When a Bishop Fails
[The following April 2, 2006 Manchester Union Leader editorial is reprinted in full with one-time permission.]
A bishop’s failure: Audit
shows McCormack is unfit
WHEN SUPPOSED men of God have to be
compelled by the state to protect children, something
is terribly
wrong.
That is the situation with the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Manchester. Last week the state Attorney General’s
Office released an audit of the diocese’s compliance
with the 2002 settlement agreement in the priest sex
abuse scandal. That agreement required the diocese to
take numerous steps to protect the children under its
supervision. The audit found that although the diocese
has made a great deal of progress, it has failed to comply
fully with the settlement’s terms.
That is no surprise. The diocese never was as interested
in protecting children, as in appearing to protect them.
It adopted new procedures because not doing so would
have resulted in criminal prosecution. But those procedures
were drafted merely to follow the letter of the law.
The spirit of the law — the deep-seated desire
to shield the innocent from the depraved and the wicked — never
found a home in the heart of the diocesan leadership.
One of the many failures cited in the attorney general’s
report involved a priest who “did not complete
the Safe Environment Screening Program requirements and
was later accused of prohibited conduct, as defined by
the Church’s Code of Ministerial Conduct.”
In a familiar story, the priest resigned “to seek
medical treatment” and was later reinstated by
the diocese. He was later found to have accessed pornography,
possibly including images depicting children, on a church
computer. The audit indicates that the diocese waited
months before notifying the attorney general of this
conduct, as it was required to do.
Yet again, we find the church relying on “medical
treatment” for a problem priest and failing to
handle the priest in a way that demonstrates any concern
for potential victims.
The audit confirms what we have maintained for nearly
four years now, which is that Bishop John McCormack cannot
be trusted to put the interests of children above the
interests of the church. For the safety of all children
entrusted to the church’s spiritual and physical
care, Bishop McCormack must be removed.