Talking about the devil and acknowledging his influence has been politically incorrect since Peter Paul and Mary convinced the Woodstock generation that all the answers to life's questions were blowing in the wind of their weed.
The vacuum has left people with the belief that if they don't display symptoms of possession, the devil isn't influencing them. But 99.9% of the devil's influence actually takes place outside of a possession of a soul. He can sneak his counsel into the most innocuous statements, as he did when he used Peter's gripping fear and emotions to ask Christ to reject His impending Crucifixion.
Unrepentant sin turns your soul into a magnet for diabolical spirits. The Rosary, the Crucifix and a state of grace is the repellent.
Spiritual people can always see the devil's treachery with priests when a situation like Fr. Euteneuer's crops up.
Still, old habits die hard, and I grow suspicious when the stink of secrecy starts to permeate with Church officials. It would be consistent for Church bureaucrats to yank somebody who is describing abortion as being 'raped by the devil'. Definitely hysterical, but consistent. There was something troubling about their going to the bother of repossessing every copy of Fr. Euteneuer's book.
I heard the speculation about a woman/women but dismissed it as the fruit of speculation. Yesterday, I read Mary Ann Kreitzer's stop the speculation and agreed wholeheartedly with its premise - to quietly pray and ponder these things in our hearts.
I'm struggling with that today after reading THIS and THIS.
It goes without saying that this situation is in need of intense prayer for everyone involved in the matter. But if the allegation that the Sacrament and Exorcism was used to initiate a sexual relationship with hurting and vulnerable women, the situation calls for more than paying the women off and suggesting we sweep what happened under the carpet of unsubstantiated rumors and pray.
That's not good enough for me with these kinds of allegations out there.
In hindsight, we wouldn't say the same thing about Maciel, would we?
These allegations are explosive and Church bureaucrats are never going to tell us unless we demand answers. We don't have to know the details of somebody's personal sin, if that is all it was, but we certainly need to know whether the situation was abusive, what they knew and when they knew it and whether there is a woman holed up in his parents house where a situation is possibly ongoing.
I'm not up for dismissing these allegations. The red flag for me is Matt Abbott's column. Matt is not one to make premature judgments and his faith in Christ's Institution is not weak.
The bureaucrats have to be forced to either confirm or deny whether the context of 'abortion is rape by the devil' was baiting women who had abortions into contacting Fr. Euteneuer as the cure and numerous women were emotionally and sexually exploited.
If this is untrue, Fr. Euteneuer has the canonical right to clear his reputation.
Ordering silence and promoting the culture of silence from the pews when something this explosive gets on our radar is inexcusable. HLI and the Diocese of Palm Beach have to answer our questions - and we have to ask them.
UPDATE - A blogger who says that Fr. Euteneuer was Godfather to three of her children has blog posts up HERE and HERE that indicates she was told the story by an HLI Board member and she had a troubling experience (though not sexual) with him herself.
I am uncomfortable with the nuance and anonymity behind these allegations but my intuition about this is not good and the woman seems to be a faithful practicing Catholic. In December, Matt Abbott reports that he contacted the Palm Beach diocese and asked the simple question as to whether Fr. E was a priest in good standing and they would not respond.
Please also see comments in this post.
Matt C. Abbott said...
The reaction of those who are attacking the victims in this situation echo those who defended the late disgraced Marcial Maciel for so long.
Blaming the victim(s). Sickening.
Saturday, January 29, 2011 12:12:00 PM
Tom O'Toole said...
Peter -- There's a difference between "off the record" and "don't use my name." The article had to be written now (remember Watergate?) because while Fr. T gets due process, he is free to have sexual contact with disturbed women ... and by all accounts is.
I cannot let that go by without speaking up either as a journalist, a blogger, a Catholic, or just as a man.
God's grace & Mary's prayers,
Tom
Saturday, January 29, 2011 9:49:00 PM
The situation appears to be grave and ongoing.
What are your thoughts about a campaign upon the Palm Beach diocese?
156 comments:
Carol...If true-this is more disturbing than I even have words to express. I'm just going to keep praying.
God help us all to see that "...the wages of sin is death," Rom 6:23a
+PAX
Carol,
I prayerfully await definitive news about these allegations and rumors.
If they are true, unlike the dissenters who protect their own (eg. Mahoney, Bernadin, Weakland et al.), it is incumbent on the Faithful to demand the truth and appropriate punishment.
Father Euteneuer remains in my prayers.
The hierarchy deals decisively and forcefully with (rumored) fallen clerics of the orthodox variety.
I pray that these rumors are groundless.
Exorcism is not sacrament (there are only seven) and, I humbly submit, no one has to answer your questions.
LOL - yes, I know Exorcism isn't a Sacrament! I was speaking of the Sacrament of Ordination as a Catholic priest because it allegedly involved a rite or ritual. In other words, if he fell in love in the midst of his duties, even if it involved somebody he had been counseling, that is an entirely different thing than putting yourself out there as an exorcism guru and harvesting the broken people responding as a serial abuser. Does that make sense?
Nobody had the answers to Maciel either because many people continuously tried to paint him as being persecuted within the Church as though he was the next Padre Pio.
We don't have answers because for the last century, the internal forum has been don't ask don't tell.
The answers are easy to get. Was he a serial abuser, is there a woman holed up in his parents house or has the culture of secrecy fostered terrible rumors against Fr. Euteneuer?
Pretty reasonable questions given the situation.
It doesn't seem likely that if he struggled with one or even two women in his career, that they would go to the lengths they did to confiscate every book out there on Exorcism. Something doesn't smell right about the nature of their wild pursuit.
Michael, I'm not so sure. I'm jaded for sure because even when it came to killing infants with an diocesan abortion business here in Boston, we could not get a prudential response within the bureaucracy. Three hundred years of building a Catholic infrastructure connected to Rome has been completely dismantled and there was no way of getting Rome to man up and send support to the Cardinal who has been weakened and taken out of power.
I think they sum up whether they have a situation on their hands that is going to tell in the public square and if they can't buy them off with a settlement and a nice confidentiality agreement, they yank them. Otherwise they don't. Nothing has changed other than the perverted stories of telling kindergartners to put their hands down each others pants if they want to.
It is sick!
Somebody struggling with celibacy with one woman,frankly, would seem like the response is to get him to a good spiritual place, make sure he has plenty of support and prayer and hope to see him return to ministry with supervision and fraternal support.
Thanks Mary Ann. I appreciate your insights very much and I'm with you on the struggle.
Carol does indeed raise valid points. I don't believe now that silence is an option. Were this a wildly dissident priest, we would be demanding an investigation and answers, would we not? Do we change our tone because the priest in question is "one of our own"?
As I said before, I do not dismiss the probability of a "railroad job" against Fr Euteneuer; Mary Ann knows full well that this case would not be the first such case in the Arlington Diocese.
I must now conclude, along with Carol, that definitive answers are needed, and that the passive "pray and wait" stance is not helpful, as it wasn't in the Maciel situation. Of course, pray - but answers are needed.
Thank you Carol for your thoughtful post! I think it is so important to ask these questions. God bless you.
Good post. Thank you!
Father Tom Euteneuer: his hour of spiritual warfare
By Jenn Giroux
It has been said that if you defend the cross, you better be ready to take up the cross.
Lately I have been reading many disturbing things about Fr. Tom Euteneuer's departure from Human Life International (HLI), speculation on where he is, and outrageous theories and accusations circulating on the internet. As I sort through the speculation, gossip and hearsay, I see clearly that Father Tom has been handed his cross and is carrying it in silence.
Those with eyes to see and a Christian heart will understand that he is engaged in spiritual warfare. Let us review what we know:
As President of HLI, Fr. Tom traveled over one million miles around the globe to fight the culture of death.
Under his watch, the organization grew from 40 to 100 countries, assisting the pro-life movements in many third world countries against their own governments.
Fr. Tom initiated a campaign which led to the distribution of over 3 million "St. Michael the Archangel prayer cards around the globe.
Fr. Tom not only fought abortion without compromise, but he also courageously defended the Church's related teaching against contraception, including one memorable televised confrontation with a popular prime time talk show host.
Fr. Tom wrote two powerful books to help the faithful to better understand not only the power of Satan but, more importantly, the power and protection that we have through Christ's Church against him.
In addition to helping thousands of people grow closer to God, Fr. Tom conducted an exorcism ministry that helped hundreds of troubled people and this required direct confrontation with the forces of darkness.
Surely most of us have no idea what that exorcism ministry really involved and how much Satan and his minions have targeted Fr. Tom Euteneuer for destruction. Few priests have so publicly and willingly taken on such controversial and morally difficulty challenges. If we forever remain ignorant of why Fr. Tom has been temporarily removed from public life, we can probably still assume that he is suffering the most intense form of private spiritual warfare.
While few know the details underlying Fr. Tom's removal from public life — I certainly do not — ignorance has not deterred imprudent tongues and keyboards from casting dark innuendos toward Fr. Tom, his Bishop, and others. It apparently does not occur to such people that, whatever the facts, there will be unnecessary collateral damage in the form of innocent victims. Whether Fr. Tom is blameworthy or completely innocent, you can be certain that he would respect the reputations of others far more than others are respecting his.
Maybe, just maybe, we don't need to know the whole story.
Is Fr. Tom Euteneuer above sin? Surely not. None of us are.
Is he entitled to his good name? Yes, all of us are. If in some way Fr. Tom has fallen from grace, he needs our prayers, not our unhealthy curiosities.
In the Gospel reading on the eve of this feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, Jesus said to his disciples "Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you."
We would all do well to take care not only what we hear but what we speak.
Please join me in praying for Fr. Tom. We trust that he is under the protection of Our Lady, The Immaculate, whom he loves so much.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend him in battle!
Jenn Giroux
Jenngiroux9@gmail.com
© Jenn Giroux
It is a heartbreaking situation...prayers for all.
I really think the situation needs sunshine and we need to take care that Fr. Euteneuer is not tried in blogosphere while at the same time acknowledging that people we trust have done some digging and believe something disturbing took place that is more than Father fell in love and had an indiscretion.
Carol it is much worse than that. Being close to the situation, he was preying on vulnerable women and it went on for years.
n.b. While we don't need to know the whole story, I am deeply concerned about categorizing the secrecy surrounding serial abusers into the don't ask don't tell culture.
My gut is telling me something went down we need to know about.
At the end of the day, we all have to answer to God, not bloggers. Thanks be to God, I'm thinking God will be more merciful.
Yes, Carol. I think when a public figure with books all about the world etc falls so badly, people need to know. I mean and did you say this (?) How did the Maciel cover up benefit anyone at all!? It didn't. The devil works in the dark (as do some chanceries). If you want to speak more my email is orare33atgmaildotcom. Just so you know there is a lady from Jupiter Florida who will fill up your comment box with Jen Giroux columns and the like.
Adele,
I am sorry about the whole situation. Your children are beautiful and I can see that your heart is heavy. No doubt the devil has his hand in the debacle. St. Michael the Archangel, come to our aid!
If the allegations are true that there are many women and it went on for years, that would be very disturbing.
