Posted on 05/02/2005 7:38:57 AM PDT by St. Johann Tetzel
Priest, diocese at odds
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Growing up in Lilly, John Nesbella never expected to become a priest.
Just the opposite.
"In my high school years, I wasn't Mr. Holy Roller by any means," he admits.
"In the 1970s I did a lot of partying, and I was even in jail once on a minor drug charge. I was mostly away from the church in my 20s," he said in an interview.
But after college and a stint in the military, when he was 33, everything changed.
"I had a calling," he said, "a very clear calling, to become a priest."
And so, at an age when most are partway up the career ladder, Nesbella started at the bottom rung, in seminary.
It was there that he encountered homosexuality among priests, he said, and where his problem with the Roman Catholic hierarchy began.
"It was very open. It was scandalous," he said. "I thought maybe it's just that way here, but I later found it was the church's
No. 1 problem, but also the No. 1 thing that you do not speak against."
Now - at age 42 and after speaking out loudly - Nesbella is out in the cold.
After filing a lawsuit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, claiming he was sexually abused at the age of 16 by a priest who is now dead, Nesbella on Feb. 18 was placed on a leave of absence and may not publicly perform any priestly duties.
He says it is retaliation against his strong anti-homosexual stances and intimidation to force him to drop the lawsuit.
"I've been basically fired," Nesbella said. "I am being punished for reporting sexual abuse."
But diocese officials say that a priest can hardly sue the diocese and serve the diocese at the same time.
"Your public expression of intention to litigate against your own diocesan church and its bishop in civil court would lead to confusion among the majority of the faithful, if you were to remain in active service," Bishop Joseph Adamec wrote in a March 10 letter to Nesbella.
"Once this situation is resolved and you have had sufficient time to discern, you and I need to discuss your return to active priestly ministry," the bishop wrote.
Adamec said Nesbella is not being punished for his anti-gay activities, which have included distributing a pamphlet that explicitly described the dangers of gay sex and derided homosexual marriage and a public accusation by Nesbella that the church is covering up sex abuse including "openly homosexual seminarians, teachers and clergy."
The bishop issued a gag order after those activities, infuriating conservative Catholics, who said it was an example of what they view as the bishop's weak stance against homosexuality.
But Adamec insists that was not the reason for his placing Nesbella on leave.
"You stated that you have a difficulty with the bishops of the United States, including myself. It appeared to me that you would be pastorally ineffective, due to the uncertainty that you expressed," Adamec wrote to Nesbella.
Other diocese officials agree.
"This matter has nothing to do with orthodoxy and Father Nesbella's statements about homosexuality," said Rob Egan, diocese secretary for communications. "The two issues have not been confused by the diocese and should not be misconstrued by the public.
"Given the circumstances, Bishop Joseph and the diocesan church have reached out and shown compassion to Father Nesbella even as litigation continues against them," Egan said.
The priest sees it differently.
"I asked not be to placed on leave, but the bishop said, 'No, I'm putting you on leave, and we will not talk about anything until you drop the lawsuit,' " Nesbella said.
"The diocese were the ones who made a big deal of the lawsuit," he said. "The only reason I was fired was the lawsuit."
Author Michael S. Rose, whose book "Good-bye, Good Men" documented homosexuality in the priesthood, writes that priests who speak out against wrongdoing in their own ranks often are punished, even defrocked.
"Despite the fact that most Western governments have laws designed to shield whistleblowers (those who come forward with evidence of illegal or immoral practices in their company or institution) from retaliation by employers, the Catholic Church offers no such protection for her priests or other Church employees," he writes in the current issue of New Oxford Review, a conservative magazine.
Conservative Catholics in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese and at parishes Nesbella has most recently served, including Holy Name in Ebensburg and Prince of Peace in Northern Cambria, say they are upset at Nesbella's fate.
"He feels he is doing what must be done to expose the homosexual rot that still exists in dioceses like ours and is at peace about his decision to pursue this route," said Dr. Brian Kopp of Johnstown.
"Father Nesbella has been referred to as outspoken and controversial because he has spoken publicly about the dangers and immorality of the gay lifestyle and key teachings of the Catholic Church," said Terrie Ledwich of Johnstown.
"I call that merely being orthodox and faithful to the teachings of Christ's Church.
"Isn't that what our priests are supposed to do?" Ledwich said. "Maybe Jesus was called controversial and outspoken also."
Nesbella insists that he won't back down.
