Illinois Diocese Involved in Damage Control, Says Catholic Activist Group

Agape Press ^ | January 17, 2005 | Jim Brown

[Land of the Irish]

(AgapePress) - A group that exposes abuses within the Roman Catholic Church says the diocese of Springfield, Illinois, is a "hotbed" of homosexual perversion.

Last month, Catholic priest Eugene Costa was found severely beaten and unconscious in a Springfield park that has a reputation as a hangout for homosexuals. Now the diocese has stripped Costa of his parish and his position as chancellor because of his history of lurid behavior.

Stephen Brady, with the group Roman Catholic Faithful, calls the decision to remove Costa a "preemptive strike," and contends the diocese is doing damage control.

"The diocese is removing Costa just to sort of limit damage that comes from all of this -- because a lot of the key people in the hierarchy have now been exposed as predatory homosexuals," Brady says, adding that "it doesn't seem to phase Rome to the point where they'll do anything."

Brady says immorality runs deep within the diocesan leadership. "[Retired Springfield] Bishop [Daniel] Ryan ... just had a domestic disturbance call at his home this summer, where he kicked his former boyfriend because he caught him with another man," he notes. "[And] we recently interviewed an individual who also gave us some firsthand testimony alleging he was present and participated in some immoral activity at the Springfield Cathedral rectory this summer."

Brady believes homosexual leaders in the diocese have placed like-minded people into positions of authority in order to protect their own secrets.

"These are guys who are supposed to consider homosexual activity an abomination," he laments. "Now we have Vicar General Renken and Father Steffan [tribunal officers in the diocese] who are known to be a homosexual couple, yet they hold key positions within the hierarchy."

Brady says his group will continue to expose abuses within the Catholic Church, and plans to release more damning information about other leaders in the Springfield diocese. "It's a hotbed of perversion here in this diocese -- in many [dioceses], unfortunately, the homosexuals seem to be taking a strong foothold," he adds.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.

[Land of the Irish]

Ping

[26lemoncharlie]

The Catholic church needs to PURGE itself of these scum and abominations to the LORD!

[Diago]

If Brady and RCF ever have the time, I hope they come to Cleveland Diocese...another hotbed of homosexuals.

From bishop Pilla's own website:

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/images/rnbwtile.gif

http://www.dioceseofcleveland.org/gayandlesbianfamilyministry/images/tooosgif.gif

The following exchange appeared in an article on a gay convicted priest here in Cleveland. [Note: Burkhart is a gay detective and McBride is the gay priest]:

Burkhart and McBride dined on crab cakes and chatted lightly. After dinner, McBride turned the conversation to the recent Catholic Church scandal. He hoped that, when it was all over, the church would recognize that priests are sexual beings too -- and that some are gay.

"Back in the 1960s, would you have ever come to a place like this?" Burkhart asked. "I mean, in this town, where you were working?"

"Probably not, no," McBride said. "Realistically, in 1960, no."

"And in certain places it looks like the seminary on Saturday night now," Burkhart joked.

"Yeah, that really is how it is," McBride said.

They compared notes on seeing clergy in gay bars. Then Burkhart stammered as he asked McBride a personal question: "So, whenever you had sex . . . were you bound to go to confession and confess it before you said Mass, or . . .?"

"Well, you were supposed to, yes," McBride said.

"Do you think all these priests do?"

"No," McBride said. "I think they changed their minds and decided it's not a sin."

The full article can be found at this link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/992919/posts

[murphE]

Do me a favor and post these things on days of fasting, it will make it a lot easier to do so. ;-)

[Grey Ghost II]

"Now we have Vicar General Renken and Father Steffan [tribunal officers in the diocese] who are known to be a homosexual couple, yet they hold key positions within the hierarchy."

But, they are in union with Rome and that's all that matters.

[Mershon]

"Now we have Vicar General Renken and Father Steffan [tribunal officers in the diocese] who are known to be a homosexual couple, yet they hold key positions within the hierarchy."

But, they are in union with Rome and that's all that matters.

NOW THERE is a non-sequitur if I have ever seen one. Should we discuss the suspected sodomites with the SSPX organization, for starters?

[Grey Ghost II]

Should we discuss the suspected sodomites with the SSPX organization, for starters?

Name one.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

"Now we have Vicar General Renken and Father Steffan [tribunal officers in the diocese] who are known to be a homosexual couple, yet they hold key positions within the hierarchy."

eewwww :-(

I don't know how Brady has the stomach to do this work.

[Grey Ghost II]

Here's how they handle perverts in low country:

"In February, a spokesman denied a lawsuit's allegation that the diocese was employing a "known priest-pedophile." Later, the spokesman acknowledged that an accused priest remained on the job, after having been suspended in the mid-1990s, moved to a smaller parish and ordered not to be alone with children. The Rev. Paul Seitz has since resigned, for what the diocese said were unrelated health reasons. The man who accused Father Seitz already has provided crucial testimony in the case against another priest, the Rev. Eugene Condon, who pleaded guilty to abuse in 1998 and was sentenced to probation. The accuser told the FBI that as a teenager in the 1960s he went to Father Condon for confession after Father Seitz abused him. Father Condon gave him alcohol and tried to molest him too, he said, and years later showed him a trunk full of photographs of naked boys whose pictures had been taken in a church rectory. In another instance, Bishop Baker two years ago moved to transfer the Rev. John Bench to a diocese in Florida, after paying a settlement to the family of a young girl the priest admitted abusing. The bishop dropped the idea after the family protested. Earlier this spring, Bishop Baker was criticized by Atlanta Archbishop John Donoghue for not immediately reporting abuse allegations to government authorities. The Charleston diocesan spokesman said it investigates internally first to "be sure we have a credible allegation."

[ultima ratio]

"Should we discuss the suspected sodomites with the SSPX organization, for starters?"

You won't find any. And there's a good reason--men join the SSPX knowing 1) they will be persecuted with false charges and accusations of schism; 2) they will be overworked; 3) they will be poor 4) they will be steeped in the authentic faith from sunup to sundown. Why should any gay guy wish to enter--when they can live the good life in almost any Catholic diocese--and never be at a loss for companiionship?

[Mershon]

"You won't find any."

WRONG!

It doesn't matter. You guys would make excuses for them anyway.

[murphE]

Nice tactic Mershon. Just make an accusation so it's out there and don't bother to back it up. It sounds like you've been taking lessons from someone else on this forum.

[St. Johann Tetzel]

Should we discuss the suspected sodomites with the SSPX organization, for starters?

Is there really a documented widespread problem? If so, where is it documented? (I'm just asking, no agenda. I'm Byzantine.)

[AAABEST]

Should we discuss the suspected sodomites with the SSPX organization, for starters?

Please provide names, being that you want to "discuss" the matter.

[kaehurowing]

If defrocked, there's always room at the new Episcopal Church of the U.S.A.

[kaehurowing]

If defrocked, there's always room at the new Episcopal Church of the U.S.A.

[ultima ratio]

"You guys would make excuses for them anyway."

Not half as quick as you guys dream up ways to slander the SSPX. You haven't answered my argument. Why on earth would somebody gay want to enter the Society? What percentage would there be in it? He's be pretty lonely, for one thing. He'd be tossed out on his ear the minute he was found out, for another.