Adele, I definitely believe if there was an abusive situation that went on for years with multiple and vulnerable women and the diocese mishandled it or covered it up, this is something that the diocese needs to disclose, in whatever ways still protect Fr. Euteneur's privacy and canonical due process.
You should all be ashamed of yourselves.
What worst grave sins did you commit? Come on, list them here with your naked photo.
Did HLI not remove him? Did his diocese not remove him? Is he in public ministry anywhere? They are dealing with a situation. Let him be...with his Bishop's direction.
He is in God's hands and if he is being held down by an evil bishop, have faith God will free him or has a greater purpose for this suffering or lose your faith in God.
Back off - satan!
I now see TWO such articles on the Pulpit - you sound like hyping MSM types. Print something useful.
O,
No, I am afraid it isn't enough as it appears the situation may have been serial abuse and there may be at least one woman in danger as we speak.
It is not enough to let the situation be HLI and his Bishop's little secret under these circumstances.
Let me see if I can be more succinct.
Father Euteneuer's departure letter from HLI left us all with the impression he was a priest in good standing.
The next thing we know, Father vanishes. The diocese refuses to answer questions about his whereabouts.
The next thing you know, loggers start getting information from scared women.
That is a lot different than the diocese and HLI being honest about the situation and asking for prayers for all concerned.
We shouldn't be up for any secrecy about a possible serial abuser.
Everyone has to man up. We want to know what the situation is.
You know, if you do look back at Father's letter of departure, you will see he stated he was taking time off to rest. He noted he had not had time off for almost 15 years. He did not vanish by any means and I for one, know that many of his close friends and co-workers in the ministry have regular contact with him.
I would caution on the use of the term serial abuser - most especially in a public forum.
If Father submitted his resignation becaue he needed rest, then he is a priest in good standing and the diocese needs to say so.
What is the hold up?
Is he a priest in good standing?
Is he a priest who has accusations against him?
If so, how many?
Does anyone who is in contact with him mention the elephant in the room?
Somebody who submits a letter saying he is taking time off to rest and a situation where he was ushered out because of more than one woman coming out of the woodwork are two different kinds of situations.
How many women are we talking about?
Two?
Ten?
Have there been settlements?
If so, how many?
Why was the book pulled off of the shelves?
Did the reference in the book about abortion being a rape by the devil have anything to do with the abuse that took place?
Is there a woman at his parents house?
Has anyone from the diocese gone to his parents house to conduct a search?
Should we call the Palm Beach police and send them to the Chancery?
Who knows what these people are up to.
It stinks to the high heavens.
The days when the diocese or an apostolate can put together a letter saying Father is very tired and is taking time off for rest, when the reality is, there are abuse allegations out there, they are OVER.
We want the truth.
Just tell us the truth and assure us there is no woman or women at Fr. Euteneuer's parents house.
That is what we want and we are not going away until we get it.
Is that understood?
And your right to know Father's business would be based on....??????????
Just because someone puts information on a blog does not make it true.
Ever strike you as odd that Mr. O'Toole not once provided any confirmation of his so called sources - but quotes "mutliple emailers"????? What the heck. I could set up 20 different email accounts if I wanted and email 20 different stories.
Trust the authority of Christ which is passed down in Apostolic succession to the Bishops.
Listen, and I mean with this all sincerity: Your expectation that the faithful somehow doesn't have the right to know whether Father is pooped out and is taking a long winter's nap, as has been previously alleged - or whether Father had a girlfriend and is seeking assistance with his challenges with celibacy or whether in addition to the girlfriend, there is one or several instances of women's clothes mysteriously removed and their genitalia flying through the air to touch him inapropriately and that is why his books have been confiscated -- it is unrealistic.
Apostolic authority has given us nothing to base trust upon when it comes to abusers within their own ranks. When they earn it, they'll get it.
Both the diocese and HLI needs to come clean on what they know, where Father is and whether there is a woman at his parent's house that may be a spiritual hostage.
This incident was not handled correctly. Stop blaming the people asking the questions dude.
Please point me to the Church document that says you have a right to this knowledge. I, in turn, offer you the Catechism:
2488 The right to the communication of the truth is not unconditional. Everyone must conform his life to the Gospel precept of fraternal love. This requires us in concrete situations to judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it.
2489 Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.
You have no authority to demand, but instead, you have an obligation to obedience and trust in Church authority. If you don't like that, I suggest the Episcopalians... they are having a membership crisis right now.
By the way, who cares if there is a woman living in Father's parents' home - do you want to hang them out to dry to? Are you suggesting they are engaged in some sort of illegal activity? Good Lord (dudette!)
Get a grip!
p.s. some of us have to actually work for a living so I am signing off now.
I'm literally shaken. I hope none of this is true. You're doing fine with this story - you have great courage. God bless.
Do you realize how scandalous it is to women and the faithful to take citations out of the Catechism and use them to imply we are not to pursue the allegations flying around about a girlfriend, and rituals that were hijacked to abuse women and a woman who may currently be in danger because it is under the obedience of a Bishop?
My God, women are not any safer in the Catholic Church than children and gay men.
It is just one big sea of potential sexual partners and everybody is to keep your filthy secrets.
This is sick. Really sick.
Anon, you are so right!! It turns out that if it is sexual abuse of a non minor, they do not have to report it at all, they do not even have to acknowledge it. I hope this link below works. You might have to cut and paste.
http://blogs.westword.com/latestword/2011/01/katia_birge_rape_catholic_lay_minister_alleged.php"
Katia Birge's case of alleged rape by a Catholic lay minister: Does it signal new kind of abuse?
When the Victims are Adults:
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/atheologies/3690/sex_abuse_in_the_catholic_church%3A_when_adults_are_victims/
I am off to look for saner shores (if there are any left).
I am almost sixty, and I never thought I would live to see the day when I had absolutely zilch trust in the Church. That is right. I no longer have any trust or faith in the institutional (please note this word) Church. All they do is lie to and hide things from us, and treat us like children.
This news does not surprise me.
It is true that the Church has always had problems and the Church has always had bad priests and prelates, but the post Vatican II era takes the cake and wins the prize.
How much more demoralized can we, the pew sitters, get?
Ooops! For those of you wondering who the erudite Anonymous poster above was, tis I, Veronica!
A word of caution:
We have a letter saying Father is pooped.
We have a priest without an assignment whom the diocese will not confirm is in good standing.
We have books that were taken out of circulation.
We have the testimony of two journalists I trust who have been scandalized by what they found in their investigation.
We have the testimony of a blogger who says she had some experiences with Father that were troubling but not of impure nature.
We have some hearsay about a inappropriate relationship at HLI.
We have hearsay about the abuse of a rite of exorcism.
We have hearsay about some woman who is reported to be living at Father's parents house.
Please do not post anything here about Father needing to get ready for jail. There is no criminal activity that I am aware of and I'd like to see if we can get HLI and the diocese to confirm or deny whether Father is a priest in good standing. The fact that they have been repeatedly asked and have refused does not play in Father's favor but right now, everyone is playing the game that the faithful dosn't have right to any information..which is hogwash.
You know if there was truth to these allegations, Fr. would be crucified in public. In my archdiocese, an elderly priest had ONE accusation of an impropriety from 40 years ago. He had a stellar reputation. He was yanked immediately! 9 months later the diocese found NO evidence the allegation had any merit. (and basically said the person had lied). Father's reputation was destroyed and he did then retire. All that on a long time priest with a perfect reputation. The bishops do not play around with allegations! IF there was something there, then it would be made public I think.
Fr. Euteneuer was one of the bravest voices in the clergy we had. You know he had legions of demons after him. I hope he withstood them all. I miss him.
Whatever is happening here, it is a minor reflection of what is going on in society in general, not some Catholic peculiarity.
One reason I think it is essential to have openness about this particular case (even if it is not required by Church law) is that many people are claiming that Fr. Tom has been silenced by powers in the Church because of the brave stands he previously taken on morality.
This is a truly disgusting spin on a sad situation. Nonsense about him "carrying his cross" and being persecuted and this whole mess being orchestrated by Satan has to stop. This is especially offensive when it is coming from people who have a professional stake in propping up Fr Tom's reputation.
We need the facts so that we don't have to listen to any more simple minded drivel about how Fr Tom is being martyred for his high ideals.
Also, this is the first clergy sex scandal to break after the horrors of the homosexual scandals of the previous decade have finally died down. This is our chance to show that we have learned from our mistakes and there will be no more cover-ups and no more secrecy.
The reports that the women victimized were paid off are the most disturbing parts of the whole mess, in my opinion. The rest of it is sort of ho-hum actually, except for the fact that it is breaking during the premiere of "The Rite." Let's face it, there will always be handsome young priests who stray. Priests are human and we are all sinners so, as far as I am concerned, there is really no story there.
The way it is being handled is the real issue. Why the secrecy? Were there really payoffs? That is the part that we should be paying attention to.
I think we should pray for Fr Tom and push the Church to show the world that it learned something from the nightmare of the last 10 years.
Catholic Tide,
I agree that the way it is being handled is a big issue.
But I do think, from the sounds of it, that there is possibly much more to the story than just a priest breaking his vows of celibacy.
If it is true that this man used exorcism as a means to access and abuse the disadvantaged, vulnerable, possibly even mentally ill, then this is about much more than a story of a randy priest unable to keep it zipped. This is about a planned predation on vulnerable women in the sickest of manners, hiding it under the guise of "exorcism" of their evil.
The handling of it by the diocese and HLI is also very important. I noted with interest the story of a Catholic blogger who dared question the veracity of Fr. E's bio as regarded his history in the marines--HLI was extremely condescending and really quite nasty in its insinuations about somebody who would dare question the veracity of Fr. E. Which instantly clued that Catholic blogger into the fact there there was much more afoot than just a mistaken entry in a bio.
http://yimcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-cults-of-personality-not-or-my.html#more
So many Fr. E defenders' reactions I am reading online really remind me of the nasty reactions of RC members to the news that their beloved Padre Maciel was actually a hardened criminal and child molester.
The time for laypeople to be silent when things don't add up is long gone.
I agree Anonymous that there may be more to Fr Tom's behavior than just a zipper control issue but I don't think we have any business speculating on that now. It is hard to go in that direction without giving in to gossip and morbid curiosity. I think we should leave all of that alone and trust that Fr Tom and his confessor and his bishop will receive the grace to resolve those problems.
In other words, I don't think we should discuss the sex part of the story. When the MSM gets a hold of this they will have a field day with the sex part so let's just focus on the Church part, which is the only part that concerns us.
Who was supervising Fr. Tom when all this happened? Was he given undue freedom because of his fame? It sounds like HLI was actually an enabler in all this, which would explain why they are being so secretive now.
The Church knows that the devil is dangerous and that is why they offer so much support and so many safeguards to exorcists but it appears that Fr Tom went out of his way to evade supervision. How did this happen?
I think these questions (along with the issue of the cover-up) are what should concern us now.
And I agree that the whole Marine Corps issue was a real red flag that should have gotten more serious attention.
