By Kay Ebeling
The documents below prove the Catholic Church hierarchy knew pedophile priests were a problem as far back as the 1950s. Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald, director of Via Coeli in New Mexico, (pictured at right) realized after years of treating sexually deviant priests that there was no “cure” and wanted to put the predator priests on a remote island where they could do no damage. He pled his case to bishops all over the country with personal visits and correspondence back and forth, some of which is scanned in below. But a growing belief in 12-step programs and surprisingly secular treatment concepts defeated Fitzgerald. Via Coeli instead in the sixties began treating pedophile priests as men with “issues” in need of talk therapy.
In the meantime, not only did the church know about pedophiles, members of church hierarchy had more knowledge about pedophilia than the general public. As these letters and other items show, Bishops and other hierarchy destroyed documents and worked to keep Via Coeli and its work with problem priests secret from the general public, lying to victims that a problem existed, all the while sending pedophiles and other sexually deviant priests to Via Coeli, beginning in the 1950s.
What I hope to see done with this information is a group of us from as many regions as possible, print out these documents. Then all on us the same day, with word going out to the press, can carry these documents into our local Congressional district offices, hand delivering them to our congressmen across the country all on the same day.
As a group all on the same day, we’d deliver the docs and ask for a federal investigation and hearings.
That's just one idea.
I hope people will read these documents and email me at cityofangleslady@yahoo.com to either sign up to deliver the docs to your congressional office, or give other feedback.
The post in its entirety will stay at city of angels 11 (linked at left) so even as more posts go up here at City of Angels 4, you will be able to easily access this post at City of Angels 11.
This is a long post. It includes copies of letters from Gerald Fitzgerald, the founder of the Servants of the Paracletes Via Coeli, a recovery center for priests with sexual problems, primarily, often alcoholism as well. These documents were going to be evidence in a lawsuit against the Paracletes in 2007 in New Mexico, and were released to the public last year, see the court order scanned in June 7 here below.
The story begins best by quoting “Plaintiffs’ Opposition to Defendants’ Motion in Limine No. 9 to exclude any reference to servants of the Paraclete” from cases concerning the pedophile priests in the Salesian religious order trial which settled just as it was about to start last month. This evidence about the Via Coeli also would have come out in the Hagenbach cases, the first trial for LA cases at large that was to begin in July 2007 the day the LA Archdiocese settled with 500-plus plaintiffs.
The following quotes from plaintiff attorneys begin the story the documents tell:
“Defendants (the church) take the position that they were blind to the warning signs and nature of pedophilia, because in the past, when the abuse of plaintiffs occurred, times were different. They (Church attorneys) have stated that the Salesians, like the public at large, were unaaware of the epidemic of clergy sexual abuse.
The evidence developed . . . demonstrates that the Catholic Church was well aware of the problem of clergy sexual abuse before and durign the time plaintiffs were sexually abused. In fact the Catholic Church were in fact experts in the problems of pedophilia priests and the recidivist nature of pedophilia.”
Read the documents. They show that Fr. Fitzgerald was a lone voice, calling out in letters, personal visits, even magazine articles to bishops from the time of the mid-1950s. Pedophile priests cannot be returned to the parishes. They should be put on a remote island. Fitzgerald was just beginning to develop this
ABOVE: Gerald Fitzgerald met with Pope Paul VI in 1963 to discuss the pedophile priest problem.
*****
In August 1963, convinced that pedophile priests posed a serious problem for the Catholic Church, Father Gerald Fitzerald traveled to the Vatican, met with the Pope and discussed treatment of pedophile priests at Via Coeli, documented in the letter to Pope Paul Page 1 at right, pages 2 to 5 following (click to enlarge). A quote from Page 1 of the letter from Father Fitzgerald to Pope Paul:
“In accordance with Your Holiness’ desire I am summarizing some convictions on the problem of the problem priests."
Quote of Note from Page 2 below: “Unfortunately there is an understandable temptation to consider the brilliant student as adequate for the priesthood without a deep scrutiny of his interior spirit. 3.) There has been an alarming increase in the present era of priestly casualties. . . the present conditions could have been easily predicted and are not in themselves surprising."
Page 3 to 4
Personally I am not sanguine of the return of priests to active duty who have been addicted to abnormal practices, especially sins with the young. (ME: Remember this was 1963 from the head of the Parcletes to the Pope after they’d met and discussed problem priests.)
