Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

By Fr. Wilson ( articles ) | Jun 12, 2003

In a couple of hours the NY Times will be online, and you can go there and read an article in which the spokesguy for Cardinal Egan completely contradicts what he said the day before about the Cardinal's disclosure policy re: The Scandal:

"Cardinal Edward M. Egan announced yesterday that he would make public the name of any priest permanently removed for sexually molesting children, a change from what his spokesman had said was the cardinal's position. The spokesman, Joseph Zwilling, had said Tuesday that the cardinal would not make the names public, a position that angered many abuse victims and others hopeful that the church would be more open about misconduct by priests. Indeed, Cardinal Egan, according to records made by his personal secretary, had told priests at a meeting last month that his policy was not to disclose the outcome of a lay review board's investigations into 13 priests the New York Archdiocese had suspended. Yesterday, though, the archdiocese said it wanted to clear up what it described as confusion regarding the cardinal's policy. Mr. Zwilling said that, in fact, it had been the cardinal's plan all along to identify the priests he suspends permanently, after the review board makes its recommendation. Mr. Zwilling said the cardinal had even said so in a column in last August's issue of Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper. In the column, the cardinal wrote that "the pertinent facts of those cases" that lead to definitive removal of priests from the ministry would be made public. Mr. Zwilling said his Tuesday statement was based on his original understanding of the cardinal's preference, a reading of the minutes of the cardinal's meeting with the priests on May 1 and conversations with other officials of the archdiocese. The present position of the cardinal, whatever its precise evolution, pleased many people yesterday, including victims and lay Roman Catholics who had hoped that the church would make good on its pledge last year to be candid and public in its handling of the sexual abuse scandal."

The Archdiocese of New York is a large entity, and it's easy to see how these details regarding obscure matters can get confusingly presented. Thank the Lord, they get the important stuff right.