Carol,
Before you launch a campaign on this issue aimed at Fr. Eteneuer's bishop, may I suggest you spend very earnest time in prayer, preferably before the Blessed Sacrament.
Most of your previous efforts have focused on the documented and recorded abuses of power and authority (financial and sexual) in the archdiocese, your home turf. This is an altogether different matter, gathering steam over the internet. You are dealing with people you don't know well (with some exceptions). You don't have access to any documents.
You need to act with the virtue of prudence here, and that comes from God.
I have an uneasy feeling as I read the charges being flung around. I know two different priests who have lived in Purgatory for years as a result of accusations. I would hate to see that happen to any priest.
M
Catholic Tide,
Point well taken, and I agree with pretty much everything you are saying. I think my one sticking point is simply that I think predation is about much more than sex (the sex part I will happily leave to the MSM).
I'm simply saying that I hope the whole thing will be duly investigated by the authorities. If, indeed, it turns out the whole exorcism ruse was a scam to get access and have power over some of the most vulnerable in our society (mentally ill, etc), it needs to be admitted not swept under the carpet in the interest of preventing "scandal".
Pardon me for my cynicims. I've just been through the whole Maciel/Legionaries of Christ scam, and it has left this Catholic extremely sensitive to the fact we need to be aware that predators don't think like we do and that they will look for situations in which they have the most access to the people most unable to defend themselves. And will gladly hide under very holy appearances and behind the fact that Catholics are often afraid to say anything for fear of committing the sins of detraction and calumny.
I fully agree that many are going to be looking at this situation to see if the institutional Church has indeed learned anything at all since 2002. Any cover-up/collusion needs to be investigated and brought to light.
I am not shocked. These allegations involve women. I would think having been so involved in the antiabortion movement and a celebate there would be some sexual undertones. Unwanted pregnancy results from sex. Yet being a celebate he really should not have the subject of sex and its outcome in his face all day. There are many occssions for sin. Spiritual help can be sexualised. I once read about a incident in the 2- 3rd century in which a woman went out of her way to use spiritual advice to have sex with deacons. The devil uses all opportunities to use the deeply instinctual sexual impulse to his advantage.
I think it is a very big leap to start referring to Fr Tom as a predator, especially since all we have to go on is a few blog posts.
Granted, there is a lot of smoke so there is probably some kind of a fire but I love Fr Tom and the work that he has done and I just can't bear to think of him that way.
We all stumble every day and until I see proof to the contrary I will assume that Fr Tom stumbled.
Besides, why do we have to make this about Fr Tom? The real issue is how, after a decade of horrific sex scandals, the Church allowed another high-profile scandal to occur and are they going to try the cover-up payoff strategy again.
I don't think anyone can expect the diocese to comment on fr.'s status until the investigation is complete. A priest in my diocese was removed from his parish after a single accusation. The diocese would say only that "father is on personal leave." No information was released until we saw his new assignment in the diocesan newspaper - after the authorities had determined that the accusation was not credible.
My guess is that's what will happen in this situation. I hope every reader here is praying HARD for our priests.
Veronica, whatever the human and structural flaws of Christ's Church, it is where we draw Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. You gotta strap yourself on and ride it out. There is nowhere else.
I don't believe for a nanosecond that there is any infrastructure where we can report serious threatsor corruption and have people held accountable. They had ten years to put something real together but they did not. Sadly, this means paying off victims, refusing to answer questions, report honestly is a joke and they resort to telling us we need to trust them and are required to be obedient. This is still their matrix.
They are not to be trusted because they are untrustworthy and anything is possible.
Isn't that the real problem?
They can't be trusted to process allegations that have merit. They have proven they can't be trusted to vindicate innocent priests from false allegations. They have robbed us of our Liturgy,Sacraments, Teachings,and rites, including exorcism.
They believe they can go on in perpetuity refusing to answer questions or concerns.
This sounds like a lot of speculation and gossip. I have not seen any evidence that backs up such accusations. If these accusations are not true, and you continue to spread such rumors, you are guilty of mortal sin. Let's find out the real story before we start spreading this stuff on the internet. I know Fr. Tom and his family and have a really hard time believing any of this.
Pray!
I didn't mean that I would leave the Church, Carol, and I understand how you deduced that from what I wrote. As you say, there is no where else to go.
I am tired of the Church hiding things from us because they do not want to "scandalize" us. In the meantime, left and right we are being disillusioned on a weekly, if not daily, basis.
I am tired of all of the equivocating. I am tired of all of the smooth talking prelates.
There is only so much of this that someone can take.
It has already gone on for far too long.
There is much truth to the old saying "What a tangled web we weave when we practice to deceive."
Veronica
I've long since accepted that my beloved mother the Church is not going to pass judgement in "real time". The magistrium takes time and needs to - being wrong is what breaks down trust - not making rash decisions.
Martin Luther also demanded his Church make immediate change - who could argue with him? It was aweful back then. You want to talk about bad Bishops? Look at the 16th century. But he was wrong to demand from the Church what he did not have the right to.
As for "justice" - what justice could you demand that would satisfy the crime? Who would know better what justice awaits than a priest? Are you really looking for justice here and now? I think you should be thankful that you are not called to judge - as what you measure will be measured against you.
Trust your Bishops. Pray for them. Sometimes you don't know what you do.
Anonymous,
It is not a mortal sin to be asking questions under these circumstances. Making people feel that way, I don't think is going to be helpful in healing the terrible breach of trust.
We don't have an internal forum that is trustworthy. Each Bishop is a mini pope and there nobody who hold him accountable or remove him for wrongdoing. Nobody. The window of opportunity for gaining our trust has passed.
The circumstances surrounding Fr. E's departure don't need to be secretive. If he's pooped and the women are spreading false rumors, are you actually satisfied that our priests are set up to go down like this?
I'm not.
The diocese has refused to say he is a priest in good standing. There are apparently women who have spoken to journalists on the grounds they would be given anonymity. There is concern there may be a woman who needs help living at Fr.'s parents house.
Is it a mortal sin to be asking the diocese to man up and dispel rumors or confirm there is a problem?
I can't get there.
Matt Abbott is an honorable man and journalist with impeccable judgment and love for Christ's Church. He was one of Fr. Euteneur's greatest supporters. His statements are very compelling to me.
I haven't the faintest clue what is being intimated (at best) here. Is there any possibility of something specific forthcoming?
Carol,
Do you personally know Adele, your now frequent commenter? I am disturbed by this entry on her blog, asking people to come forward ... into the arms of SNAP! The only SNAP supporters I know of are the likes of Walter Cuenin and Austin Fleming. This is an excerpt from Adele's blog:
"We hope that others who may have seen, suspected or suffered misdeeds by
any cleric will find the strength to come forward, get help, call police,
protect others and start healing.
"When victims, witnesses and whistleblowers stay silent, others keep getting
hurt. It's hard and scary to speak up, but it's our civic and Christian
duty to contact authorities and warn others about known and suspected
wrong-doers
David Clohessy, Director, SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by
Priests, (7234 Arsenal Street, St. Louis MO 63143), 314 566 9790 cell
(_SNAPclohessy@aol.com_ (mailto:SNAPclohessy@aol.com) )"
Where is this coming from? Where is it going?
M
Liam,
Hopefully, a lot of prayer for Fr. Euteneur and all involved.
Confidential sources are alleging abuse in a culture of secrecy surrounding Father E's exodus. Since Father's departure was pitched in such a way to make it appear as if a good solid priest was taken out of effective pro-life work, the surfacing allegations have the stink of coverup and dishonesty.
It is fair to say that post Maciel, Catholics are intolerant about secrecy.
Nobody wants to drag a personal stumble of Fathers into the public arena. But we do want to know whether there was something staged to cover up allegations from numerous women over several years, whether payoffs happened. This would make the staged exit a very serious problem.
Does that make sense?
Was it staged to cover up something big as is being alleged?
And, if these allegations are not true, this is another example of the hysteria they are promoting for our priests.
Either way, the secrecy needs to be dealt with.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
There is a certain element of trust and obedience that is owed a Bishop, whether or not you agree with what he says or does. It is owed.
We can presume good will on his part, and we can presume he has the safety and protection of all in mind. It does none of us any good to cast doubt at our Church leaders.
M,
No, I do not know Adele. And, I was uncomfortable with the post asking people to 'come forward' to SNAP.
The fact that HLI and the Bishops have surrounded Fr. E's departure with secrecy and put him and us in this kind of a position is truly maddening.
I don't know anything about Fr. T but I would like to point out that this public obsession about exorcism is very unhealthy and dangerous. Leave it to the Church and attend to your own spiritual welfare.
Hi, this is Adele. As to SNAP, point well taken. I looked and looked for a Catholic group that would support the care and rights of the victims in Clergy abuse cases and could fine none. If you have any Catholic alternative please do let me know. I really had trouble finding anyone and consulted good priests about it and they said they did not know of any. I found David Clohessy to be a wonderful help. He was personally abused as a young boy, and he was very kind and respectful of my beliefs. He told me that he has all kinds of Catholics as members of SNAP, those who are daily communicants and those on the other side who are into women priests and all the other drivel. He said he refuses to give into those who try to pressure the group to be a front for pushing married clergy etc and the like, as they are really there to be a support and help for victims of clergy abuse. I told him that they don't have a good name within orthodox Catholic circles and he agreed that they needed to do more not to ostracize people, as their first concern is the being there for those who are suffering and have no support. Hope that helps. Please let me know if you know of a Catholic equivalent (beyond the usual advice of "be silent about the abuse and just report it to the Bishop)....no pastoral care there sorry to say!! God bless you. Adele
As a former R.E. Director, I can attest to the fact that we were well-trained in reporting suspected abuse, yet that was our only job. We knew enough to report valid concerns, and then exit the arena and leave it for the professionals.
In this case, we can rest assured that professionals are involved, we call them BISHOPS. Let them do their job.... everyone with a blog is NOT an authority.
Anon, This person with a blog agrees wholeheartedly that she is not an authority.
But isn't it really intellectual dishonesty to ask people to believe the Bishops are capable of doing their jobs?
Give me a crumb of evidence. There's none here in Boston that is for sure. And, it is true with many diocese across the US.
In this case, if the Bishops were doing their job, they would have known that Father's sojourns all over the country to exercise demons were a misuse of the Rite.
Carol - there is no evidence that has been presented to substantiate the claims of Father's "sojourns" across the country. All of this information is based on the words of a BLOGGER. Tom O'Toole can hardly be called a journalist but from his own mouth.
Have you ever googled Tom O'Toole? He and his wife sell "Oils from God"... read the write up on their company's founder in magazines, news reports, etc.
Read Tom's blog and the severe yet just criticism he is receiving from a respected reporter in the field for his failure to act as a journalist.
The intellectual dishonesty stems only from the rush to judgment and the failure to seek sources of truth.
Let us not bear false witness. We do not know what is going on. Please pray for Father and for us Catholics who are in a very real fight with enemy who wishes to claim your soul on your last breath and say "MINE". We are the Church Militant.
Lucifer and the Demonic are not metaphors...
Anonymous at 12:05 a.m. -- Thanks for the OFG plug!
