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| Archbishop Thomas Wenski |
In fairness, the Archbishop did ask the accused priest, Pedro M. Corces to step down as pastor of St. Rose of Lima School.
But why lash out at those making the allegations?
Parishioners and parents at the school formed a group called Christifidelis and hired a private investigator to track Corces for weeks. The resulting 129-page report, titled, “Dossier on the Improprieties of Father Pedro M. Corces And an Appeal to His Excellency Archbishop Thomas Wenski For Urgent Action,” was released on May 16. According to the Miami Herald, the report
accuses Corces of improper relationships with a maintenance worker he hired and three other individuals associated with the parish, including a deacon . . .
The report, along with dozens of pictures, copies of receipts, and 28 appendices, claims that Corces replaced the maintenance staff with workers who included “a felon and prostitute, Santeria practitioners, promiscuous gay practitioners and people who openly mock the Catholic faith.”
It claimed that Corces became romantically involved with a maintenance worker and that the two men shared “frequent, lavish trips and dinners.”Ten days later, Archbishop Wenski released a letter to parents at the school. While he claimed that "investigation of the allegations continues" he already seemed to have made up his mind on some of them:
much of the material which the group has since chosen to circulate via emails and media is old, long since discredited gossip; some is false . . . Slanderous gossip, calumny, detraction--all sinful behaviors--have fomented division in the parish and school communities . . . Pray also for the children who have been dis-edified by the spectacle of adults behaving badly.So, there it is, if you complain to the Archbishop about a sexually and financially corrupt priest ministering to your children, you are a sinful adult behaving badly.
Also, "disedified" doesn't have a dash.
Miami has long been a sort of Liberace style parody of an archdiocese. Wenski himself lives with his priest secretary in a seaside mansion, complete with a tiki hut. He also rides a Harley.
The blog Les Femmes - The Truth pointed out that Wenski and Corces worked together in the Miami Chancery for seven years.
Rosa Armesto, the attorney representing Christifidelis, and who is also a parent at St. Rose of Lima School, responded:
It’s such a shameful letter. The archbishop is not upset at what the priest has done but that it has been uncovered . . . The church isn’t upset by the sins of their priests but by the fact that the faithful have had the audacity, the temerity, to bring this up.
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This piece was prompted by Saturday's post at The Tenth Crusade.
Update (8:15 CST): A Catholic friend in Florida wrote this a few minutes ago. It obviously should be considered:
I have to take issue with some of this. Wenski has done a LOT to clean-up the two seminaries down there and over all in the state. He inherited a HUGE MESS left to him by Favalora who is a disgusting and vile man. His residence is leftover form Favalora's days as archbishop. I hope Wenski had that residence fumigated and exoricized when he moved in! The "tiki hut" is no surprise, but that is from the days of the gay scene there. Wenski removed the priest, and yes, he probably chastised the parents a bit for being a little overzealous. Wenski is no Sample or Schneider, BUT he is a pretty decent archbishop, definitely WAY better that what was there before.
The bishop is likely a practicing homosexual as well. They generally protect each other.
ReplyDeleteSeattle kim
The joke, of course, is that Wenski is still considered a "conservative" and was sent to Miami to clean it up of its horrifying reputation. He is still frequently cited by pro-life and other "conservative" groups as being one of their short-list of "good bishops".
ReplyDelete"But on social issues, he has become a rabid, Tea Party-style conservative whose ban on even discussing condoms might have led to hundreds of Haitians contracting HIV."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/archbishop-thomas-wenski-tea-party-conservative-and-church-radical-6379244
In fairness, Fr Pedro was asked to step down for legal reasons, and not because Bp Wenski sees a threat to his flock. Bp Wenski knows lawsuits are coming and he is taking appropriate steps to protect himself and his money.
ReplyDeleteHis response to his poor parishioners is the real scandal here. HE is the shepherd of that flock and his letter drips with disdain. It reminds me more of Saul Alinsky than Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rule number 12, from the communist Alinsky's 12 Rules For Radicals: "RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)".
Bp Wenski's letter is one page full of invective against the Parishioners, acknowledging Pedro's removal, but defending him against all charges therein. It is about THEM and their whining persecution of Pedro.
I am reminded of the warning of Fatima, in which our Blessed Mother warned that in these times the faith of many would be tried most severely. Mine is being severely tried, more by Bishops like Wenski than even the homosexuals under him.