Archbishop Myers Responds to Star-Ledger Editorial

Archbishop John J. Myers has responded to an insightful and damning editorial published by the Star-Ledger yesterday, in response to an earlier letter Myers sent to priests.

As the Star-Ledger put it, every response from Myers and his spokesman "boggles the mind."  Desperately clinging to his perquisites and power, he fails to show any remorse, responsibility for victims or compassion for those wounded.  We aren't inclined to offer this Church wrecker helpful advice, but if he were to spend any money on a competent public relations firm, the first thing they would say is "stop talking."

His most recent statement once again highlights all the procedures to ensure that priests of the diocese, the blue-haired ladies in the school lunch room, the Knights of Columbus serving up pancakes and the dedicated mother teaching CCD undergo criminal background checks and training.  Unfortunately, the problems don't concern procedure and protocols or those being vetted as much as they do an irresponsible, cold, aloof and indifferent Archbishop.

John Jay College of Criminal Justice found that 10,667 individuals had made allegations of child sexual abuse against 4,392 Catholic priests between 1950 and 2002, and that most such acts took place between 1960 and 1984. The 4,392 priests made up 4% of all Catholic priests.  Of these, fewer than 2% had credible allegations lodged against them, and many of those had died and could not defend themselves.  The scandal, which Myers alone among the American bishops continues to fuel, concerns not the one percent of priests who were guilty of moral turpitude, and it certainly didn't involve to any significant degree teachers, lunch-room workers, janitorial staff and lay volunteers to whom Myers continually seeks to divert attention.  The scandal centers on the more than half of all American bishops who sought to cover up criminal activity, who failed to notify parishes of the predator in their midst, and who bent over backwards protecting priests they should never have ordained, while lives were ruined and families were left devastated.

So read the Archbishop's latest defense of himself linked here.  It is yet another example of this very embarrassing Church leader's total lack of Christian compassion and humanity.  His own words condemn him.  He is obviously going to cling to power regardless of how much damage is done to the Church in Newark and beyond. For the sake of some very good and holy priests in the Archdiocese and for the long-suffering lay faithful, we pray that God will remove him and that healing may begin.