Church in
Crisis
Priests say bishop issues gag order
By GILL DONOVAN
Under penalty of excommunication or suspension, a Pennsylvania
bishop imposed a gag order for all his priests, forbidding them from voicing
public disagreement with diocesan policy.
Speaking on condition their names not be revealed, some priests
told The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown that the gag order had been
issued by their bishop, James Adamec of Altoona-Johnstown, Pa., several months
ago. The diocese is located some 80 miles from Pittsburgh.
The priests said that Adamec imposed the order after priests were
publicly critical about possible church closings and about the way the diocese
handled a 1994 sexual abuse lawsuit. In that suit, Adamec was criticized for
paying more in attorney fees than to the victim of abuse by now-defrocked
priest Francis Luddy. The diocese refused the paper’s request for comment
on the gag order.
Along with news of the order, the paper has reported that some
victims of abuse allege the diocese has not followed the U.S. bishops’
charter for the protection of children, which calls for the removal from
ministry of priests credibly accused of abusing minors.
In the last month, seven men have come forward with lawsuits
alleging abuse by diocesan priests. The suits do not name the accused priests
as defendants because the statute of limitations has expired in the cases, but
rather name Adamec, former Bishop James Hogan and the diocese for conspiring to
protect the priests.
In one case, Anthony Coray, 39, has claimed he was molested over a
two-year period by Fr. Robert Kelly some 27 years ago.
Kelly has denied the allegation and criticized the paper’s
coverage of the case. Noting that Coray’s story alleging abuse has changed
dramatically since it was first told to diocesan authorities 10 years ago, the
priest said he believes Coray made the allegation to get money.
Kelly continues to serve as pastor of Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in
Phillipsburg. The diocese says that it temporarily removed the priest from his
assignment after Coray first reported inappropriate contact by Kelly in 1993.
However, after evaluations of Kelly failed to substantiate any allegations, the
diocese returned him to ministry.
In a Feb. 13 statement posted on the diocese’s Web site, the
bishop said that he had to respond to the faithful for having been named a
defendant in civil cases alleging that a conspiracy existed “within this
diocesan church that allows and even promotes inappropriate behavior on the
part of its priests in regard to minors.”
“The complaints,” he said, “accuse the diocese of
Altoona-Johnstown, along with former Diocesan Bishop Hogan and me, of not
handling cases of alleged minor abuse by priests appropriately. I believe that
each one of us did, given the facts and circumstances, properly handle such
cases.”
Adamec canceled a Feb. 28 news conference, saying that a meeting
would prevent his attendance.
Gill Donovan is an NCR staff writer. His e-mail address
is gdonovan@natcath.org
National Catholic Reporter, March 14,
2003
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