And please keep in mind, it was Tom who allowed the commentary of the "respected reporter," a person with no last name and a blocked profile, on his site in the first place.
Have you read Matt C. Abbott's piece on Fr. Euteneuer? MCA is a respected Catholic journalist (that doesn't hide behind anonymity), and to my knowledge, doesn't use YLEO, either!
--Mrs. Fighting Irish Thomas
Anonymous at 12:05 -- Thanks for the OFG plug!
And, keep in mind, the "respected reporter" with "severe yet just criticism" was allowed to appear on Tom's site via Tom's approval, even though this "journalist" has no last name and a blocked profile.
And have you read Matt C. Abbott's piece on Fr. Euteneuer? MCA is a respected Catholic journalist (that does not hide behind anonymity), and to my knowledge, doesn't use YLEO either!
Funny Jeannette how your husband does not bother to cite his so called sources - nor his claim that Father is still involved "by all accounts" with a woman or women. All "what" accounts Jeannette? And who is laying claim to such nonsense? No one.
Thanks for clarifying that it's not ok for an anonymous blogger to post comments but it IS OK to blast a priest without proof.
Confession Jeannette: Try it, it does a soul good.
I’m not sure where I am as I appear to be surrounded by people with stones in their hands?
The demons must be laughing for what we currently know is that:
1) we are down a priest of the order of Melchizedeck,
2) a book dealing with Exorcism is out of print at a time that Mother Church is placing a renewed emphasis on it,
3) and Christians are potentially bearing false witness
Our God is the Father of Truth and the Lord of Light, not the Father of Lies and Prince of Darkness. If something improper has occurred it will be reveled in God’s time and not in our impatient ways of instant messaging.
This son of Adam is well known by many bishops and priests throughout the world and therefore it’s not a realistic possibility that if anything improper occurred that it will be swept under the rug. In fact if anything the church of late has had a quick trigger in taking action before all of the facts are known and we have lost some good men.
Now I know why I came across this quote from St Teresa of Avila regarding Christian virtues, “unless you strive after virtues and practice them, you will never grow to be more than dwarfs – for, as you know, anyone who fails to go forward begins to go back.”
I prefer to work on virtue and let God work in his time.
God Bless,
Michael
Michael,
I wholeheartedly agree that in most situations, priests are taken out without any evidence whatsoever that anything has happened. I've been a very outspoken critic of their kangaroo courts.
They can be trusted with nothing.
I had a good opinion about Fr. E, until a couple years ago when he came to our area to give a talk. Something about him gave me a weird feeling, and since then I've been unenthusiastic about him. His manner reminded me of a priest I used to know: outspokenly moral and dogmatic, performing exorcisms, but hiding parish finances and behind the scenes getting into inappropriate emotional relationships with unsuspecting vulnerable women. Very controlling and manipulative. Many people complained about him, and a couple years ago his facilities to perform exorcisms were removed, but he still remains in the parish as pastor (though not very many people go there anymore).
I wouldn't blame the devil for Fr. E's actions. Sounds like just plain old human sin to me - and where there's smoke, there's usually fire, in this case the smoke being the unexpected resignation, withdrawal of books, etc. He's a public figure who represented himself a certain way, so it's not wrong to talk about it if he looks like he wasn't what he claimed to be. If these allegations were made while he was still in ministry and he denied them that would be one thing, but the circumstances here are different.
The CCC passages quoted in this thread don’t say “never talk about allegations,” but rather “judge whether or not it is appropriate to reveal the truth to someone who asks for it,” with respect for the common good. Fr E is a public figure that we have looked up to, so it is in the interests of the common good that we know the truth about him. It would be a worse scandal to simply cover things up and never investigate, in my opinion – because the truth will always come out sooner or later, and the longer you wait, the worse it is when it does come out. For the sake of the common good, we need to know the truth.
Carol,
Again I would urge careful prayer and discernment before launching any campaign. You are assuming the bishop of Palm Beach is covering something up. You don't know that for a fact, only via the internet. This issue has just arisen -- there hasn't been time for any due process to work itself through. Why not try trusting the system before you rush to condemn it?
Prayer may really be the answer here.
I am not impressed by the arguments of Adele and Jeannette O'Toole -- in fact, I see red flags in the little information I know about them.
Adele, I don't know your area, but I am sure there are faithful Catholic priests who can offer solid spiritual direction. If you've only looked as far as SNAP for help, you are definitely looking in the wrong direction.
(Carol, isn't SNAP funded by lawyers like Mitch Garabedian?)
And as for the O'Tooles, the Vatican has forbidden anointing with "healing oils/oil of gladness" and reaffirmed guidelines on sacramental oil. Anything else smacks of New Age remedies, to my mind. These are not "Catholic" healing agents.
See here: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=736)
M
Now here is a genuine news source:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/statement-of-fr-thomas-euteneur-setting-the-record-straight
With all due respect to people who had the decency to speak up, HLI and the diocese of Palm Beach were hiding the fact that Fr. Tom violated his vows of chastity with a woman who was troubled and in the course of his ministry.
Was it during healing prayers this happened?
We still don't know.
I'm not efified, at all, that this statement says it didn't include 'the' sex act.
What is 'the' sex act, exactly, if he violated his vows of chastity?
It is clintonesque.
I find his statement outrageous. Absolutely outrageous.
HLI and the diocese covered this up.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/statement-of-fr-thomas-euteneur-setting-the-record-straight/
I was feeling pretty impressed until I read this:
"While I would much prefer to allow this public act of contrition to stand alone, I regret having to address the malicious falsehoods that were published this past week on various internet sites. I can only say that I am shocked to the depths of my being at the malicious efforts by supposedly faithful Catholics to destroy a priest who has served the Church faithfully for 22 years."
Red flags abound. I don't think these are the words of a "holy" man when confronted with the speculation his own gross misconduct has created. "Supposedly Catholic" is a thinly-veiled insult at best. Kind of reminds me of HLI's response to that marine who dared question Fr. Euteneuer's bio description of his service in the Marines.
It seems the fall hasn't destroyed the pride that wenteth before it.
At least he has come out with a statement admitting he was involved in gross misconduct, even if he is still defending his decisions to ignore proper protocol.
"I pray that my two decades of faithful priestly ministry and my efforts in the defense of life will be seen in the light of the good fruits they have produced and not denigrated because of my moments of weakness in a most challenging ministry."
I'm sorry, but the "good fruits" argument will never hold water for me anymore post-Maciel and his Legion.
I hope that next time a priest-celebrity has to be removed due to gross misconduct, the organization "retiring" him won't pretend it is a retirement with full honors.
And I wonder if the blogger over at Renew America who posted that "Whether Fr. Tom is blameworthy or completely innocent, you can be certain that he would respect the reputations of others far more than others are respecting his." was duly shocked to read that far from respecting others' reputations, he calls them malicious, questions their faithfulness to their faith, and refers to them as "crackpots with a website.
No end to the irony!
C'mon Anonymous,
The "possessed woman" in his parents house smacks of Jane Eyre's crazy wife-in-the-attic. I suspect most of the breathless reporting I read in the blogs to be false.
I believe we witnessed an electronic lynch mob (remember Clarence Thomas's phrase?) It was not a pretty sight.
And no, I don't believe we in Blog Land need to know ALL the details of this priest's fall. I accept Fr. Euteneuer's statement at face value. It was approved by the bishop before it went out.
Why don't you guys PRAY for this priest and for all other priests and especially exorcists at this time?
M
Carol....you, the other bloggers, the commenters, and Fr. E. are all in my prayers as I ask for yours. There is no doubt in my mind that we are all doing here what we believe to be right, to the best of our abilities, with no malice intended. Satan is hitting us all of us where it hurts the most, creating doubt and fear of offending God in this situation and others like it. Sadly, the days of blind faith and obedience are over - though I wish that were NOT the case - in this new era of our beloved Catholic Church post sex-abuse scandal. The old ways don't work anymore. Betrayal of trust -in all of its' forms- has profound and lifelong effects on those betrayed. How I long for an end to this increasingly evil era! Please don't stop your crusade - your heart is in the right place, and you are fighting for all of us at great personal expense to yourself, I'm sure.
I am on my lunch and have a limited amount of time to respond.
I am floored by Fr. Euteneur's letter. It is despicable.
His Bishop let him send this out trying to make the the people calling attention to their charade as malicious crackpots?
"As to my departure from HLI, Church officials are completely without blame, having dealt in a timely and appropriate manner with a crisis that was not of their making. I offer this statement as a matter of justice to vindicate Church officials who have been unjustly criticized by those writing and speaking in ignorance of the facts. "
Unjust criticism? Without blame? Vindicate them?
Is he serious?
They have sat in silence knowing that he violated his vow of chastity with a woman, who Father himself describes as 'in great spiritual distress'.
Yet knowing this, both HLI and the Bishop let Father E set the stage for us all to believe that Father was being persecuted.
It is unacceptable. It was a lie and the pursuit to unravel their coverups is not 'sinful'.
He didn't want to man up to what he did. He did not take full responsibility and he still is not taking full responsibility.
The audacity of this letter is truly breathtaking. Blame the faithful.
"The circumstances that led to my departure from HLI were related exclusively to my own decisions and conduct within the ministry of exorcism.. The vast majority of my decisions and conduct, both personally and in this ministry, were morally sound... motivated exclusively by my desire to give priestly assistance to people in great spiritual distress... I must acknowledge, however, that one particularly complex situation clouded my judgment and led me to imprudent decisions with harmful consequences, the worst of which was violating the boundaries of chastity with an adult female who was under my spiritual care. "
Further on, he attempts to, as anonymous above rightly points out, wriggle out of his actions by saying his violations against chastity didn't involved "the sexual act?"?
"The violations of chastity happened due to human weakness but did not involve the sexual act;"
When you touch a woman in a manner that violates your chastity it is, most definitely, a sexual act.
What a jerk.
At this point, I am anxious to know who said there was a woman holed up in his parents house, where the information came from that there was more than one woman that he was abusing for years.
pps - I am receiving more information about the individual who reportedly lives/lived in Fr. E's parents house. I don't know folks - we've got a major storm here and I don't think it is over yet. No time to sort out at this juncture but will be back later this evening. Prayers for all involved.
Fr. TE: "I must acknowledge, however, that one particularly complex situation clouded my judgment and led me to imprudent decisions with harmful consequences, the worst of which was violating the boundaries of chastity with an adult female who was under my spiritual care. "
In addition to the sexual abuse of a vulnerable adult, the above admission may include additional crimes of abuse of ecclesiastical power and possible solicitation, which is a grave crime reserved to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Carol,
I think we can agree the devil won this round. Just think: Recently the bishops have begun to show more interest in exorcism, the book "The Rite" was published and got good press. The movie trailer looks awful, but it's supposed to be better than it looks. Now, with the spotlight on exorcism, THIS has to happen.
M
"While I would otherwise willingly suffer calumnies in silence to atone for my sins, and knowing how pointless it is to respond to every crackpot with a website ..."
Pass the popcorn, as they say on Free Republic!
