Coincidences?
By Diogenes (articles ) | February 12, 2004 8:53 AM
Item: On January 20, the Diocese of Springfield (Massachusetts) announced the laicization of Richard Lavigne, whose priestly career had been dotted with sex-abuse charges. Lavigne is also the leading (and only) suspect in the murder of a local boy in 1972.
Lavigne had hinted that the diocese wouldn't dare take action against him. But finally the diocese did. And then:
Item: On February 10, Pope John Paul accepted the resignation of Springfield's Bishop Thomas Dupre.
Item: On February 12, a Springfield Republican story revealed that the bishop himself faces sex-abuse charges.
The alleged misconduct took place a few decades ago. But the complaints didn't come to light until now. Why?
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Posted by: -
Feb. 12, 2004 12:16 PM ET USA
Diogenese, you're not insinuating that someone might have started chirping now, are you?
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Posted by: shrink -
Feb. 12, 2004 11:18 AM ET USA
It's the Larry Flynt effect: one's past need not come to light until it's political payback time.
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Posted by: Pseudodionysius -
Feb. 12, 2004 10:26 AM ET USA
The reason why is that the News Media began digging into it after the victims got nowhere going through proper channels. So, not only did they get stonewalled by a Bishop doing an imitation of the Roman "cunctator" (military joke), but the Diocese was given an "A-Number One" certification by the USSCB auditors (who are in a clear conflict of interest). Cunctator was removed from Military command by the Romans because his delaying tactics didn't work during the Punic wars.
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Posted by: extremeCatholic -
Feb. 12, 2004 9:58 AM ET USA
Add Dupre to the episcopal blackmail hall of shame: Moreno, McCarthy, Weakland, O'Connell, Ziemann, Symons, Sanchez, Marino. At least those are the ones who are documented.
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Posted by: -
Feb. 12, 2004 9:34 AM ET USA
Why? Not the most astute question you've ever posed, my friend. The answer may be found in the voluminous explanations by subject matter experts -- far too detailed and lenghty to even summarize here. The article itself gives some clues: shame, a desire to forget, the realization that in most instances the complaints will lead to nothing, etc. The Church has been ruined by homosexuals and their insidious self-protectiveness, and you're concerned about the delay in reporting?
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Posted by: Pseudodionysius -
Feb. 12, 2004 9:32 AM ET USA
"The diocese received high marks in a national audit of how it was implementing the U.S. bishops policy on how to protect children from abuse. The diocese received a citation for hiring a clergy monitor to oversee priests removed from ministry for sexual abuse." Another big whoop for the new USCCB audits.
