Posted on 07/17/2019 7:54:23 AM PDT by ebb tide
Transcript
A New Jersey Catholic bishop — one of Theodore McCarrick’s creations — is protecting and promoting homosexual predator clergy and sources tell Church Militant he is lovers with one of those priests he is protecting — all part of what Abp. Viganò calls the corrupt homosexual mafia running the Church.
Hello. I’m Michael Voris. Welcome to this special report, where we look into the diocese of Paterson, New Jersey, headed by Bp. Arthur Serratelli, a man whose entire career has been dogged by allegations of homosexual misconduct and who protects and promotes alleged homosexual predators.
He was mentored by Theodore McCarrick, who was the primary consecrator for Serratelli as auxiliary bishop in 2008 in Newark, New Jersey, where Serratelli was born, raised, ordained and taught Scripture for decades at Seton Hall University.
Investigators tell Church Militant Seton Hall has complaints on file against Serratelli for inappropriate conduct with seminarians, including inviting them to his private room, where he would shower and dry off in front of them.
Serratelli spent time at the same Jersey Shore beach house where McCarrick sexually assaulted seminarians.Tweet
It's also established that Serratelli spent time at the same Jersey Shore beach house where McCarrick sexually assaulted seminarians.
As we've previously reported, Serratelli was a key figure in facilitating the gay seminarian pipeline from South America to the United States — and there's evidence he's still doing that now.
As a recap: Homosexuals would be recruited from Colombia and farmed out to East Coast seminaries, then sent on to a number of parishes and dioceses around the country. The scheme was exposed in a 2012 investigation by Fr. John Lavers, appointed to investigate the matter at Holy Apostles Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut.
A number of active homosexuals were expelled from the seminary as a result of the investigation. Holy Apostles Seminary publicly confirmed Church Militant's report of the investigation last fall, and the story was also covered by National Catholic Register.
But there's evidence indicating Serratelli may still be facilitating a gay seminarian pipeline, primarily through one man: Fr. Hernan Arias, with whom the bishop has a very close relationship.
A number of inside sources have told Church Militant the two are homosexual partners.
Father Arias is longtime pastor of Saint Margaret of Scotland Church in Morristown, in spite of the fact that he's been found guilty of homosexual misconduct more than once.
Insiders confirm that Fr. Arias visits two Colombian seminaries: Fundación Universitaria Luis Amigó in Medellin and Seminario Nacional Cristo Sacerdote in Antioquia.
Once again, upset and frustrated whistleblowers from inside a diocese, like in Chicago and Buffalo, have handed Church Militant secret files from Paterson, detailing all of these allegations, proving Serratelli's complicity.
The documents reveal years of cover-up and protection of homosexual clergy by Serratelli as well as deceptive practices, with Fr. Arias figuring heavily in the correspondence.
Among the docs: a July 7, 2005 announcement from Bp. Seratelli appointing Arias to a leading position in the diocese: "I am therefore appointing Father Hernan Arias as our new Vocation Director. His work and his zeal for vocations have already brought us good strong vocations."
Among the so-called strong vocations he's helped produce?
Father Dulibber Gonzalez, the Latino man on the left, shown cuddling and kissing Fr. Marcin Bradtke in Bradtke's rectory. Church Militant was sent these selfies from a source inside the Paterson diocese last year. Even though we gave Serratelli months to explain this, he remained silent — until we reported on the photos, after which he threatened to sue Church Militant — a threat not followed up with.
Serratelli's apparently well-deserved reputation for vindictiveness has a number of his clergy living in fear of him.
Both Bradtke and Gonzalez had a notorious homosexual reputation before their ordination, with a number of individuals voicing concerns to the bishop — but Serratelli ignored them and made sure two active homosexuals were ordained to the priesthood in his diocese.
To this day, Frs. Bradtke and Gonzalez remain in active ministry, while parishioners and clergy are disgusted with the situation but too afraid to say anything to the bishop.
Church Militant has also been provided in the document dump a copy of a 2013 letter from a former seminarian sent to the rector of Holy Apostles Seminary warning about Fr. Arias: "Also very soon in Paterson some seminarians will be ordained to the sacred orders. All of them are gay. The problem is in this diocese Father Hernan Arias is the protector of them because he is gay too."