PLEASE read this just posted.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/statement-of-fr-thomas-euteneur-setting-the-record-straight
There is still wiggle room in the statement. He does categorically deny any financial improriety. But as another commenter pointed out, there is still wiggle room in his statements - there are things left unsaid.
What's interesting to me is that this is released via LifeSite. Not HLI, not the diocese. He's a diocesan priest, right? Why is he releasing statments outside diocesan channels?
People are saying that the celebrity is the problem. I think it is partially, but the greater problem is the lack of oversight. I never can fully trust these Lone Ranger priests.
Hi M,
If you have more info on SNAP, please email me orare33atgeemaildotcom
Love to talk with a good spiritual director. I haven't been able to find one, although I know they're out there.
God bless,
Adele
"Pass the popcorn"?
This is not entertainment.
M
I'll probably regret jumping in, but this snowy day, with 4 of 6 of us ill, leaves me with nothing else to do!
Carol wrote: "He didn't want to man up to what he did. He did not take full responsibility and he still is not taking full responsibility."
Bingo.
Jeanette wrote: "Pass the popcorn." Yep!
Y'all have been had by another rock star, an Icarus. HLI is a pressure cooker of interests; I know this from those who worked with Fr. Marx. Fr. Marx took a lot of heat for coming out against classroom sex-ed, but even he waffled after that. Lots of pressure. He was treated horribly as he was forced out.
Fr. E. always seemed too slick to me, and now we know it was his cover. He let his supposed high stature go to his head. A pro-life star and exorcist on-the-fly was just too much for me to swallow.
Take this as a note to be careful of rock stars, i.e., EWTN types, other jet-setters and highly visible types. I hear them called holy, brilliant, courageous, and more. It's not constructive and not good for the soul. It's best just to pass the popcorn.
I am unconvinced that the smoke in this case emanates from Satan rather than from the fire of repressed passion. I am not referring to Fr. Euteneuer alone. I am referring to the adult woman with whom he admits to having committed some unnamed indiscretion.
A priest once told me of the stress of the confessional and his struggles with certain women penitents. Some are extremely graphic in their description of their "sins" of the flesh; they ask questions about what is permitted and not permitted and what stimulation they require to climax and whether such stimulation accords with the Church's sexual playbook, so to speak.
That conversation led to his recounting stories of exorcisms (at which he was an observer). In several cases, the "possessed" woman became aggressively aroused and described in the most lurid language what pleasures she could give the exorcist. Often she would strip naked and simulate coition or other acts and even try to seize the priest and force him onto the bed or couch. This is why it is necessary to have both men and women, preferably of the patient's family, in the room to restrain her physically and to vouch for the priest's integrity.
Fr. Euteneuer's first error was to violate that very sensible protocol.
If indeed there was but a single indiscretion, one not entirely implausible outcome of this is that we may eventually hear of Fr. Euteneuer's laicization and marriage to as yet unnamed woman.
Let's just hope the Piskies don't make him an offer he can't refuse.
A commenter above used the term "Clintonesque" and it looks like that's how this is going to play out.
1) He did it, 2) They are all trying to cover it up and/or minimize it. 3) He is attacking his accusers.
When you have done something shameful and you have tried to cover it up and have been dragged kicking and screaming into the light and then you turn on your accusers... you really cannot expect a lot of sympathy.
And complaining that the accusers got some of the details wrong when you have participated in a 6 month conspiracy to hide the truth is pretty low.
Seriously, if you want people to get the facts correct then don't spend 6 months hiding and covering up.
It seems to me that with a few exceptions, the bloggers did a pretty good job of ferreting out the story and presenting what little information they had.
I would say that 99.9% of the over-the-top inappropriate remarks came from (mostly anonymous) commenters, not bloggers.
I just wish the people involved would be 100% open and honest and not drag it out and remind everyone of all the previous scandals and cover-ups.
This whole mess should have been over and done with, neatly and cleanly, honestly and openly back in September. The slow-motion nightmare thing is the worst.
As always, we need to pray without ceasing.
Here I was berating myself for being so mean spirited in thinking that this was the worst apology I ever read.
Jerry, I agree completely with you (hope you and the family are soon feeling better!).
Veronica
Amen, Catholic Tide,
That is how real men handle such things. Own up to their wrongdoing (no minimizing or excusing it just because you are in a "challenging" ministry, either), apologize, pay restitution if applicable, and move out of the public limelight and into a positon in which you will not be exposed to the same situations that brought you down in the first place.
This attacking the accusers, defending his decisions to break protocol, and pointing out all the good fruit he did are totally inappropriate and really raise red flags that bring up more questions than answers. It seems like not a whole lot was learned since 2002 after all.
Catholic Tide wrote:
"When you have done something shameful and you have tried to cover it up and have been dragged kicking and screaming into the light and then you turn on your accusers... you really cannot expect a lot of sympathy."
My thoughts exactly.
Veronica
You poor souls!
THE BISHOP HELD HIM UNDER OBEDIENCE - WAKE UP AND GET A CLUE
He was not permitted to talk on the subject.
Praying for you all - may God restore your sanity soon!
I just cannot leave this alone!
"Despite the rhetoric of justice and truth-seeking, the sinful campaign has not made one single positive contribution to the resolution of this difficult situation that has already been handled appropriately by Church authorities for nearly six months."
Excuse me but actually the bloggers made a very important positive contribution!
For 6 months you hid away silently while your loyal supporters made excuses for you and promoted the theory that you were such a brave hero that powers in the Church had removed you due to your outspoken confrontations of immorality.
For 6 months you allowed the consensus to grow that you had been a voice crying in the wilderness, only to be silenced and locked away for your integrity.
How long would you have allowed that farce to go on?
That ended only because of the "crackpots with websites" and only because they forced the situation.
Oh, and "handled appropriately by Church authorities" is no longer an acceptable phrase to describe a clergy sex scandal cover-up.
http://wcrnews.wordpress.com/2011/02/01/controversy-erupts-over-hli%E2%80%99s-former-chief-priest/
@ Adele: I don't know you, but my first reaction when reading your notes from your blog and this blog entry was one of 'exploiting the situation for the purpose of blog traffic'. I can't imagine any good and faithful Catholic who would purposely and hurtfully {whether justified or not is completely irrelevant} out the private information of someone else.
If, and that's a mighty big IF, you have information about this situation, you have a moral obligation to go through the proper channels in sharing this information.
Now, I'm no Catholic theologian so I can only speculate, but I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that 'tattle telling' in the blogosphere is the WRONG way to handle this.
I would *strongly* encourage you to rescind your comments and handle things privately instead of relying on internet kudos and high fives for whatever knowledge you have of the situation.
I have absolutely no connection to anyone involved in this story, but I felt compelled to react to this continued slander of a priest who needs your prayers more than your unsolicited gossip.
JMJ
What a mess for the Lord to turn around and somehow use for His glory.
M~ In my(very)humble opinion,the devil doesn't win any rounds.
He lost it all at the cross and this is our confidence.
While we see this mess being sorted out;
the battle belongs to the Lord.
2 Chronicles 20:15
+PAX
As long as I live, I will never forget the retreat of the late Fr. Daniel Lord gave us scholastics before our ordination. He recalled the episode of a conversation that Pope Pius had with Fr. Edmond Walsh, then of Georgetown who had just returned from a mission in Russia, where millions were starving because of the treachery of their Communist overlords. After the famine had abated, Fr. Lord was told to meet with the Holy Father. Late into the night Pope and Jesuit were in conversation over the conditions of the Church in that day. And the Pope asked Fr. Walsh who do you think are the greatest trials to the Church? Are they the persecutors, the Neros and Attilas, the Communists? The Pope answered his own question. No, they are unfaithful priests. It is no overstretch of language to say as the priesthood goes, so goes the Church.
We go on. In our day, more than I believe in any other day before, there are pressures on all those who wish to remain faithful to Christ such as were not experienced ever before. But the pressures are experienced by priests with a violence and a virulence such as no one else but a priest can understand. One saint after another has declared that the devil’s principal target on earth is the Catholic priest. Stands to demonic reason – if the devil can deceive and delude a Catholic priest and draw him away from Christ, what happens? What happens is what we see happening in our world today. Priests are subject to extraordinary temptations from the devil, first and mainly, but also from the world...
Needless to say, the Church of the future will not only survive, but please God in our own country, will thrive. But that will occur only where and insofar as the priests have not only been faithful to their vocation, but have lived their priesthood how I like to say this, in a living martyrdom in union with the first martyr, Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, no mere recommendation or exhortation as far as I can make an imperative. Pray and sacrifice for priests.
--JOHN HARDON SJ
Carol, ]
I just read Fr. E's statement.
In Boston were there IS a conspiracy it is easy to think there is one everywhere. In Fr. E's case I believe him. It is a rare Priest or adult man for that matter who has not experienced a needy woman who has a crush on him at some point in his career or adult life. Scum bag men seek these women out, virtuous men try to deal with it with Charity. Fr. E would not be the first heterosexual man to get entwined so deeply with a woman that his judgment failed him, or his motives became unclear and seen as implausible. ...so much for the weakness and nature of men...
Now - the Juice!
Woman love a good story. And gossip is a very difficult sin to deal with for numerous reasons. Given the true stories from queer street RCAB and those in the know on the details of the Legion founder there is a tendency to hop on the trail, pick up stones and look for somebody to toss them at.
I think I'm a pretty good judge of Character and Fr. E is the real deal.
I also think that 'the old boy' would pull out all the stops and his superior intellect to make sure Fr. E's latest book never gets read.
Abortion = Rape by the Devil
Nobody ever said that before.
Adele:
I'm finding it hard to understand your position. You had one of the most famous priests in America as godfather for your children, yet you are clueless about how to find spiritual direction and have the founder of SNAP's cell phone number. That's... different.
Anyway, if you were friendly with Fr. Euteneuer out in Front Royal area, you can always try the folks at Christendom. Good, orthodox people.
Jeanette and Jerry: I find the "Pass the Popcorn" attitude completely offensive. How can you mock the public downfall of a priest in the forefront of the pro-life movement?
M
Hi M,
It seems that a lot of folks have way too much invested in Fr. E -- groupies to the rock star, maybe?
The "popcorn" line applies to the whole saga. Did you read that post at "wcrnews"? The story of the story of the story -- what a hoot. This is getting rather unhealthy, and it's time to sit back and watch the cards fall. If not popcorn, enjoy a glass of wine. Or both.
Beyond the direct victims of Fr. E. are the multitude of those who can now wag their heads about the holier-than-thou priest slamming Hannity over contraception. Fr.'s indiscretions now make him partially responsible for the sins of those he has scandalized.
This is a very grave danger for one who becomes popular; as he falls, he takes a multitude with him. As with his failure to observe strict protocols in exorcism, he didn't appreciate the cost of his rise to fame. He's done, folks. Let him fall and don't give him an audience until you see sackcloth and ashes.
So, who will be the next star to fall? Voris? Fr. Z? You never know, so don't invest too much. It's enough to save one's soul without worrying about all that. In the mean time, I'll have butter on my popcorn.
Easy on the butter, Jerry!
