SNAP of Tennessee

The leadership of the Catholic Church not only could have prevented crimes against children and vulnerable adults, but bishops worldwide continue, to this day, to sidestep this self-perpetuating molestation scandal whenever possible; withholding even charity and kindness from those harmed by predatory priests.

The death Rudolph Hess, the last surviving member of Hitler's ruthless coterie, was a jarring moment when I first heard the news.  My spouse and I were visiting Salzburg that summer of 1987, attending the famous Austrian festival that attracted the Nazi elite as its counterpart in Bayreuth, Germany.

Hess was several generations removed from my era, but the fact that had died at that certain moment and we were in that town, brought much of the Nazi atrocities to the foreground in media coverage and even street corner conversations.  Whispered German conversation overheard on street corners and in restaurants reminisced about the Nazi era in Austria.  Silence erupted whenever English was spoken; anticipating an American affirmation for the idea was expressed at that moment.  Each exchange of ideas sought a raison-étre for the manner of the former Nazi’s death –suicide in Berlin’s Spandau Prison.  Hess, in his final act, became the exclamation point on a hell-bent regime, even though he spent the better part of his life trying to minimize his role in the terror that he nurtured.

The death of James Porter is of singular significance.  I never knew the man, his time, or his place in history: only his crimes against children (at least 21 victims in the Bemidji parish he was transferred to from the Boston archdiocese).  Had it not been for the sexual abuse that I had suffered at the hands of another priest, Anthony J. O’Connell, the former bishop of Palm Beach, Fla., I may not have felt that angst similar to being in Salzburg at the demise of Hitler's deputy-in-chief.

In life, Porter was a living, breathing reminder of the failed leadership of the American bishops – past and present – in protecting children from pedophile priests and vulnerable adults from serial sexual predators.  But the irony of our situation is that the leadership of the Catholic Church not only could have prevented these crimes, but bishops worldwide continues, to this day, to sidestep this self-perpetuating this molestation scandal involving children and vulnerable adults whenever possible; withholding even charity and kindness from those harmed by predatory priests.

In Minnesota, for example, the Archdiocese of the Saint Paul and Minneapolis has become the leading political lobbyist in the state. 

According to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board (http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us/lobby/adetail/a3714.html), the Archdiocese spent more than $240,000 in 2004 (up from $60,000 in 2003) to fight child welfare legislation in the Legislature.  The only bill in question in 2004 would have restored and strengthened the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse.

Archbishop Harry J. Flynn pledged in 2002 to work with survivors in a “pastoral” manner as part of his effort ameliorate civil suits against the Church in Minnesota.  But in the last three years, we have seen only scathing attacks by his administration on victims even though the paper trail always leads back to the Church.  Archbishop Flynn is the chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Protection of Children and Young People and the principle author of the Bishops' so-called Charter.

A case in point involves the rogue priest Lee Krautkremmer.  Church memoranda dated November 1983 affirm the Krautkremmer molested a 10-year-old boy name Ted Krammer in 1977.

Signed by late Archbishop John Roach and the former vicar general, Robert J. Carlson (who is bishop of Sioux Falls, S.D., and will be installed Feb. 24 as bishop of Saginaw, Mich.), these documents highlight the extent of cover-up and intent of the these men to suppress evidence and subvert civil authority.

Many parents and victims warned church leaders about Porter.  Dozens of brave, wounded men and women in Minnesota and across the country have suffered immeasurably because church leaders ignored repeated warnings about the criminal acts of men like Krautkremmer and Porter.

Not surprisingly, their warnings were ignored.  Had church leaders heeded these calls for accountability, much might be different today.  Had church authorities acted responsibly, thousands of once-trusting Catholic families could have been spared so much severe pain.

The fear of victims of clergy sexual abuse today is that the American bishops are attempting to soften their stance on childhood sexual abuse and victimization of vulnerable adults.  In fact, their primary document, the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, will be the focus for review at the June conference of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Many American bishops and senior members of the Vatican power structure prefer to eliminate the Charter’s zero tolerance policy and many others want to gut the Charter to allow American bishops even to escape the Church public relations ploy known as the self-audit.

The victims of clergy sexual abuse will find little peace in the death James J. Porter.  The convictions of Paul Shanley, and John Geoghan did not alleviate or compensate any one victimized by these men.  Minnesota’s own notorious pedophiles – Robert Kapoun (the so-called Polka Padre), Rudolph Heinrich, Thomas Adamson of the Winona diocese (at least 10 victims); David Roney of the New Ulm diocese (at least five victims) have escaped justice.

In the Archdiocese, predators like Michael Kolar were removed only after the allegations became to difficult to cover up or dismiss.  Three credible allegations (at least 20 more were presented to archdiocesan authorities) were made about Kolar and his activities at St. Paul Catholic Youth Center.  In 2004, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar issued a warrant for the arrest of John Bussman connected with the rape of three adult women.  Bussman was expelled from ministry by the late Archbishop Roach only be re-installed by Archbishop Flynn a few years later.

The fact that St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville and the Crosier Priory in Shoreview are warehousing as many 13 pedophile monks and 17 priests and brothers, respectively, is proof that Catholic Church leaders believe they are above the law.  The fact that the Archdiocese is refusing to settle at least nine civil suits in strong evidence of the true stance of the local Archbishop.

As convictions of ordained serial pedophiles and sexual predators increase, Catholics hope that the courageous individuals and their families who were victimized by these renegade priests are able to sleep more easily at night.  These brave men and women deserve our gratitude and the gratitude of all Catholics for being among the first to expose the criminal cover-up by church officials child molesters.

Then, perhaps, the sense of failure one feels when lifetime events come calling for comment and analysis – like the death of Porter – will not seem so futile.

Michael Wegs is the public policy advisor for the Minnesota Chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.  In 2003, Wegs successfully sued his former high school seminary teacher, Anthony J. O’Connell, and the Diocese of Jefferson City, Mo.  O’Connell, who was the first bishop of Knoxville, Tenn., was forced step down as bishop of Palm Beach, Fla.  For more information about survivor/victims and the clergy sex abuse scandal, please visit these websites: www.snapnetwork.org, www.rememberthesurvivors.org, and www.bishop-accountability.org.

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