The seminarian went on to allege that Arias was engaging in fundraising for the Church while keeping most of the money for himself.
In 2012, Bp. Serratelli put Arias in charge of supervising Spanish-speaking candidates to the priesthood, writing a glowing letter of appointment: "Your vast experience as a pastor, as Vicar for Pastoral Administration and your exemplary work in Vocations amply suit you for this ministry."
Incredibly, this letter was written after Arias had been removed by Serratelli as vocation director five years earlier — after he'd gotten a seminarian drunk during a trip to Israel and engaged in homosexual misconduct.
A 2007 investigation conducted by Renaissance Associates, led by former FBI investigator Kevin Barrows, involved interviewing multiple eyewitnesses to confirm the facts, forcing Serratelli to remove Arias as vocation director in 2007, given the amount of public attention and eyewitnesses involved.
And note: Despite this knowledge, Serratelli still resurrected Arias five years later, as we said, making him in charge of Spansih-speaking vocations.
But that's not the only allegation of homosexual assault. Another one involved almost identical circumstances, involving an 18-year-old male seeking advice on the priesthood. The 18-year-old was taken to dinner by Fr. Arias, who got him drunk and then reportedly tried to rape him.
In a signed affidavit sent to Bp. Serratelli in August 2005, the victim wrote, "In 1985, when I was eighteen, Fr. Arias supplied me with alcohol to the extent of intoxication and attempted to have sex with me."
Fr. Arias supplied me with alcohol to the extent of intoxication and attempted to have sex with me.Tweet
The victim had been seeking advice from Arias on becoming a priest when Arias took him to dinner, got him drunk and then tried to have anal sex with him.
In a letter to Bp. Serratelli dated March 2, 2006, the victim expresses frustration that he'd received no response from the bishop: "To date, I have heard absolutely nothing. To think that this matter could be adjudicated without my personal involvement is nothing short of an outrage … ."
The victim made clear the sex was not consensual: "[Y]ou surely can not think that this encounter was consensual. So let us be clear: non-consensual sex is rape regardless of the age of the victim."
In spite of the victim's plea, Serratelli dismissed his concerns in a March 20, 2006 letter saying the police had closed out the investigation because the statute of limitations had expired.
Says the bishop, "Your letter … was read as describing a consensual relationship between two (2) adults in which alcohol was involved."
Serratelli offered the option of counseling with the Victims Assistance Coordinator.
In an April 3, 2006 letter, the victim wrote back saying the bishop's response was "breathtaking."
Aside from an entirely unacceptable "explanation" of your silence in response to my August 18, 2005 affidavit, you do not address any of the concerns outlined in my letter of March 2, 2006 and the earlier affidavit. The sexual encounter with Hernan Arias was NOT consensual and so was rape. The statute of limitations may have run out on the legal crimes committed by Fr. Hernan, but there is no statute of limitations on the horrendous moral crimes I have detailed in my communications to you and your office.
He goes on to pointedly ask, "And why, if the encounter was consensual — as you, not I — allege, would you offer to have your Victim's Assistance Coordinator contact me?"
After another dismissive response from the bishop, the victim turned to the papal nuncio, at the time Abp. Pietro Sambi, alerting him "to a serious matter concerning sexual abuse committed at the hands of a priest, and the inaction of that priest’s bishop to address the case appropriately and responsibly."
He explained in greater detail, "Fr. Arias (who had recently been ordained) took advantage of the fact that I was considering a vocation to the priesthood, befriended me, plied me with alcohol, and attempted to have anal sex with me."
He goes on, "The Bishop's reply of March 20, 2006 is breathtaking in its insensitivity and refusal to address the core issue at hand: that a known sex abuser is serving as Director of Vocations for the diocese and Pastor of St. Margaret's."
A priest and victims advocate from the Paterson diocese, who worked closely with the victim, also wrote to the nuncio in April 2006 with even more information: "The Rev. Hernan Arias admitted to me several years ago (not under the seal of confession) that he did indeed approach a male prostitute in Paterson, New Jersey. It is also alleged that on this occasion he impersonated a police officer during this solicitation."