Veronica
Women love gossip??
Blaming it on the woman or women?
Poor Fr. Euteneur, tempted by slutty women. Nutty women and crackpots persecuting the martyr.
Jesus, come to our aid.
Seldom in my 50 years have I come across a situation where I can say it is so nuts in every conceivable way that it is not of mortal origin.
What a web of deception, confusion and lies.
Was somebody really taken out of HLI chapel in an ambulance from hysterics? Did the reporter verify?
Personal sin or the sexual exploitation of a sick woman was covered up with a big humongous charade.
He could have gone out quietly saying he needed time in the cavern, in prayer, in discernment for his vocation as an exorcist.
Fr. Euteneur-the-martyr lie has gone on for five months. You will forgive me but I am not empathetic to his letter.
Somebody asked above why the diocese did not release this despicable letter.
It isn't rocket science. The letter was released at arms length from the diocese because it says the sex he had with the woman were not sexual acts.
It attacks people who exposed their elaborate martyr charade.
At the end of the day, no matter what priests and Bishops do to women and children, they can make martyrs out of themselves and crackpots out of the people exposing their lies.
Jerry,
I'm not a groupie. I'm someone who sees the crash and burn of a Catholic priest as a tragedy, not a movie.
There are so many souls at stake here: Those who will turn away from HLI's pro-life efforts, those who will scoff at exorcism in the media, and bishops who may avoid the issue until it's "safe" again. This means babies not saved, women not delivered, people left in torment.
I wrote to Carol that the devil had won this round, and someone else replied he hadn't. I still believe this is a loss for the Kingdom. Not that God won't win in the end, but it's sad and it's not funny.
So I'll pass on the popcorn and the wine.
M
LCIB,
"Abortion = Rape by the Devil
Nobody ever said that before.
February 1, 2011 7:11 PM"
No, nobody said that before.
But the thing is, abortion has nothing to do with rape.
Abortion is murder.
Rape is a sex act.
...and the saga continues. The Bishop protector of the Palm Beach homo network, and bishop of Fr. E., has released a statement, also in Life Site News. (You might want to put the popcorn down for this one, in other words, barf alert.)
Jerry: who will be the next star to fall? Voris? Fr. Z?
Good question. Michael Voris, S.T.B. (who hangs out a bachelor's degree shingle?), despite his pungent videos, is singularly lacking in biographical detail. Fr. Zee, despite the alleged priest shortage in Amchurch, is idyllically ensconced in his "Sabine farm", replete with a personal chapel. Who is he? Why is he not incardinated in a diocese? Despite his auto- and ornithotrophic penchants, the saving of souls would seem to be of moderately more importance than his food or feeder.
And what about the Marine Corps background of Fr. Corapi? Or has anyone verified the veracity of his wastrel prior life? Who is he?
Mitch Pacqua I think is probably the real deal. I admit that sticks in my craw for he is a jebby. Good man though. The kind of jebby I wish I'd known.
Euteneuer might be a rogue but then again he might just be a guy that succumbed to a moment's temptation. Sex is hard to resist. That doesn't make him a reprobate; it might make him a saint. After all, Augustine and Merton put away their inconvenient families. I wonder what Ed Peters would blog if he knew whether St. Peter had slept with his wife the night before his crucifixion. What would that be according to modern Canon Law? Illicit but valid intercourse?
In modern church parlance and one of the only good that comes from the spirit of vatican 2 is that the Church is the eighth sacrament.
I think Fr Euteneur made a very silly mistake he allowed scrupulosity and probably a bishop's thorough embarrassment to confuse him. He saw a temptation allowed by God to tempt him to overcome his work as an exorcist. Obviously he went by his own thoughts instead of his commonsense.
n.b.
I've been blogging for a lot of years and I have rarely, if ever, passed on gossip. I double and triple check sources and resources.
I expect more to coming out on this saga. In the meantime, a word to the wise:
I would ask those of you following this saga to be very careful about making Adele to be the boogeyman.
Things are not always as they appear.
Jack O'Malley, you amuse me.
You should add "Corapi who lives on his own apart from any community in the Wild West and whose backstory of high living in LA has never been examined"
Not to speak of "Stravinskas who was dogged by financial improprieties every place he went in the United States and now who lives in Europe."
My question to Adele and others is how did you end up getting Fr. E to come up to Canada or wherever to do these exorcisims or whatever he was doing? For an exorcism to be legit it must be appproved by the local bishop- if Fr. E was a priest of Palm Beach he really could only perform exorcisms in the territory of the Palm Beach diocese, unless another bishop gave him permission, but he would need that for each territory he went to. That is my understanding based on canon law- which is meant to protect everyone involved both exorcist and the troubled souls he is trying to help. It sounds like he was a maverick "exorcist" and so it is not a big surprise that at some point he would literally get slapped by the devil. It is double tragic that weak suffering human beings were the instrument for this. Please offer Massses of reparation for all involved in this tragedy that could have been proabably avoided if Fr. E would have just stuck to his pro-life work instead of becoming a celebrity exorcist. Where was the discernment in all of this?
@Jack O'Malley
Here is a page with a lot of documentation on Father Z: http://wdtprs.com/bonafides/
I'm pretty sure there is a lot of public background on Michael Voris because he was an Emmy winning TV anchorman before coming back to the church.
I've never heard anyone question Father Corapi's background although there has been some talk lately about changes in his hair color.
I hope that helps! ;D
(Carol - I tried to post a link to the bishop's reply, but it hasn't come through yet.)
M wrote: "you can always try the folks at Christendom. Good, orthodox people."
That helps me understand your trust-the-bishop misconception. Christendom (CC) is rife with Opus-Deistas who preach the same story. CC is where Jeff Miurs comes from, defender of all novelty post Vatican-II. It's folks like that who mislead faithful Catholics into letting their bishops push sex-ed on kids and cover for predators, all in the name of Catholic order and trust. It's all balderdash, as we've come to see. (Worse still, they defend the new theology of the past 50 years, but that's a subject for another thread.)
a typo: Jeff Mirus, not Miurs (sorry)
Veronica wrote: "Easy on the butter, Jerry!"
Do you mean the cholesterol myth? (Contact me offline if you want to chat more).
Carol: Let's face facts!
You and your pals here simply have no inside knowledge of Father Tom's transgressions. And even if you did, you have no reason to broadcast them all over the internet! (Do you hear that, Adele, Jeanette, Jerry?)
I accept the man's explanation of today, and I see no reason why you should not do so too!
Are you calling him a liar?
Here's another thing to consider, Carol: I am a left-leaning liberal.
Father Tom is a right-leaning conservative.
But you know what? We are both Domers.
And, Carol, we Domers stick together.
I will conclude by saying this:
Years ago, my devout Irish Catholic father would remind me: "Don't you go about pointing out the sins of others; look at your own sins!
You know, Carol: He was right!
Something to think about! (Hey, maybe I'm completely wrong!)
Your fellow MBTA Commuter Rail friend
Bern
To Anon,
Jack keep us all laughing. He is a hoot!
Jerry - thanks, for some reason your post on the Bishop got caught in the spam filter. The statements of contrition have improved over the course of the day. He's late to the party but better late than never.
There's a few loose ends to tie up on this story. I'm hoping we can tuck them in one way or another.
Pray for all. Please.
Bern,
A left leaning liberal on the commuter rail? I've got the cure for that - stop reading the Metro and the Boston Globe. :O)
It isn't about sins. He could have and should have owned up to his own behavior like a man and resigned voluntarily from HLI. But no, a big charade was staged to make it look like the Bishop called him back and under the vow of obedience was holing him up in the Padre Pio prison under the Chancery.
I'll repeat what I said over at CMR to somebody who said he couldn't tell from Fr. E's statement whether the lustful acts were committed within a right of exorcism or elsewhere.
You can't tell whether the lustful acts were committed in connection with exorcism or elsewhere, that is by design.
If Father fell in love and had an indiscretion, that would be one thing.
But if the indiscretion came upon a spiritually and emotionally sick woman in the middle of an exorcism,(which is by the way, one of the allegations the malicious crackpots indexed) would Catholic men and women want their Bishops to cover it up with the charade that went down?
Of course not!
There's a big old hole in this manipulative statement and everything can be accused of being calumny or malicious. The beauty of it is, he can sit back and watch the faithful do it for him.
They know just how to set the stage to get the faithful to turn on the victims while they keep above the fracas.
Carol, you're great! Thank you.
To the Anon asking about Fr T and exorcisms. He would come in, investigate, contact the local Bishop in that Diocese, get permission, follow the guidelines, and carry out exorcisms. He had people in TN, FL, CA, IN, OH, out of country I hear and who knows where else?
Adele,
I'm not great. I'm a woman who has been privy to enough of the banter among the women being treated to see the symptoms of spiritual manipulation. They chatter is about Fr. T., in an obsessive fashion.
Priests should be transparent. You speak to them, talk to them but you hardly notice they are there because at the end, you see God, you feel God, your soul connects to God. Big red flags should go off if you are in a group that is chitter chattering about what Father does for them and when they can see Father again - etc. It indicates there is a cult of personality where God is obscured by the ego of the priest.
This gentlemen picked up on it very quickly:
http://yimcatholic.blogspot.com/2011/01/for-cults-of-personality-not-or-my.html
Does anyone know if the woman he was chatting with (Anne Lotierzo) worked for HLI? She appears to answer an email directed to Fr. E at an HLI address.
http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/statement-of-fr-thomas-euteneur-setting-the-record-straight/
How about we let Fr. Euteneur defend himself?
Could be a perfectly logical explanation why Anne answered personal emails addressed to Father Euteneuer at HLI and her address is listed in people finder as the same as his mother's.
Could it also be when he said he didn't have sex with that woman, when he said there is no woman living in his mother's house, it all depended on the meaning of the word 'is'?
I'm sure there are Catholics out there who don't want to know those details either but what questions are we left with about Fr.'s statement?
It is alleged by the crackpots with websites that Fr. E's "broke his vow of celibacy" with a vulnerable women during exorcisms.
Do we have the answer to that question from his statement?
No.
It was alleged by the crackpots with websites that a woman Fr. treated was/is living at his mother's house.
Father says we have the answer to that question.
Do we?
Could be Fr. owe's another apology to the people he called malicious crackpots.
I for one would like to know what exactly the Bishop "ordered silence" on, wouldn't you?
Carol wrote: Women "chatter about Fr. T., in an obsessive fashion."
My wife and I have seen this. We call them groupies. It can destroy a priest who fails to nip it in the bud.
An example is a priest who baptized my nephew. He was a big hit at his midwestern parish, putting in an altar rail, preaching against contraception, etc. After the Baptism there was a reception at the home, and father arrived driven by a well dressed, attractive lady. My wife and I picked up on it right away. Long story short, the priest was eventually caught soliciting "massages," got reassigned, left the priesthood, and is now married. And inlaws on the other side of the family (pro contraception) scoff about how the hotshot got his just desserts.
Groupies - you know who you are - you present an occasion of sin even if you don't realize it. But the bulk of the fault lies with the priest, who like St. Thomas, should beat you off with the fireplace poker at first glance.