"Homosexuality within the Church is being covered up," he said. "We gave the bishops the chance to clean it up, and we're disappointed. They are merely continuing to cover it up. Our only choice is the secular court."
The Church's national program, Protecting God's Children, is not working, Nesbella said.
"It focuses on lay people, but remember, it is a priest sex-abuse scandal, not a volunteer scandal," he said.
"Nothing is being done to address the main problem, which is homosexuality in the priesthood.
"But I've learned that the sacred cow is homosexuality. You do not speak out against it," he said.
"In this diocese, I've been harassed and threatened for discussing this problem."
Nesbella's status now is that he cannot perform as a priest, but the diocese is paying him two-thirds of his salary and providing his health insurance.
But he worries about the future.
"Am I marked?" he asked. "What is my future? Can I stay in the church?
"I was born Roman Catholic. I did the right thing," he said. "I tried, and I want to do everything I can to stand for God, but this problem has not been solved, and they are continuing to cover it up.
"Are we supposed to live in fear? Why are we priests? We're supposed to speak the truth. I'm not going to be a liar, I just want to be a priest."
On the other side, the bishop insists that his door is open to Nesbella.
"We continue to care about you and your welfare," Adamec wrote to Nesbella.
"You should feel free to speak with me at any time. You have the phone numbers."
World Net Daily article about Fr. Nesbella and Bishop Adamec: Exposing the facts of homosexuality
Persecution of Fr. Nesbella by homosexual priests in his own diocese: Gay priests of Diocese A-J in revolt; demand Bishop conceal molesters, sue Catholic activists
Hate mail threatens priests [including Fr. Nesbella]
Diocese [Adamec] muzzles priests (ALTOONA-JOHNSTOWN (PA))
Priests say bishop [Adamec] issues gag order
Diocese [Adamec] tells priest to stop distributing anti-gay sex pamphlets
Johnstown Tribune Democrat
Opinion/Reader's Forum
Feb. 8, 2005
In his January 13 letter (“Begin healing process with diocese disclosure”), Walter Rozum referred to the clergy sex abuse scandal as "sexual assaults on children by pedophile priests.”
Every time I hear the sex abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church blamed on “pedophile priests” I cringe, because the facts tell us it has little to do with pedophilia.
Whenever the media exposed this problem in 2001, it was very painful but it was the chance for the Church to be cleansed of this filth. The cover-up of the actual problem continues.
How do I know?
First, The John Jay report commissioned by the American Bishops to gather data about the abuse irrefutably confirmed that over 80% of the sexual abuse cases were due to homosexual priests. [To quote Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons: "The John Jay report has clearly revealed that the crisis in the Church is not one of pedophilia but of homosexuality. The primary victims have not been children but adolescent males.”]*
Second, I saw it with my own eyes. When I went to seminary to study for the priesthood, I was shocked to find so many openly homosexual seminarians, teachers, and clergy.
Anyone who reported this problem was treated as if they were guilty.
So far over $700 million has been awarded to victims of clerical abuse. Simple math shows nearly half a billion dollars in damages due to homosexual priests.
Yet the media and those who know better continue to spin the myth that the scandal has nothing to do with homosexuality, and that's a lie and a cover-up.
God help someone to find the courage to expose this continuing cover-up so that the real problem can be solved.
Rev. John K. Nesbella
Prince of Peace
Northern Cambria Country (PA)
*Bracketed segment was included in Fr. Nesbella’s original letter to editor of the Johnstown Tribune Democrat but was removed in the printed edition of the paper.
JOHNSTOWN (PA) Tribune-Democrat
By SUSAN EVANS
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Federal postal officials and state police are investigating anonymous, threatening letters to at least three men demanding that they leave the priesthood or face the consequences.
The priests belong to the Altoona-Johnstown Roman Catholic Diocese.
One priest, the Rev. Joseph Nale, was a deacon when he received the hate mail just days before being ordained. That prompted the diocese to take the unprecedented stop of providing security guards at his June 7 ordination.
Two of the targeted priests, the Rev. James Foster and the Rev. John Nesbella, have been outspoken critics of what they say are too-liberal diocese policies on abortion, liturgy and homosexuality.
The letters were mailed from the Johnstown Post Office, 111 Franklin St., postal officials said.
Postal authorities in Pittsburgh said the letters are primarily a state criminal investigation at this point, focusing on the charge of harassment by intimidation.
But they are continuing to investigate and will assist state police, a spokesman said in a telephone interview.
Thanks for keeping us up to date on this outrage.
