When Next Priests Are Accused, Remember Salem

Los Angeles Times ^ | 4/18/02 | Al Martinez

[Aunt Polgara]

In a six-month period in 1692, religion-fired mass hysteria resulted in 19 women being hanged in the Massachusetts Bay Colony town of Salem because a lot of little girls, writhing in the spotlight, accused them of being "possessed."

When sanity returned to the colony, 150 others awaiting trial were freed and the 19 declared innocent of witchcraft. But they remained, nonetheless, dead.

[ventana]

Interesting article Aunt Polgara. If the guy is innocent, methinks he was a conservative and Mahoney used this to move him aside. V's wife.

[Aunt Polgara]

Even though this man was completely innocent, it took him "11 years, two months, six days, 23 hours and 48 minutes" to clear his name, and he is still being discriminated against in his assignment.

[Domestic Church]

Interesting...my first thought was (if he is innocent) who wanted him out of there, was he interfering with someone else's agenda ? The use of force is a key of the leftist agenda.

[Slyfox]

Then there are priests who are being relieved of their posts, not for abuse or alleged abuse, but for not doing background checks on volunteers like me, a parent with four kids who sings in the choir and makes occasional phone calls for parish functions. All because he is a traditional Priest and they want his parish to go to the appropriate liberal.

Parishioners Speak Out

[BibChr]

Any pastor knows it's difficult to prove a negative. "Here's a picture of me NOT DOING what I am accused of..."

Dan

[Snuffington]

Count me among those horrified by anyone, priest or coach, relative or first-grade teacher, who violates a child. But count me also among those who fear accusations without adequate proof and the denial of due process in pursuit of that truth.

Ditto that. Attacking the innocent and the guilty alike is not going to resolve this problem. Time wasted pursuing the innocent detracts from the effort to bring the guilty to justice. It eventually could discredit and derail the whole investiagtion.

Before we set out the firing squad for the abusing priests, remember the proper sequence: Ready, Aim, Fire.

[sinkspur]

Then there are priests who are being relieved of their posts, not for abuse or alleged abuse, but for not doing background checks on volunteers like me, a parent with four kids who sings in the choir and makes occasional phone calls for parish functions.

And if one of you "volunteers" fondles a child, it won't be Stephen Bierschenk who has to fork over $5 million to the family.

[SuziQ]

The use of force is a key of the leftist agenda.

As witnessed by the almost daily breathless stories coming out of the mainstream media willing to tar and feather any priest on the slightest of accusations.

Those against whom there is credible evidence should be removed from ministry immediately. Others about whom there is only 'suspicion' because of one or two accusations should be given some benefit of the doubt and a full investigation done before full scale media attention is turned on them.

And I'm still wondering why these cases seem to be 10 and 20 years old. Have the Dioceses changed policies in the last 10 years which make it easier to spot these guys and nip their activities in the bud? If so, shouldn't they be given some credit for that?

[Tuor]

I wonder, in view of the tempo of recriminations, if a word of caution isn't required here.

I wonder that, too. I think that, *because* of the seriousness of the allegations, that the media has an even greater than normal responsibility to check the credibility of the accusations. However, I doubt that'll happen. Like the OJ Simpson trial, this is a sensation and will draw in veiwers/readers/etc.

Remember folks, it is "innocent until proven guilty," not the reverse.

Tuor

[Domestic Church]

I know my archdiocese has been very aware of legalities even on the parish level over the past 10 years or so but we have a lawyer running things here.

[patent]

Quite a process:

Outraged, Brandlin demanded his ministry back but was told it wouldn't be restored until he'd been completely cleared. On April 15, 1987, he asked for and received a notice of "factual innocence" from the Santa Barbara County district attorney's office, without ever having been charged with a crime.

A few days later, Brandlin said, he again confronted Mahony, and finally his ability to function as a deacon was restored, but he was prohibited from working with children. Again burdened by suspicion and wearied by an effort that had already consumed two years, Brandlin decided to fight on.

