call me irresponsible

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Oct 18, 2005

Archbishop Harry Flynn of St. Paul, Minnesota, is troubled by criticism of the director of the US bishops' Office for Child and Youth Protection, Teresa Kettelkamp. He has written to all US bishops:

I wish to respond to recent public criticism of Ms. Kettelkamp in a few quarters.

He means, among others, these quarters.

As a distinguished law enforcement official, Ms. Kettelkamp was asked to lend her name to the board of advisers of the National Center for Women and Policing (NCWP). When it was being formed, the NCWP was provided funding by the Feminist Majority Foundation (FMF) which continues to do so.

Nice footwork there. The reason that the FMF "provided funding" for NCWP is because NCWP is a project of FMF.

Ms. Kettelkamp was never in any way associated with or active in the FMF. Reports that link her with the FMF through the NCWP are untrue and unjust...

Funny the archbishop should use that term: "link." Go to the FMF web site and see if you can find the link to NCWP. That wasn't too hard, was it? Nor should it be, since the one is a part of the other.

If you work for Chevrolet, is it "unfair and unjust" to say that you're connected with General Motors? If you're active in the Gambino crime family, is it "unfair and unjust" to say that you belong to the Mob?

...The Committee has every confidence in her fidelity to the Church teaching, and we deeply regret the damage done to her reputation by rumor, innuendo, and irresponsible reporting.

If any damage was done to Kettelkamp's reputation by rumor or innuendo, I regret it. At the same time, I regret any damage done to Uncle Di's reputation for accuracy, by duplicitous memos from irresponsible bishops.