Thanks for the ping.
Deny the authority of the Church and advocate for women priestesses, no problem. Ridicule the teachings of the Church and agitate for homosexual rights, no problem. Publicly contradict the teachings of the Church on abortion and contraception, even to the point of passing laws to do just that, no problem. Actively particiate in making a mockery of the Sacred Liturgy, no problem.
Speak out against a sin that the Church has condemned since its inception...NOW we have a problem.
Had he ever mentioned this before?
This is not proveable in a court of law, unless there is DNA.
If this is a civil case, a rhetorical question would be what does Nesbella expect to receive if he is successful?
PING
I haven't followed this case. But it just seems weird that the charge would come up now, apparently for the first time. I understand the difficulties of proving it -- but "blame the dead guy" always sounds underhanded to me.
"The Church's national program, Protecting God's Children, is not working, Nesbella said.
"It focuses on lay people, but remember, it is a priest sex-abuse scandal, not a volunteer scandal," he said."
Agree. Although I didn't have a problem being finger printed and so forth to continue working as a lay man in the Church, it seemed too much emphasis is being placed on this to the exclusion of bishops and priests, although the vast majority of the problem was not the lay ministers.
regards
If the diocese locally, and the USCCB in general, had addressed the homosexual priest issue and done something about it, he would have taken it to the grave.
The accused TOR priest had not been credibly accused of anything in the past, but was a close associate of this diocesan priest:
Priest Uses AOL Profile To Solicit Homosexual Sex |
The following screen names were registered by a local priest on America Online (AOL) which is a national Internet provider.
Bishop Joseph V. Adamec has been presented with this information including a written letter and refuses to remove the priest from public ministry.
There were two "Screen Names" he used. "MayPayU" and "Willpay4some"
In AOL's web site you can look up personal information on screen names. Here is the information used by one of our current Pastors.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Member Name: Teddy Bear or whatever
Location: Blair County near Altoona
Sex: Male
Marital Status: single, 50's, 240, br/br
Hobbies: young guys! walking, sucking, tactile and whatever
Computers: bi and straights welcome, candy ass need not apply
Occupation: self employed, whatever
Personal Quote: the old ones think its their last and give it their all everyone has his own idea of a good time
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This information was obtained through AOL's web site on October 31, 2000 and has since been removed.
The goal of releasing this information is not to expose publicly the sins of priests, however when such activites are carried out in a public or semi-public manner which undermine the office of the priesthood, there is a duty to act and bring about a corrective solution. It was our hope that the Bishop, when presented with physical evidence would carry out his duty as a spritual father and take corrective action. However the Bishop has chosen to ignore the issue and the priest in question continues to serve in public ministry.
HOME
This site is not affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona- Johnstown
.
This AOL information was presented to Bishop Adamec over two years ago, but the Bishop has refused to act on it. He immediately suspended Fr. Nesbella when he filed this lawsuit, however.
Troll the internet for paid homosexual sex, remain a pastor in good standing.
Come forward as a victim, get suspended.
He's sick of the USCCB and the MSM and the local bishop continuing to call this a "pedophile" priest problem, when its all about homosexuals in the priesthood.
He wants the Church to act on the homosexual rot. He wants it known that the problem is not pedophilia but pederasty. He wants the homosexuals that run this diocese out.
He doesn't necessarily expect success in the worldly fashion in court, though I'm sure his attorney would like to be monetarily rewarded for his time and efforts.
Thanks for the background!
The evil one owns this bishop. May St. Michael the Archangel and all the Armies of heaven remove the demons in the flesh from the "power structure" of the Church.
If anyone needs removing, it is the execrable Bishop Adamec. Looks like a job for B-16! Maybe he can dispose of Fort Worth's Bishop Delaney while he is at it! And Cardinal Mahoney and Cardinal McCarrick and Cardinal Keeler. Sometimes, B-16 is going to feel like a kid in a candy store.
In the end, if this lawsuit brings Adamec up onto B16's radar screen, then it has been a success IMHO. I do know that while the first article didn't garner much media attention, it certainly turned heads among Adamec's peers in the USCCB. A priest suing his bishop and diocese is unheard of, the USCCB is watching this one, and its quite the badge of dishonor for the esteemed Bishop Adamec.
FATHER JOHN KNESBELLA 10 MARCH 2005
1357 LEVEL ROAD.
LILLY, PA 15938
(814) 243-9442
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Dear __________,
You have been a friend and supporter over the years and I am writing to let you know what is going on.
