Criminal law, International, Politics, Religion

NYT: Pope Spared American Priest Who Molested Hundreds of Deaf Boys

The sex abuse scandal has increasingly entangled Pope Benedict XVI and Vatican in allegations of the cover-up of molesting priests. Now, one case has directly implicated the Pope after it was learned that in the 1990s then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger effectively spared an American molesting hundreds of deaf boys. The then Cardinal received letters from Wisconsin priests asking him to move against the Reverend Lawrence Murphy, who worked at the St John’s School for the Deaf in St Francis, Wisconsin. He appears to have blocked efforts to defrock Murphy.

The disclosure came as part of litigation against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. In 1996 Murphy’s case was forwarded to the the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then Cardinal Ratzinger, who declined to act on the case even after the Archbishop of Milwaukee, Rembert Weakland, asked him to defrocked the priest.

Notably, the Pope’s right hand man, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone (now his Vatican’s secretary of state) had ordered a canonical trial but that was stopped by the Pope after Murphy wrote to the Pope asking for mercy. He wrote to the Pope that he was in bad health and “I simply want to live out the time that I have left in the dignity of my priesthood . . . I ask your kind assistance in this matter.” He appears to have gotten the assistance that he sought. He was able to live out his days as a priest.

This is the second major abuse case tied directly to the Pontiff this month, here.

UPDATE: The Vatican has issued a statement denying the allegations vis-a-vis Murphy, here.
For the full story, click here.

213 thoughts on “NYT: Pope Spared American Priest Who Molested Hundreds of Deaf Boys”

  3. AY,
    Not in the South yet….but the passport application will be in Ottawa within the next.

  4. Hmmm, I guess I did not know you had come to the south. Hmmmmm, I am thinking……No, the same people are here that were here yesterday…….So it must not have been me? Oh, oh, oh, how crushed I am.

  6. Canadian AY that just brought a smile to my face. My best friend is out of town for the weekend. She however is resignedly saddened as to the memories of the above story.

  7. I’m still here AY…just a silent observer for a time tonight as I was having tea with my best friend 🙂

  9. Yea I’m not a bread man, my sister she can put some loafs down.

    I got ya Buddah we have the same initiatives.

  11. bdaman,

    I’m not really that kind of baker. See CA ballot initiatives.

    I can do biscuits, cornbread, simple cakes, but every attempt at yeast or traditional breads or pastry has ended in disaster. I tried to make focaccia once and ended up with a lovely set of door stops. I’m a killer saucier. I can replicate most sauces after one tasting. But I’m like Bourdain. I flunked pastry.

    It’s not genetic though. My mom can put the hurt on a bag of flour.

  12. If I ever win the lottery. The reincarnation of Sharky’s Reef.

    20′ high walls 6-8″ thick glass aquarium, Incredible !!!!!! Night Club from 10 on with the music pumpin.

    Baker? did I hear Baker. Not only due I bake I’ve been known to decorate. A few wedding ones from time to time but this was many years ago.

  14. 13 month old.

    Burning is too good for someone who’d do that, FFLEO.

    It’s a base crime no matter the perps vitals and affiliations.

  15. Pedophilia outside the church involving a man, a mother, her 13-month-old daughter, and incest.

    East Bay professor accused of molesting baby

    (03-25) 17:04 PDT
    HAYWARD — A Cal State East Bay professor arrested for allegedly possessing child pornography earlier this month was charged Wednesday in Missouri with statutory rape and sodomy after federal investigators say a 20-year-old St. Louis woman allowed him to victimize her 13-month-old daughter.

    Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/25/BA411CLCQK.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0jKsHA2W6

  16. AY,

    Things here have taken a turn for the tasty. Messy too!

    I have shrimp belly now.

    mmmmmm shrimp

    If it wasn’t so high in cholesterol, I’d eat shrimp two, three times a day. No more than that though. I wouldn’t want to overdo it. I have not seen Canadian today, but I’m sure she’ll be around.

    Time to kick back and have a smoke. bdaman and I share an interest in both cooking and baking it would appear.

    Bdaman,

    Heard of it but never been there. The two places I went to most in Metairie were Tower of Pizza (but only when the Chinese guy was working, he was a crust wizard) and Shogun Sushi. I lived uptown so I ate mostly in the Garden Dist and the Quarter since it was all trolley convenient. For a long time I was within walking distance of Pascal’s Manale and, well, it was like being an argonaut living next door to the sirens. Old school good eating that. Oysters Bienville I’d wrestle a gorilla to get. Not a bad item on the menu either.

  17. I’ts all good Byron thats the past and there aint a damn thing you can do about it. It is what it is. Hey I’ll be back

  18. Hows things in Virginia? Look my half brother up in Williamsburg Bobby Z ZUMA”S Zacharias United Martial Artist. Should have three locations.

  20. Long list of some serious people went in and didn’t come back out of that MF. Byron you bringing back memories and killin my high man.

Comments are closed.