Will the Catholic Church Fade Away?
by Dave Gibson, Columnist
January 9, 2003
One of my hopes for the new year is that the Catholic Church and it's leadership
will finally wake up and deal with their miscreant priests in a most decisive
and harsh manner. As an alumni of Catholic school, I understand the benefits
of a parochial education and look back with fond memories of my time spent there.
However, if I had children today, I would not send them to Catholic school...Such
a shame!
For decades the Catholic Church has shielded and protected child-molesting priests. Once complaints begin rolling in from parents and things get too hot...The church simply ships the offending priest off on a sabbatical, then pawns him off on another unsuspecting parish. That practice is nothing more than harboring criminals! The enormous toll of lives destroyed by this disgusting and cowardly exercise will never be fully known.
It is not surprising how an organization which tells it's faithful that their leader (the Pope) is infallible, can forever destroy the lives of it's followers. Blind faith in another man can only lead to failure and sorrow. I attended Catholic school (Norfolk Catholic High School) and during that time, became fast friends with the resident priest (Father Dwight Shraeder). Father "D" as we called him, was an incredibly jovial, rotund man who always had time to listen. He spent many hours listening to my teenaged dilemmas (as well as my dirty jokes!). He was a great guy and just the kind of person you would want working with your children.
Allegations arose this past summer about a priest who worked at my former high school (Father John Leonard). He was accused of sexual misconduct which took place over 20 years ago at a seminary just outside Richmond, Va. About a week after that story came out, two more students brought forth further allegations against Leonard, which took place at my high school. It was alleged that the priest took two teenaged boys into the bathroom and ordered them to pull down their pants and then stared at their genitals. During a news conference held by the local archdiocese, the bishop (Bishop Sullivan) was asked for a comment on these accusations made about Father Leonard. Bishop Sullivan replied: "it wasn't that bad". Many were outraged by the bishop's lack of concern, many devoted followers left the church for good.
Here recently, a local priest (Rev. Wayne Ball) was arrested for 'frequenting a bawdy place'. in a local park on Thanksgiving eve. Police define it as a place used for "lewdness, assignation or prostitution." In police shorthand, the crime is called "frequenting for lewdness." He was in the company of another man (I will leave it to your imagination what 'lewd' acts were being performed by the lights of the dashboard!). These stories are no longer unique, nor can they any longer be described as simply 'isolated incidents'. Local authorities, the news media, and followers alike are now beginning to see these people for what they really are...Humans, not God-like deities to be obeyed and never questioned.
(EDITOR'S INSERTION HERE: From The Virginian-Pilot: "Ball and the Richmond man were in a parked car in Northside Park when two officers routinely patrolling the park in a marked cruiser encountered them, according to police spokesman Chris Amos. It was around 9:15 the night before Thanksgiving.
"I can't really elaborate on what the officers observed,'' Amos said. "But it definitely warranted the charge that they received.'' )
Parochial school is a great alternative to the defunct public school system, and it is usually much more affordable than most private schools. However, thanks to the leadership of the Catholic Church many parents are now afraid to send their children to these institutions. This terrible atrocity has left many parents and children with nowhere to turn.
It is too late to save the church?...Perhaps, if that institution is to be saved, the leadership must deal with this crisis in a meaningful way (full disclosure, cooperation with local law enforcement, lifetime banishment for homosexual and child-molesting priests). Otherwise the Catholic Church will become as irrelevant as the Dodo bird, and they will have no one to blame except themselves. ***
© 2003 Dave Gibson
EDITOR'S UPDATE: Rev. Wayne Ball, pastor of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Norfolk VA, pleaded GUILTY on Dec. 17 to a misdemeanor sex offense ("frequenting a bawdy place") with another man in a car in a Norfolk public park on the night of Nov. 26. An e-mail was received by the editor from Father Ball on May 8th threatening TAP with 'a call from his attorney', unless this article was taken down.
In fairness to Father Ball, it should be noted however, that this act was done with an adult and NOT a child and thus the Diocesan Review Board in Richmond - specifically set up to review child sex abuse by clergy was NOT notified. The American Partisan stands by Mr. Gibson and TAP will not take down this article.
In a SECOND e-mail received from Father Ball, I am informed that as part of the plea agreement, it appears that a conditional discharge is in place, which under the terms of the plea, the matter will be held under advisement until July 8th, at which time it will be dismissed. Father Ball needs to keep in mind however, that he - as a minister, is a public figure by virtue of his profession and is held to a higher standard of behavior because he is in a position of trust and authority. He again threatened legal action against myself and this time, my web host as well. Again, TAP stands by Mr. Gibson and our decision to keep this article posted on the web site with these updates remains in place. One of the responsibilities of a free society is to hold public figures accountable when they step over the line and yes, they are accountable for their private conduct, and that is where a free press has one of its roles come into play.
It should also be noted that according to sources at the Virginian-Pilot, that Father Ball has reportedly asked for a transfer. Anyone care to speculate why? ***
Links to articles relating to Rev. Wayne Ball:
Links to articles by Tim Rollins on Pedophilia, Homosexuality and/or the Catholic Church:
COPYRIGHT © 2003 BY THE AMERICAN PARTISAN. All writers retain rights to their work.
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