Bishop Adamec has decided, as the newspapers have put it, "to put (Fr. Nesbella) on a leave of absence." In reality it is a defrocking and a complete suspension as a priest without pay. This was done immediately after my lawyer informed the Bishop of intent to file a lawsuit.
In charity we try to give people the benefit of the doubt. That is what I did 25 years ago for a certain individual with respect to his inappropriate homosexual behavior towards me while I was a minor.
Why, after all this time, would I come forward to report this?
At 34 years of age, I went off to seminary to study to become a Roman Catholic priest. What I saw in seminary and the inner world of the clergy convinced me that what happened to me, when I was 16, was NOT just some random momentary lapse of one good man. It is part of a widespread problem that has infilttated the priesthood. Today I see that what happened to me in the context of the priest sex scandal and my own experiences and realize that it is something that needs to be reported.
Why would I need a lawyer?
In my particular case this was the only way to assure fair treatment. I want the truth recorded on public record. A case of homosexual misbehavior should not be written off as just another case of pedophilia. The most aggravating circumstance is my reputation in speaking out in defense of Church teaching on homosexuality and there has been a long pattern of harassment from clergy who see me as an enemy. In my case, as an insider, to go before the allegation board without the protection of a lawyer, was not really a good choice.
“Priest about to sue diocese put on leave of absence”
(See the website of the diocese of Altoona-Johnstown for February 18, 2005)
STATEMENT of the Most Rev. Joseph V. Adamec, Bishop
RE: Reverend John K. Nesbella
“On Wednesday. I received notification that one of our diocesan priests, the Reverend John Nesbella, has retained Attorney Richard Serbin relative to an allegation of sexual abuse. I regret that Father Nesbella has had to suffer the hurt that is claimed in the allegation. The allegation is against a priest of the Third Order Regular of Saint Francis, the Reverend Martin Brady, TOR, who died on March 19, 2003. The incident is alleged to have taken place at one of the rectories of the Diocese over 25 years alo when Father Nesbella was 16 years old.”
“Father Nesbella is being placed on a Leave of Absence, effective today. He will not be engaged in any public priestly ministry during that time."
Not Your Normal Leave of Absence
(letter from Bishop Adamec to Fr. Nesbella dated Feb.18, 2005, paragraph 4)
“I remind you of the conditions that this includes."
"You no longer have the faculties of the Diocese, except for cases where those dying need the ministry of a priest.
At no time are you to engage in any public priestly ministry.
Nor are you to wear clerical dress or present yourself publicly as a priest. The obligations of celibacy and the praying of the Divine Office remain.
You are allowed to offer the Eucharistic Liturgy in private on your own, but not in any church or chapel.
Since you are no longer able to speak and write in the name of the Church, I remind you need to cease doing so.”
Bishop Adamec was kind enough to keep me on the medical plan of the diocese.
I made it clear to the Bishop that I did not want to go on an unpaid leave of absence.
(Letter from Bishop Adamec to Fr. Nesbella dated Feb.18, 2005, paragraph 2)
"I have given you a Leave of Absence. effective immediately. This is not being done in retaliation for your strong stand on certain issues...Nor is the reason the fact that you came forward as an alleged victim."
Then what exactly is
THE REASON FOR RETALIATION?
Allow me to remind you, that Father John K. Nesbella is NOT the one being accused of doing the sexual abuse. To be forced to take a leave of absence is one thing. To be on forced leave without pay is even worse. Reasons for "you no longer have the faculties of the diocese," were never given, less explained. To be "defrocked" and suspended as described above is among the most severe penalties short of being completely kicked out.
Even though it might seem like beating a dead horse, we need to continue to persevere and run the race as if to win. For the good of the Church, our Leaders and Bishop Adamec need to know what good Catholics think. Among other ways, you might wish to send the Bishop a message of thanks or give me some support, especially by charitably telling the appropriate people what you think...and perhaps include a few good reasons.
I do want to thank you for your support of the Roman Catholic Priesthood over the years. You have been very generous to assist me spiritually by your prayers and sacrifices as well as by your bounteous material support. May you be blessed with true grace -- the supernatural life of God. What I do in light of my strained conscience is for the best of tbe Church -- the Bride of Christ. May God's will be done charitably and with great care. You are free to write me at the address in Lilly or call me at the cell phone number on this letter. Feel free to pass this letter onto others.
Sincerely Yours,
Father John K. Nesbella
Bump. I pray that some good may come of this hideous situation.
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