Cardinal Joseph Bernardin Helped Hide Priest Abuse in Chicago, Documents Show

WCPO Cincinnati ^ | 1/21/14 | Greg Noble

[marshmallow]

Former Archbishop of Cincinnati cited in files

CHICAGO -- As head of the Archdiocese of Chicago, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin got credit for instituting reforms and throwing out guilty priests in the midst of a child abuse scandal that covered four decades.

But the former Archbishop of Cincinnati also helped cover up for sexual abusers, according to internal archdiocese documents released Tuesday that show how the archdiocese tried to contain the scandal.

The documents claim that:

> Bernardin not only refused to pursue a canonical trial to remove Rev. Norbert Maday, a convicted child molester, from the priesthood, he increased the priest’s salary to help him in prison after loaning Maday $100,000 for his criminal defense.

In a 1996 letter to Maday in prison, Bernardin wrote: “I have decided I will not seek your dismissal from the clerical state … I do not judge that justice and equity would be served by so severe a sanction. You have suffered enough by your present deprivation of ministry and your incarceration.”

➢ Bernardin was aware that Rev. John Curran molested children as early as 1990, but Bernardin promised not to disclose his knowledge of any allegations, and Curran continued to have access to children until 1995, when Bernardin ordered Curran to go to treatment. Curran was finally suspended in 1996 because he refused treatment, not because of his abuse.

> A priest who allegedly raped a nun, abused a seminarian and had sexual relationships with married women was allowed to remain a pastor after the vicar for priests told Bernardin that demoting Rev. William J. O'Brien would destroy the priest’s career and be “demoralizing” for him.

[AbnSarge]

So I can assume then that your use of the term was in the spirit of respect and harmony for people who belong to a faith practice somewhat different from your own, and with no ill intent.

[Gamecock]

[Gamecock]

Perhaps you are not aware that mindreading is not allowed in the RF.

[Gamecock]

[Gamecock]

[Salvation]

Thanks for bumping this Catholic thread.

[Gamecock]

[Gamecock]

No worries.

[Gamecock]

[Gamecock]

Since you seem to want to get your own house in order why not call out your fellow Roman Catholics about their calling Jim Jones a Protestant?

[metmom]

Hardly need to. We all know how the poster would be reviled as an anti-Catholic bigot and hater.

[metmom]

Thank you for not excusing his behavior, pointing fingers, or attacking others who recognize the facts of the matter as haters and bigots.

[metmom]

“Papist”?

Not much different than *heretic* that non-Catholics are regularly labeled with.

[metmom]

Wait... what????

*ROMAN* Catholic???

I thought that there was no such thing as *Roman Catholic* that it was just Catholic and *Roman Catholic* was a Protestant construct......

[Salvation]

Catholic conservatives: A traditionalist avant-garde
The Rites of the Catholic Church [Catholic Caucus]
One and Many Churches (origins of the Church)
THE RITES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH -- There are many!
(Cardinal) Newman on Rites and Ceremonies

[Salvation]

More than just the Latin Rite

RITE	CHURCHES THAT USE THIS RITE	ORIGINAL LITURGICAL LANGUAGE	PATRIARCH	POINT OF ORIGIN
1.ROMAN	All Roman Catholics	Latin	Bishop of Rome	Rome
MOZARABIC	Archdiocese of Toledo Spain	Latin	Bishop of Rome	Spain
AMBROSIAN	Archdiocese of Milan, Italy	Latin	Bishop of Rome	Milan
BRAGAN	Archdiocese of Braga, Portugal	Latin	Bishop of Rome	Braga
DOMINICAN	Dominican Priests	Latin	Bishop of Rome	St. Dominic
CARMELITE	Carmelite Priests	Latin	Bishop of Rome	St. Berthold
CARTHUSIANS	Carthusian Priests	Latin	Bishop of Rome	St. Bruno
2. BYZANTINE	Belarussian	Old Slavonic		Belarussia
	Bulgarian	Old Slavonic	Apostolic Exarch for Catholics of the Byzantine-Slav rite in Bulgaria	Bulgaria
	Croatian	Old Slavonic	Bishop of Kricevci	Croatia
	Greek	Greek	Apostolic Exarch for Catholics of the Byzantine rite in Greece	Greece
	Hungarian	Greek	Bishop of Hajdudorog, Apostolic Administrator of Miskolc	Hungary
	Italo-Albanian	Greek	Local Latin Bishop	Italy
	Melkite	Greek	Melkite Greek Patriarch of Damascus	Syria/Lebanon/Israel
	Romanian	Romanian	Archbishop of Fagaras and Alba Julia	Romania
	Russian	Old Slavonic	Apostolic Exarch in Russia	Russia
	Ruthenian	Old Slavonic	Bishop of Mukacevo of the Byzantines	Ukrania
	Slovakian	Old Slavonic	Bishop of Presov of Catholics of the Byzantine rite	Slovakia
	Ukrainian	Old Slavonic	Major Archbishop of Lviv of the Ukranians	Ukrania
3.ALEXANDRIAN	Coptic	Coptic	Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts	Egypt
	Ethiopian	Ge'ez	Archbishop of Addis Ababa of the Ethiopians	Ethiopia/Somalia
4. SYRIAC	Syriac		Syriac Patriarch of Antioch	Syria
	Malankarese	West Syriac	Metropolitan of Trivandrum of the Syro-Malankarese	India
5. ARMENIAN	Armenian	Classical Armenian	Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenians	Armenia
6. MARONITE	Maronite	Aramaic	Maronite Patriarch of Antioch	Lebanon
7. CHALDEAN	Chaldean	Syriac	Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans	Iraq
	Malabar	Syriac	Major Archbishop of the Malabar rite	India

[marshmallow]

Up thread in post #7 you were whining about someone "misrepresenting" what you'd posted. I don't want to be accused of that. So I'm asking for clarification.

Why do you (not another blogger) use the word "papist" rather than "Catholic"?

[Gamecock]

Look at all those denominations!

[metmom]

Beat me to it!

[Campion]

Look at all those denominations!

Look! A squirrel!

Why don't you address marshmallow's post #37? Address it in view of 1 Pt 3:15-17.

Notice that no "Papists" [sic] are here defending Bernardin? There's a good reason for that. Think about it for a moment.