Page 4
Because of the tremendous scandal given, I would most earnestly recommend total laicization. I say 'total' designedly because when these men are taken before civil authority, the non-Catholic world definitely blames the discipline of celibacy for the perversion of these men. They argue - rightly or wrongly - that these men turn to boys because they are denied the right of marriage.
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"I Myself In Audience With Pope, Spoke Of This Matter"
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September 1964, Fitzgerald was still following up on his audience with Pope Paul, here with a letter to a superior in the Paracletes in Rome, like so many letters, trying to convince that pedophiles were permanently sick, not to be returned to parishes:
QUOTES:
On Page one at right: “3. I myself in an audience I was privileged to have with His Holiness, Pope Paul, spoke of this matter which undoubtedly has been one of the deep concerns of his fatherly soule.
Page 1-2 “4. May I take this occasion to bring to your attention what is a growing concern to many of us here in the States. When I was ordained, forty-three years ago, homosexuality was a practically unknown rarity.”
(NOTE: The word "homosexual" was at that time lumped into the same category as sex with male adults, teenagers and children, as shown in other documents from this June 4 load..)
He says 3 of 10 cases in 1964 are “representing aberrations involving homosexuality, a growing problem “in the wake of World War II.”
ALSO ON PAGE 2 of the 1964 Durick letter:
“We know of several seminaries that have been deeply infected and this of course leads to a wide infection.”
******
AFFIDAVIT OF FATHER JOSEPH McNAMARA begins at Left. McNamara took over as Director when Fitzgerald was forced to step down.
“We considered men who were attracted to male children, teenagers, or adults as ‘homosexual priests.’”
“When talking among ourselves, we used the term ‘homosexual’ (to describe priests with ‘psycho-sexual difficulties.’
“Until Servants of the Paraclete adopted the graduated program of rehabilitation proposed and recommended by Dr. John Salazar, SOTP did not deal with priests who had molested children or priests who manifested any form of what we considered to be sexual aberration.
We did not think of sexual activity with a male, whether a child, a teenager, or an adult, to be the result of a biological or psychological condition.”
SHOWS THEY LUMPED HOMOSEXUALITY AND PEDOPHILIA WITH BOYS IN ONE CATEGORY:
Over and over again
Bottom of page 3 to page 4
(8) “Prior to the adoption of the graduated program of rehabilitation, If we learned that a resident who had been sent to Via Coeli Monastery for a different reason, such as alcoholism, was ‘homosexual’ - attracted to male children, teenagers, or adults, he would be told to leave immediately
“9. Father Gerald thought that such priests -- meaning priests attracted to male children, teenagers, or adults -- should be completely segregated from society, and consequently wanted a remote ‘island refuge’ far from civilization and a monastery would be established and such men could live and try to save their souls.
“Servants of the Paraclete could not keep guest priests there, as if it were a prison. Similarly, Servants of the Paraclete could not assign guests priests to duties in parishes or dioceses, either temporarily or permanently.
Whether a guest priest performed any priestly duties or activities in parishes was entirely up to others, as whether a guest priest performed any priestly duties or activities in parishes was entirely up to others, as were questions about how, when, where, and under what circuere questions about how, when, where, and under what circumstances such duties and activities would be performed.
*******************************************************
September 26, 1957, letter from Father Gerald to the Bishop of New Hampshire, below,
In context with other documents, the letter shows in 1957 Fitzgerald did not want to return these priests to active duty as "Their repentance is superficial and motivated by a desire to be again in a position where they can continue their wonted activity."
"A new diocese means only greener pastures."
"To sum up: we are willing to shelter Father but it should not be with any hope that he will be recommended to another bishop even after he has spent some months with us.
"Even though it is true that many Bishops, especially in the West, are in need of priests."
ABOVE:
In 1971 Bishop of Worcester wrote that David A. Holley's history gave "little hope for his being able to resume an effective ministry for a long time, if ever." The history was molesting boys. 1971. The bishop of Worcester wrote about it to Via Coeli below:
Here is what bishop accountability reports about Holley:
Abused in Massachusetts and sent to Paraclete center in New Mexico for treatment. Convicted 1993 of abusing 8 boys between 1972-1974 in Alamogordo, NM. 275-year sentence. Many victims in many states including 2 dioceses in Texas.
