Finally revealed: How one American Catholic bishop criminally silenced faithful priests!

Altoona-Johnstown Diocese News ^ | Bishop Joesph Adamec

[Polycarp]

This is a copy of a penal decree written by Bishop Joesph Adamec of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, PA, to a retiring Monsignor. This Monsignor had testified extensively at a sexual molestation trial in 1994, and was intimately aware of the depth and extent of the scandal in his diocese. Upon his retirement he was formally threatened with excommunication if he ever wrote about or was interviewed regarding the scandals in his diocese.

This is a look into the manner by which certain bishops have terrorized and frightened loyal priests into silence:

	Msgr. Saylor Letter

This has been revealed for the first time on a website run by lay Catholics the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, PA, Altoona-Johnstown Diocese News in order to expose and purge the diocese of the scandals and corruption endemic under this bishop.

[Polycarp]

This criminal blackmailing of knowledgable priests needs to be exposed nationally and the offending bishop should be forced to resign and stand trial for blatant obstruction of justice.

[Polycarp]

This needs to be exposed and publicized far and wide.

[Cicero]

It sounds as if this bishop should be given the boot.

[Republic]

Written in the yr 1999. This is horrid-it is extortion that threatens excommunication or other penalties should the retired priest ever so much as whisper about his experiences within the Diocese. This needs to get to O'Reilly and Sean Hannity-muy pronto!

[kstewskis]

this is absolutely sick. We need a giant "flush" of these offending bishops, and out them immediately.

[ArrogantBustard]

The Bishop does have the authority to order a priest to "shut up". This authority is supposed to be used to silence heresy. It is not supposed to be used to cover up actions which are (objectively) gravely sinful and criminal. This letter certainly has the appearance of the abuse of Divinely instituted authority.

This is not a good thing.

[eastsider]

Whereas, the Diocesan Bishop must prevent scandal to the Christian Faithful (c.1722) and maintain ecclesiastical discipline (c.1317);

The irony of it all.

[COBOL2Java]

Please, everyone, pray for the faithful priests, who soldier on in the midst of these atrocities, and even be muzzled by their Ordinaries. We cannot imagine what the powers of darkness are doing to them.

[trad_anglican]

The irony of it all.

And the sickness of it.

[ArrogantBustard]

And the sickness evil of it.

Let us not be shy about calling evil by its right name.

[Desdemona]

Please, everyone, pray for the faithful priests, who soldier on in the midst of these atrocities, and even be muzzled by their Ordinaries. We cannot imagine what the powers of darkness are doing to them.

BUMP

[american colleen]

bump for later reading

[Jim Noble]

Apparantly Bp Adamec is willing to go quite far (and run quite a few risks) to preserve the status quo.

Must not be too worried about millstones...

[Antoninus]

Amazing that Adamec would utlize a tool meant to silence heretics to muzzle those who would expose scandal. Meanwhile, he invites flaky new-age nuns and such to speak in his diocese. There's something terribly wrong here...

[sinkspur]

This letter certainly has the appearance of the abuse of Divinely instituted authority.

It's a stupid letter. Excommunication cannot be imposed for something that is not objectively morally evil, and talking about episcopal cover-up of pederasty is not objectively evil.

I suspect canon lawyers would laugh in the bishop's face over the issuance of this missive.

[SengirV]

Someone needs to take a closer look at the Diocese of Allentown as well. I attended Cotholic grade school and high school there, and I now know of THREE priests that have molested children in that Diocese, heck within a 5 mile radius of my high school(read 2 of the 3 priests were teachers at the high school). It appears that the culture of molestations were stronger in some Diocese than others. The Diocese of Allentown did it's best to pay off the molested children's families(in the only case I was close to, the Diocese payed the family $4.5 million as long as they kept their mouths shut).

It makes me sick when My present Diocese is guilting poor families into contributing $5K for a special $1.5 mill fund raising drive. When they asked me to contribute, I gave a smaller amount then they asked for. When questioned as to the amount(other families worse off were giving more), I told them to get the rest from the Diocese of Allentown, and gave the graphic specifics of the churches hypocrasy. Amazingly, they simply said thank you and left - I was actually impressed that they did not push the issue.

[Polycarp]

Judie Brown's followers are a rag-tag bunch of malcontents

Thank you.

And her critics are worser ;-)

[SengirV]

Really? Is this the same Vatican governing body that refused to kick pedofile priest out of the priesthood on the first offense?

[Polycarp]

I posted this under several News Forum headings, "Breaking News," "Front Page news," and "Extended News."

I can understand that you folks might not think this first ever revelation of the methods of criminal interference by bishops with the prosecution of homosexual molesters of teenage boys, by conservative activists for which this Forum supposedly serves as a voice, belongs in the "Breaking News" sidebar.

But why the Heck was it pulled from "Front Page News," and "Extended News" also?!?