The victim's advocate's repeated requests to meet with Bp. Serratelli were not granted.
Exasperated with the bishop's non-response, the victim's advocate wrote to the vicar general at the time, Msgr. James Mahoney, decrying "a terrible travesty of moral justice that continues to unfold in this diocese."
He goes on to call Arias "a sexually dysfunctional predator."
What's more, seven parishioners of Arias' own parish wrote to the bishop pleading with him to deal with their pastor.
We have evidence linking Father Hernan to several situations. A few, which are soliciting young men in Paterson and other locations, a case at St. Teresa's in Paterson a few years ago with a young man, and in a recent occurrence with a young seminarian while on a trip to Israel that also involved too much alcohol).
They go on to say, "It is difficult for us to understand why he is pastor of a church that has young men in the congregation and seminarians that live in the rectory."
Again, Serratelli left Arias in place.
Fed up and disgusted by the bishop's inaction, the victim's advocate wrote a letter to Serratelli in February 2007 ripping into him.
Never in my life as a Roman Catholic and certainly never in my life as a Roman Catholic priest in a Church I love did I ever imagine that I would be compelled in conscience to send a letter such as this to a bishop much less my own ordinary.
He goes on, "In effect, you have protected and promoted a man whom you have known for years to be a sexual predator."
"What has transpired in this diocese not only under your supervision but also with your protection is disgraceful and some would say despicable and even diabolical."
A file on Fr. Arias was also sent to Cdl. Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, and to Abp. Georg Gaenswein, then-personal secretary to Pope Benedict. No response.
After Arias was removed as vocation director (in name only) in 2007, Bp. Serratelli kept him on as pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland parish, where he continues to this day.
Remarkably, he also remains in charge of Spanish-speaking candidates to the priesthood — this in spite of the fact that seminarians have testified to Arias sexually propositioning them in exchange for his promise that he'd ensure their ordination to the priesthood.
Bishop Serratelli was informed of these charges but dismissed them as not credible.
And the seminarians who reported the misconduct? Arias called them up and threatened to harm their families unless they changed their story.
Church Militant has confirmed these details with multiple inside sources, who are too afraid to go on the record for fear that Arias — with the backing of his friend Serratelli — will also threaten them and their families.
Fast Forward to September 2018: The Paterson diocese announced that Arias was going on sabbatical: "Due to the stress he has been experiencing, Father Arias has requested and received time away from his parish, St. Margaret of Scotland, for health reasons."
Church Militant has learned that Arias was actually under investigation at the time by the Vatican for sex abuse.
But in April, he was back in active ministry at St. Margaret.
To this day Arias continues to be active on social media, posting on a near-daily basis, with multiple videos of himself giving the appearance of a faithful and orthodox pastor, while the bishop keeps parishioners in the dark about his crimes.
Serratelli is also keeping Catholics in the dark about another troubled priest: Father J. Patrick Ryan, arrested and placed under investigation last fall for allegedly embezzling money from St. James of the Marches parish to fund his gay lifestyle.
As in the Arias case, the diocese announced in October that Fr. Ryan was taking a break owing to health reasons, never informing local Catholics of his arrest or the criminal investigation.
Ryan's status is now listed as retired, and it seems he's still on the diocesan payroll.
He had his lawyer write us threatening to sue.Tweet
Church Militant's queries on all this to Bp. Serratelli were answered in predictable fashion: He had his lawyer write us threatening to sue.
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano has sounded the alarm over what he's called the "corrupt gay mafia." The evidence against Serratelli is damning, exposing him as part of the homosexual mafia exemplified by his mentor Theodore McCarrick, continuing his work of recruiting and protecting homopredator priests, ignoring victims and deceiving Catholics.
Ping
Church needs a thorough cleansing.
Lay leaders involved with seminarians need to take the stance that if ANYTHING untoward takes place, to go directly to the police with the allegations. Tell NO one in the priestly hierarchy until AFTER contacting law enforcement. SCREW reporting to the bishops, seminary leaders and anyone in the “chain of command”.
Sins that cry out to heaven. God, what gives?
The Church knows its mission.
Must return to it.
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