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Quotes from 1952 letter by Fitzgerald below:
“We find it quite common, almost universal with the handful of men we have seen in the last five years who have been under similar charges - we find it almost universal that they seem to be lacking in appreciation of the serious situation."
"As a class they expect to bound back like tennis balls on the court of priestly activity. I myself would be inclined to favor laicization for any priest, upon objective evidence, for tapering with the virtue of the young.”
“In practice real conversions will be rare.
Many bishops believe men are never free from the approximate danger once they have begun.”
THE ABOVE LETTER proves 2 things: Fitzgerald wrote long letters to individual bishops explaining the lack of a cure for pedophilia. Also that the topic of priest pedophiles was discussed among bishops, with Fitzgerald’s phrase: “Many bishops believe men are never free from the approximate danger.”
Apparently Edmund Boyle was at large: “If Edmund Bolye returns here or we learn of his whereabouts we will notify Your Excellency.”
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PROGRESS REPORT on BERNARD BISSONETTE: Listed here as a "Code 3" resident at Vie Coeli.
Bishop Accountability Also Has A Listing For Bissonette in the database under B:
Worked in Connecticut, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico. Accused of abuse of numerous youths just about everywhere he served. One alleged victim committed suicide. Another victim filed civil suit 2002 and in July 2006, Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the suit was timely filed and sent it back down to lower court to be tried. Laicization announced in 3/06
ABOVE: Progress Report and samples of 2 re Bissonette
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"What a Priest Can Expect" when he arrives at Via Coeli, basically his every need met, for as long as he was a resident:
ABOVE: Upon arrival at Jemez Springs, the priest could expect all that. If only the church would take a tenth as much interest in the crimes as it did the criminals it treated at Via Coeli. . .
ABOVE: Bishop of Worcester sends David Holley to Jemez Springs 1971
ABOVE 1ST BUDDY LETTER (1947) and we see the beginning of Via Coeli's appeals for support
Document below shows that City of Angels Network has full right to post these public documents from the Albuquerque lawsuit against the Servants of the Paracletes in the 1990s.
Thanks to Motion to Compel argued successfully in 2007 by Tony DeMarco of Kiesel Boucher & Larson in LA, the judge released exhibits from that case, opinion of judge here, so the public has access to these documents, posted here at City of Angels Network.
Click to enlarge:
Father Gerald and Archbishop of Santa Fe promoted Paracletes as demonstrated by these promotional letters from August 1956, BUT they never promoted directly to Laity, only to the bishops and cardinals:
ABOVE, LEFT, & RIGHT, PROMO 1 2 3
ABOVE. Father Gerald
ARTICLE 1950s shows in house publications reported on the Servants. AND another common theme, the Servants DID NOT go to the laity for support. The Laity did not konw about the Servants, but the Bishops and Cardinals were Very Aware of Via Coeli and what type of priests were sent there.
***************
April 6, 1959, Kenneally writes from St. John's Seminary in Camarillo to Cardinal McIntyre, Archbishop of Los Angeles about "a series of informal lectures at Via Coeli" and whether there is a connection between the new seminars and "our recent conversations."
THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT PEDOPHILE PRIESTS BEING A PROBLEM IN THE CHURCH AS FAR BACK AS 1959.
KENNEALLY LETTER:
II-90 and II-91 From McNam dep May 2007
ABOVE: The Salesian Provincial and Father Gerald Fitgerald corresponded in 1960. The Salesians sent pedophile priests to the Paracletes and discussed the
pedophile priest problem as far back as 1960.
RE THE SALESIANS RELIGIOUS ORDER:
Deposition of David Purdy - blatant lie See Below:
Father Gerald to Archbishop- Co-Founder
WAS THIS ABOUT FATHER TITIAN MIANI?
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August 11 letter
to "Very Reverend Provincial"
QUOTES:
“In God’s Name, get this man laicized as quickly as possible.”
“Men who sin repeatedly with little children certainly fall under the classification of those who ‘it were getter had they not been born.’
“As a layman, the civil authorities will make short work of his activity and place him in the protective custody that his type merit.
“As there are many little children in this Canyon, where I am the shepherd of souls, I could not in conscience consider receiving him here.”
August 1960 letter to Provincial:
ABOVE: In God's Name get this man laicized.
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