PLEASE all see http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/statement-of-fr-thomas-euteneur-setting-the-record-straight
and Pray, the devil is master of all lies. PRAY
Statement of Fr. Thomas Euteneuer: ‘Setting the record straight’
by Fr. Tom Euteneuer
Tue Feb 01, 2011 10:12 EST
Jack, we like your posts, but the latest is too much. On a lady's site to boot.
Fr. Zee, despite the alleged priest shortage in Amchurch, is idyllically ensconced in his "Sabine farm", replete with a personal chapel. Who is he? Why is he not incardinated in a diocese?
You can find the answers to all of your questions here (page slightly out of date):
http://wdtprs.com/bonafides/
Hope this helps.
Jerry & Jack O'M, I studied St. Thomas Acquinas' Summa, I contemplate the learning of St. Thomas,I pray for the intercession of St. Thomas. Father Tom E. is no St. Thomas. (Prolonged shouts and applause.)
Carol,
I would urge you to prayerfully consider shutting down this thread as people are getting increasingly nasty. I mean was that sexual inneundo really necessary from Jack when Fr. E and these unfortunate women need extra prayers? This is not a joke, but a HUGE SCANDAL that is going to hurt in a big way a great Pro-life organization namely HLI that teaches not only the evil of abortion but the root of it which is the contraceptive mentality- they are one of the few pro-life groups to have the courage to do so, and now this is going to hurt that mission badly. Also was it really necessary to actually publish Fr. E's mother's mailing address? This really is getting out of hand and we must always remember even when dealing with real evil, it must be fought with goodness as St. Paul tells us in the letter to the Romans- the end doesn't justify the means. We all have been hurt in some way by these revelations about Fr. E. Now let's do something spiritually constructive, instead of adding to the fire of evil by a lack of charity, let pray and do penance as our Lady of Fatima asked us to do.
The HLI statement released today is not helping Fr. E.
http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=40192&wf=rsscol
Funny Jeannette how your husband does not bother to cite his so called sources - nor his claim that Father is still involved "by all accounts" with a woman or women. All "what" accounts Jeannette? And who is laying claim to such nonsense? No one.
Thanks for clarifying that it's not ok for an anonymous blogger to post comments but it IS OK to blast a priest without proof.
Confession Jeannette: Try it, it does a soul good. --AA at 9:09, Feb.1
Yes, but we *did* leave the commentary up (two long entries anyway) from the "the anonymous blogger." In fact, the writer, Roger Bianchini, even gave them some press!
And please keep in mind, Tom's sources are very good. So good, they're responsible for bringing a confession (albeit not complete) from Fr. E.
And in regard to your last line of commentary to me, although it was difficult to go to Confession at the onset of my conversion 27 years ago, it has been one of the biggest reasons (other than the daily reception of Our Eucharistic Lord, the frequent recitation of the Rosary, and ample, ample, amounts of suffering), that I came to love the Catholic Church and faith. Have you been to Confession recently?
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us.
HLI has manned up. Good for them. There was more than one allegation and the abuse took place within his ministry of exorcism.
How many fallacies are we up to now in Fr.s statement. Let us count them.
Now we see why the diocese used Lifesite to release a statement calling people malicious crackpots.
We agree, the home address of Fr. E's parents needs to come down immediately. We can no longer link to this blog post until it does.
~Staff
We agree, the home address of Fr. E's parents needs to come down immediately. We can no longer link to this blog post until it does.
~Staff
Carol,
I second the suggestion of Anonymous of 10:08 that you should shut down the comment section. I felt yesterday you were being played by outside individuals with an agenda. Today I am appalled at the lack of judgment and taste of other posters, some of whom are your regulars.
This has been far better handled by others (Terry Nelson for one). Think about this seriously, please.
M
If the Bishops hadn't lost the trust of the Faithful, this situation could have been dealt with in short order. Instead we have a soap opera.
Before too long I expect posters will be re-opening the Malachi Martin (RIP) situation and the priest from EWTN who disappeared a few years back.
Jack - behave yourself.
I'm going to be putting comment moderation on.
I praise you Jesus for giving HLI the strength and courage to release an honest and forthright statement. I understand how they got caught up in the web. They have done the right thing here.
I am so upset right now by people pressuring righteous Catholics to believe that statement released yesterday was a humble and contrite action and we are sinful or uncharitable to proceed with the matter, I need to go pray a Rosary before I say something I regret.
Pray for me. Pray for all. Thanks.
M,
I sure hope to God that you posted your post before you read the HLI statement. Because really, I am struggling with the muzzlers in the Catholic Church this morning.
There were huge red flags. Huge.
I apologize for the triple pun -- it was clearly over the top. I don't blame Carol for having rightly deleted it.
Despite the levity, I do regard Fr. E's situation as an extremely serious matter. But I accept his statement in lieu of any hard evidence to the contrary. There has been far too much innuendo surrounding what is in effect a tragedy in the classical sense: a fall from high estate because of human weakness.
Re the Fr. Z comment. I long ago read his bona fides page and I am in no way questioning his priesthood or faculties. My question is simply why he is isolated on a farm in Minnesota while there are multiple parishes served by a single priest. Other blogging priests seem to have a parish assignment. Why not he? It is simply a question, with no implication for anything but information. I don't really expect an answer.
Here is the key citations from HLI's statement. I would ask that you prayerfully compare it to the statement released yesterday by Fr. Euteneuer.
When you are done, I would like to know if it is safe for women to reveal this kind of abuse when the Bishop orders everyone to be silent under his obedience. Are people who expose it malicious crackpots? Calumners? Sinful?
FRONT ROYAL, VA (Human Life International) - The HLI Board of Directors, in response to a public statement by Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, issues this further statement and clarification:
In August 2010, HLI received allegations of inappropriate conduct by Rev. Euteneuer involving a young adult woman, which occurred within the context of his exorcism ministry. The Board immediately commenced an inquiry into the allegations, and Rev. Euteneuer admitted inappropriate conduct. At that time, Bishop Gerald Barbarito recalled Rev. Euteneuer to the Diocese of Palm Beach, and HLI sought and received Rev. Euteneuer's resignation.
Since the time of Rev. Euteneuer's resignation, the Board subsequently learned of additional allegations in connection with his exorcism ministry. As Rev. Euteneuer no longer serves as president of HLI, we are not especially endowed with the competence or authority to investigate, evaluate, or act on these additional allegations, but they have been submitted to the proper ecclesiastical authorities.
Carol,
No, I just caught up with the latest statement from HLI before that post. I will be leaving now to say my Rosary. You are in my prayers, along with the rest of the Boston bloggers.
I stand by the statement that many comments have been over the top. Glad to see some deletions.
Off topic, Mark Mallett's take on Egypt and revolution should give us something even bigger to worry about.
M
Mark Mallett? We're off to chastisementville already? What a thread! I'm running low on popcorn, and there's not a chance of getting to the store during this blizzard.
Carol, you're doing fine, despite the muzzlers. Try not to let it get to you.
Carol,
The ongoing crisis in the Church requires constant vigilance by the Faithful.
We can no longer assume that wayward priests will be disciplined and prevented from committing ongoing abuse. We can not assume that apparently holy priests, especially those with large followings through media apostolates, have the virtue to realize that they have committed sin and withdraw from further opportunities to sin.
Catholic bloggers have done the right thing by demanding all the facts in this situation. That does not include speculation and rumor mongering. Your blog hasn't engaged in that sort of mindless speculation.
I'm glad you continue to shine a light where others would rather let wrongdoers hide in darkness.
Jerry, I was teasing about the butter. Unfortunately, I have no way to indicate to anyone when I am being flip and just have to hope that the reader picks up on it.
You are right, too, about the groupie mentality. It is all over no matter where you go. It started with Fulton Sheen and has escalated over the decades. I attribute it to the vacuum in the Church created in the infamous sixties. This penchant for personal gurus, however, is starting to reach troublesome proportions in my "esteemed" opinion.
It is made worse when people are unable to admit that their personal appraisals of others have been wrong and that they have been duped and played for a fool.
It happens to the best of us...even me!!! (Disclaimer: This last comment is meant as a joke.)
Veronica
This is the latest out of lifesite news. They are trying to use the Catechism to defend their silence. Of course, the passage they cite states the good and safety of tohers in its text as a reason for silence? The good and safety of others in this case should demand transparency about why they were about the priest they were in contact with....
of Human Life International responds to Fr. Euteneuer’s release about his resignation
by LifeSiteNews.com
* Wed Feb 02, 2011 08:26 EST
* Comments (14)
* Tags: fr. tom euteneuer, hli
*
*
FRONT ROYAL, VA, February 2, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The HLI Board of Directors, in response to the public statement by Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, has issued a further statement and clarification. The full text of the HLI statement follows:
In August 2010, HLI received allegations of inappropriate conduct by Rev. Euteneuer involving a young adult woman, which occurred within the context of his exorcism ministry. The Board immediately commenced an inquiry into the allegations, and Rev. Euteneuer admitted inappropriate conduct. At that time, Bishop Gerald Barbarito recalled Rev. Euteneuer to the Diocese of Palm Beach, and HLI sought and received Rev. Euteneuer’s resignation.
Since the time of Rev. Euteneuer’s resignation, the Board subsequently learned of additional allegations in connection with his exorcism ministry. As Rev. Euteneuer no longer serves as president of HLI, we are not especially endowed with the competence or authority to investigate, evaluate, or act on these additional allegations, but they have been submitted to the proper ecclesiastical authorities.
HLI received certain assurances that Rev. Euteneuer was no longer engaged in public ministry and therefore, until this time, in our efforts to observe Catholic teaching, we have avoided comment (beyond our original statement). This decision was based on all the teachings of the Church but in particular the Catechism’s instructions as follows:
“Charity and respect for the truth should dictate the response to every request for information or communication. The good and safety of others, respect for privacy, and the common good are sufficient reasons for being silent about what ought not be known or for making use of a discreet language. The duty to avoid scandal often commands strict discretion. No one is bound to reveal the truth to someone who does not have the right to know it.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2489. Emphasis in the original.)
Although it is for the Diocese of Palm Beach and the proper ecclesiastical authorities to address the matters referenced in Rev. Euteneuer’s statement, we ask that the HLI family continue to pray for all those involved. HLI has not been, and will not be, deterred in its fundamental mission as pro-life missionaries to the world, and we likewise ask for the prayers of all that support HLI’s work that this critical mission will never be undermined
Hi Veronica,
Your butter comment did give me a chuckle. The cholesterol myth is one of my favorite topics.
Agreed, the vacuum in the Church gives rise to gurus and other wolves in sheep's clothing.
I just calculated that the 3+ ft of snow on my roof might add up to 11 tons! Not to worry. It can handle at least twice that. (Oops - I shouldn't even think about more snow.)
The situation calls for extraordinary care and prayer.
Let us remember that the fault lies here with the Bishops. They have made a mockery out of truth and justice and righteousness. In every conceivable way and in every matter they have handled over the last ten years.
We don't want our priests plucked out and dragged through the public square for a personal indiscretion or fall. We don't even want them plucked out without making sure the allegation has merit.
