
sj-r.com/sections/opinion/stories/48396.asp
The Costa case left lingering questions of how the incidents of “inappropriate and risky behavior” did not come to the attention of diocesan officials sooner. It also reignited the long-smoldering discussion of church tolerance of a so-called “gay subculture” among its priests.
The other source is an allegation by Stephen Brady of Petersburg, president of conservative Catholic group Roman Catholic Faithful, that involves Lucas himself and that Lucas on Thursday described as “totally false.”
Roberts is a Methodist with no ties to the Church, and he will have two assistants, plus access to state and national investigators. He should be able to efficiently and objectively vet all current issues and, more importantly, future allegations involving priests in the diocese. To prevent those allegations from lurking indefinitely in the rumor mill, the diocese has established a toll-free number, (866) 346-2003, and an e-mail address, clergymisconduct@aol.com, at which Roberts and his assistants can be contacted directly and confidentially.
All of this should go a long way toward reassuring Catholics in the Springfield Diocese of the seriousness with which Lucas treats allegations of clergy misconduct and of his desire to deal in a serious and practical way with those allegations.
sj-r.com/sections/opinion/stories/48396.asp