[ThomasMore]

Dante was right!

[Campion]

St. John Chrysostom was right!

[ThomasMore]

Amen and better example!

[sinkspur]

Is this the same Vatican governing body that refused to kick pedofile priest out of the priesthood on the first offense?

No. This is a bishop acting on his own. He has no canonical authority to willy-nilly impose excommunication on a priest because he won't keep his mouth shut.

[dirtboy]

But why the Heck was it pulled from "Front Page News," and "Extended News" also?!?

Probably because you engaged in rampant abuse of all the sidebars, not just breaking news. Pick one sidebar that best fits.

[SengirV]

I suspect canon lawyers would laugh in the bishop's face over the issuance of this missive.

I was responding to this statement. What canon lawyers are you referring to? At the Vatican? That is why I brought up the "allowing pedofiles to remain priests" issue. It would seem that the Canon Lawyers who allowed that rule to go public would have little problems with forcing someone to shut up so as to not bring a scandal to the church. The "X pedofile strikes and your out of the priesthood" rule kind of implies that the first offenders is simply pulled from present assignments, given some counceling and then thrown back into a parish to do their "thing" again.

At least now, they are given counceling. In the past, they were simply reassigned to diddle a new batch of little kids at a different parish(I personally know this to be true)

[Polycarp]

Probably because you engaged in rampant abuse of all the sidebars

Bullshit.

I rarely post anything in Breaking News. I usually post only to "Extended News" or "Front Page News."

Upon reviewing current Breaking News threads, however, it is eminently apparent that 1/3 to 1/2 of News Forum threads are posted to more than one sidebar.

This is just more status quo institutionalized bias for this "Conservative News Forum."

[Polycarp]

Please take a look at this.

[BlackElk]

Just the latest outrage from the ultra-liberal AmChurch excuse for a bishop Adamec. He cannot actually be so delusional as to imagine that the Church court system would uphold any excommunication order, can he? Maybe Rome should start by naming a coadjutor without right of succession because of Adamec's obvious mental and moral incapacity and complicity in a wide range of scandals. The Congregation for Bishops should conduct a thorough search for a new and actually Catholic bishop for your diocese. May your diocese soon find itself with a Catholic bishop, preferably a young, energetic and thoroughly orthodox one who is prepared to cleanse Altoona-Johnstown of Adamec's misdeeds generally!

[BlackElk]

Lest I forget, the Vatican should directly intervene on behalf of Monsignor Phillip Saylor and remove him from Amdamec's misbegotten jurisdiction and see to his incardination in a diocese with a Catholic bishop who will not restrain Monsignor Saylor from attacking Adamec as necessary to the faith.

[BlackElk]

Lest I forget, the Vatican should directly intervene on behalf of Monsignor Phillip Saylor and remove him from Amdamec's misbegotten jurisdiction and see to his incardination in a diocese with a Catholic bishop who will not restrain Monsignor Saylor from attacking Adamec as necessary to the faith.

[mathurine]

Don't eat on Ash Wednesday in veneration of Saddam Hussein, though. Status quo is important, after all. Saddam might bother some Christian in Iraq. The local priest might bother some Christian boy in the Altona diocese. But it is not the same thing. The Altona boy is just an American, and in the Church Universal Americans are just shitbirds who provide a lot of money.

[Bob J]

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[SengirV]

What the hell are you talking about?!?!?!?! This is in response to me?!?!?! Your tinfoil hat has obviously slipped off your head. Please locate it before attempting to post again.

[mathurine]

bump

[mathurine]

bumpus

[mathurine]

bumpus

[mathurine]

bumpo, bumpas, bumpant, bumbpamus, bumbpatis, bumbpant.

[mathurine]

bumpo, bumpas, bumpant, bumbpamus, bumbpatis, bumbpant.

[SengirV]

Are you trying to tell me something?

[mathurine]

Naah! Aggravating you is sufficient.

[SengirV]

Aggravating me because you do not like the truth of events of which I have first hand knowledge? It sounds like you live a perfect world and are afraid of realizing that it is not so. Just because you have never been around a clergy pedofile case does not mean they do not exist. And like I said, it appears that some Diocese have a very high incident rate where others have just about none. Apparently, you were lucky, and you should just leave it at that.

[mathurine]

I don't have the problem; you say you do. What's the point of trying to make your problem my problem?

[SengirV]

I don't have the problem; you say you do. What's the point of trying to make your problem my problem?

If you don't have a problem, then why are you bugging me? You must have a problem with what i said(before your multiple posts). Tell me what your problems is with my first couple of posts?

[dioceseaj]

Polycarp you are doing a great job, Adamec is on the ropes. I hear more will come out soon. Susan Evans of the Johnstown Tribune Democrat has got new leads about abusers which have not come out yet. Also, Atty Serbin has Adamec red handed for reassigning Fr. B.G. the hospital chaplin/child molester since the 70's.