I don't know where the Bishop's head was in this early on but it should be clear to all at some point they knew this was about abuse in the rite of exorcism because the books were pulled.
That is the damning fact here.
The smoking gun that when they used Lifesite to disperse the manipulative letter yesterday,
they knew that this was more than father falling in love and having a little indiscretion and the people saying so were not malicious crackpots.
This is not about HLI. They were used like Lifesite News was used.
HLI has done the right thing. Let us focus on the right problem?
By nature, Catholics are very, very ripe to be spiritually manipulated by the goon squads in the Chanceries. Professional Catholics who have torn every piece of Flesh off of the Mystical Body of Christ. We are all bleeding profusely.
They misquote the Catechism, threaten, bully or use charm.
Bishops have been using our Catholic periodicals and apostolates to sweep their misdeeds under the carpets for decades. I spoke about this the other day. Editors and owners of such machines have to make a choice whether they are going to serve God and Truth or they're going to let their apostolate be used as a spin machine.
Sadly, there are no nominiations for the Profiles in Courage Award in the Catholic press.
There's a lot of temptation here to blame people who were spiritually manipulated along the way.
Let us not?
I'm not going there that's for sure. It's the wrong focus and it will be the wrong fix. I am not up for anyone's crusade for a personal vendetta.
I know people are hurt but I think we need to zero in on the problems at the Chanceries and the lack of accountability and place to get relief from Rome.
Carol,
With all due repect, I am not sure what or why you are ranting and raving about the Bishops, it seems you are biased from your experience in Boston and rightly so- but what exactly has the Bishop of Palm Beach in this case done that is inappropriate? He put Fr. E on ice, he is conducting a formal investigation and pulled his books off the shelf. Fr. E has rights in canon law as a priest to be treated with justice and the potential or actual victims have not been bullied as far as we know. Why this emotional reaction? Shouldn't we be more reflective and not always assume the "bishops" are neglegent- isn't that brushing with far too broad a stroke and falling into the sin of rash judgment? The Bishop doesn't have to make the internet blog community happy; he has to do what is right according to Church law and there in no evidence that he is not. If Fr. E was now in a parish in active ministry that would be a different deal, but he has been on ice since August- so what exactly are you raging about?
Carol, we have ALL been "spiritually manipulated" in one way, shape, form or another. Let he who thinks he stands, take heed, lest he fall.
My beef isn't with priests who fall. Our Lord knows I am in no position to cast stones at the sinfulness of others, since I have more than enough to contend with myself.
I am tired of being betrayed. That is all. It has been going on longer than ten years. Fortunate for you if you have just become aware of it in the past decade.
Veronica
Anonymous,
If it were not for the charades that went on around this incident, you make some very valid points.
I keep thinking I am making myself perfectly clear but I will repeat what I'm getting at again.
Since Father has been clear he has been under the obedience of the Bishop, rather than a quiet resignation from HLI that, the public relations spin around this made him a martyr of orthodoxy. Consequently, as the women were experiencing all this public attention to Fr. E, the orthodox martyr, the subterfuge of their victimizations were further exploited and they started leaking the news. As the news leaked, instead of honesty, the diocese made a donkey out of John Henry Weston to deliver the malicious crackpot routine. Father states he was granted permission to make the statement, the Bishop is on the record saying he was aware of the statement and was glad about what he read it to be as a public act of contrition.
However, it turns out the statement was full of holes.
This put HLI into the position of having to trump the Bishops PR song and dance and expose the truth that the people saying there was more than one allegation, that the abuse happened in the rite of exorcism and wasn't about Father falling in love with one adult woman after all. Further, there appears there may be other inconsistencies in Father's statement.
This malicious crackpot routine gets the faithful to turn the heat on the women or children, making them feel like any allegations of abuse will be met by the people in the pews presuming they are sluts who throw themselves at priests, women who enjoy gossip, persecuting holy martyr priests - etc. Thereby making it still a very unsafe place in the pews.
So you'll forgive me if decline the opportunity to characterize this as I am unjustly martyring the bishop of palm springs because of our experiences here in Boston.
He owns the PR behind this mess and it was manipulative from the get go. I think we should hold the right people accountable, don't you?
Veronica,
You lost me.
We have a problem. It is not safe for a woman or a child to bring forward an allegation because they are still manipulating the people in the pews to attack like rabid dogs.
I am not okay with this and I never have been.
I have been blogging now for ten years about the rights of accused priests.
Help me to understand where I am failing to get the message across that this is not about personal sin, it is about truth and justice to one and all.
Carol,
I am sorry but I did not have the time to read all the postings, but I did want to reply a bit.
You said "But the thing is, abortion has nothing to do with rape...
Then why is the 'with the exception of rape' argument so common?
You may not want to hear this, but abortion helps men avoid the consequences of copulation. Rape does the exact same thing. Oh ya, your 'struggling' queer friends get a free yet unsanitary pass as well.
"Rape is a sex act."
this kind of surprises me -
Rape is a violent act, pure simple violent. For a man it is more akin to football than love.
Please come clean on gossip - Fr. E story is many things, and not the least of which is a juicy story.
Blogs are not hard hitting news sources. I admire your effort to get the real story.
Crackpots are easy to find in the blogosphere, I've been called worse.
Carol,
Where did I lose you? I don't understand.
I don't think that you have failed to get the message "across that this is not about personal sin, it is about truth and justice to one and all" at all. It looks to me that you and others trying to get the same message across are purposely being manipulated to shift the focus in order to enhance Father's "victim" status.
As for attacking like rabid dogs, I have noticed an increase of this behavior myself. Not sure where it is coming from or, for that matter, where people learned to behave in such a fashion. Catholics never used to be at one another's throats. Now, all we do is tear each other to shreds.
God have mercy on us all.
Veronica
LCIB,
I am really disheartened that you are still claiming this story to be about gossip or an effort to talk about gossip.
It is about righteousness and I can't believe you of all people cannot see it.
Rape is a sex act. Sometimes it can be violent. Other times, though not rape, women can have the pants charmed off of them. That's a sex act too. Violent on a woman's emotions.
Abortion is murder. It isn't a rape by any stretch of the imagination. Hello red flag.
V, ok. I count on regulars to keep me in line. Except when Jack gets me in trouble.
Carol,
You make some very good points in response to my concern about rashly jugding the bishop of Palm Beach. Yes most of the bishops are more like CEO's than Shepherds with the PR spin machine, but that is another topic on why these type of priests continue to be picked as bishops. In his defense though, not knowing him from Adam, how would you deal with a "celebrity" priest like Fr. E, who you may not even know since he was already at HLI when you became bishop, knowing that this all was a powderkeg esp. since it dealt with the mysterious rite of exorcism which sadly most priests and Bishops know nothing about- it is not an excuse but a reality. The bottom line is we tend to cast stones at Church leadership when if we were in similar circumstances we would feel overwhelmed as well or not be as bold as we tend to be as armchair quarterbacks. Could it be that the Bp allowed Fr. E to post his "apology" at Lifesite to draw a bit of distance from the diocese? After all Fr. E although a priest of Palm Beach has not funtioned there in over 12 years. Give the bishop credit for putting Fr. E on ice, conducting an ongoing investigation, taking his books off the market and getting him some type of treatment for his serious problems. Remember a bishop CANNOT force a priest to go to a full-time treatment center because of canon law and that the priest like all of us has to freely cooperate. The flip side is if a bishop says he wants a priest to get full time treatment at a center, and the priest refuses, the bishop can keep him on ice indefinely. We don't know if this applies in the Fr. E case, but please pray for all involved. It is a sad situation for all involved espa any victims of Fr. E's "exorcism ministry"
I want to sit in on all of your confessins, oh yes, while you are in a state of nudity just to see whom you all have hurt in your lives.....please, please get your facts straight first; let's see what comes out....otherwise you are simply an angry group of stone-throwing hypocrites....oh, and by the way, I am a post -abortive female who has known Fr. Tom at least 9years, been prayed over by him at retreats, been to my house, alone with him in my car & not once has he EVER acted out of line ( and I'm a former model in the Milw. area )
Anonymous,
It is reductio ad absurdum to conjure up the excuses for their manipulation of HLI and LifeSite News and the people in the pews to make a martyr out of Fr. Euteneuer.
After decades of doing it, I find that impossible to believe.
Carol,
You'll appreciate this article by Mary Ann Kreitzer, Persecuted Priests: Growing Problem in U.S. It describes how Bishop Barbarito, Fr. E.'s bishop, persecuted a Fr. Pasquini for speaking against perversion. Palm Beach has a history of abuser bishops and has a problem with many homo priests. Our own (then Bp.) O'Malley ran clean-up there for awhile. Nowadays, I think Barbarito still runs cover for a network of homo priests.
Mary Ann has done a good job defending whistleblower Fr. Haley against the notorious Bishop Loverde.
Carol,
Thanks for hearing me out.
I have not looked at all the facts or the reported facts. In fact my only interest is that I wanted to read the darn book.
By definition Rape is a violent crime (act).
You also said
"Sometimes it can be violent. Other times, though not rape, women can have the pants charmed off of them. That's a sex act too. Violent on a woman's emotions.
A victim of charm? Is that a joke?
That sounds an awful a lot like the flip side of...
"of course she got raped...did you see what she was wearing?"
You also said "Abortion is murder.
It isn't a rape by any stretch of the imagination."
Rubbish!
If rape is about power of men over women, sex without consequence and men taking what is not theirs by violence then it is closely kindred to abortion indeed.
Admittedly this may cut to a difference between men and a woman's perspective on sexuality, but I stand by it.
Abortion is worse than murder
Babies are always innocent.
Hello red flag my eye.
I firmly believe it is more about the book than an alleged 'predator'.
The internet could easily make the book available for all to read, I hope this happens.
You also said
"Sometimes it can be violent. Other times, though not rape, women can have the pants charmed off of them. That's a sex act too. Violent on a woman's emotions.
A victim of charm? Is that a joke?
That sounds an awful a lot like the flip side of...
"of course she got raped...did you see what she was wearing?"
lcib -
Please go back and read what I said. I said the woman can be a victim of charm. A woman doesn't need violence for her sexuality to be robbed from her.
The sexual connotation that the devil is raping women in an abortion doesn't connect for me. When you walk into the doctor there's no sex involved in the abortion than a woman drowning her kids after birth. I see them as two completely different things but perhaps I am just too dense.
"Abortion is rape by the devil"
You don't get it? Then you can't be a Fr. Tom groupie. You're supposed to go "Wow, I mean, profound, uh like, major." I guess you're not cut out for that.
It's weird to me, too.
Jerry,
LCIB is one of Boston's finest pro-life warriors and so I'm sure it's me. I have been out of chocolate during this entire debacle and I have cried a thousand tears for Fr. Tom, the Bishop and his team of PR wizards, the people at HLI, LifeSite News, folks in blogosphere and mostly for our Christ.
Matt Abbott and the O'Tooles and Adele - thank you for loving our Lord with all of your heart and soul and for serving His Church through this with such grace.
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