. . . .

A psychological evaluation ordered by the diocese in '87 also cleared him, . . .

Letters went back and forth between L.A. and the Vatican, finally bringing pressure on Mahony to lift all restrictions on Brandlin's ministry. That was in April 1997. The entire process, Brandlin pointed out, took "11 years, two months, six days, 23 hours and 48 minutes."

When Mahony cleared him, Brandlin said, he immediately made him a prison chaplain. "He thought I'd hate it," the deacon says gleefully, "but I love it."

patent

[gaspar]

It is now assumed that many of the New England witches suffered from Huntington's Chorea (a type of St. Vitus dance) brought to America from a specific region of England. The New England populace had no idea of what it was that had befallen those afflicted and it was quite frightened.

Although times have changed, and we know that in this case pederasts are the disease carriers, we still must be cautious in our allegations.

[Aunt Polgara]

Yes, quite a process indeed. I am concerned both about the child victims, but also about the clery victims. A false accusation can tar a man for life.

Looked at objectively, it's much easier for someone to make a false accusation than it is for a pervert to carry out the deed.

The Boy Scouts have had a "two-deep" leadership policy for many years. When a new leader quizzed me on it once, I told him that it probably does more to protect him from false accusations than it does to protect kids from being molested.

[Delbert]

Giles Corey: "More Weight!!!" <---From The Crucible. he wouldnt confess to witchcraft because he was innocent. They "pressed him" , kept piling stones on his chest until his rib cage collapsed.
There was one theory making the rounds a few years back that suggested that the residents of Salem , Mass. were "tripping" on a hallucinogenic mold that is known to grow on rye grain when stored in damp conditions within a silo.

[patent]

>>>>>The Boy Scouts have had a "two-deep" leadership policy for many years. When a new leader quizzed me on it once, I told him that it probably does more to protect him from false accusations than it does to protect kids from being molested.

Probably similar to an open door policy here at work. I am far more comfortable shutting my door to talk to male colleagues then women colleagues.

patent  +AMDG

[Aunt Polgara]

Actually I think the fact that many of these cases are 10-20 years old reflects that fact that 10 or 20 years ago, the entire society didn't want to prosecute them. The perps didn't want to go to jail. The hierarchy, obviously, didn't want the scandal. The psychiatrists thought they could cure them. The bishops thought they could save them. The parents didn't want to further traumatize their kids, or to admit that they might have done more to protect their kids. The cops didn't want to bring charges that were so obviously very difficult to prove. So we are using today's standards on yesterday's deeds.

I'm really curious, how they are getting around the statute of limitations issues on these cases. I have no problem with the guilty going to jail, but how can the innocent clear themselves after so many years have gone by? That's why we have statutes of limitations, to protect the innocent. Are we so caught up in the scandal that we don't care if good and innocent men are tarred with the same brush?

[SuziQ]

The Boy Scouts have had a "two-deep" leadership policy for many years. When a new leader quizzed me on it once, I told him that it probably does more to protect him from false accusations than it does to protect kids from being molested.

Amen!! Sir SuziQ would never even drive the baby sitters home for the same reason! He's had this attitude drilled in from work in the zeal to prevent accusations of sexual harrassment.

[SuziQ]

Are we so caught up in the scandal that we don't care if good and innocent men are tarred with the same brush?

Unfortunately, judging by the reponses here on FR and locally on talk radio (MA), YES!

[Aunt Polgara]

Probably similar to an open door policy here at work. I am far more comfortable shutting my door to talk to male colleagues then women colleagues.

Exactly, but don't think that will totally protect you. It's easy to make accusations. It's much more difficult to prove yourself innocent. The newest wrinkle seems to be to get 2 or 3 others to make similar complaints, even if they are twisted and exaggerated, to help bolster the case. Judges seem to be reluctant to dismiss even the weakest of cases if there is more than one plaintiff.