Cleveland bishop is subject of perjury accusations, protest
Thursday, July 21, 2005
James F. McCarty
Plain Dealer Reporter
Critics from separate priest sexual-abuse cases launched independent attacks on Bishop Anthony Pilla Wednesday.
In the morning, attorney William Crosby, who questioned the bishop for six hours Tuesday for a defamation lawsuit filed against the Diocese of Cleveland, wrote to Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason asking him to investigate Pilla for possible perjury charges.
Later, three women from Akron stood on the steps of St. John Cathedral and accused Pilla of breaking his promises to them and of covering up for a former priest who they claim raped them in the mid-1960s.
Read the rest of the article here.
What can I say? I love Bishop Pilla as a father. But so many of the calls he's made - from implementing the liturgical norms to handling abuse problems - have turned out awful. It's an understatement to say I'm looking forward to his retirement. (Early retirement? Soon? Maybe? Papaaaaaa ... )
The article mentions that the priest accused of rape (a former priest since 1982, and now married) worked at the Cathedral and at the St. Joseph Christian Life Center. If you follow the link to the Center, you can scroll down and read some of the programs on offer. Horrid things like retreats about "Prayers of Sophia," water retreats, etc. Red flag. It's never surprising when someone who already has problems with various dissent issues decides he wants to dissent on the Church's (and often society's) rules about sexual conduct, as well.
Wait, after 40 plus years, can't you not go after someone on rape charges anymore or something? Obviously, my law degree is completely no existant, but I swear I've heard that somewhere before...
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's a statute of limitations, and the ex-priest in the article as never charged with a crime.
ReplyDeleteYou always have to be careful with some of these victims groups; some of them like VOTF are really just organizations that are trying to piggy-back on the abuse issue in a bid to push their dissent on doctrinal issues.
Then again, given Bishop Pilla's record here in Cleveland, I wouldn't be surprised if these women were telling the truth :(
*was never charged with a crime, not "as" charged with a crime. Maybe it's time to get off the computer and start interacting with the real world ;) Although that won't improve my typing skills!
ReplyDeleteWell, and "Roe" of Roe v Wade made up the fact that she was raped to gain sympathy...
ReplyDeleteI mean, I feel bad even wondering that about these people if it WAS true, but I guess we're so preprogramed to expect people just trying to drag other people down nowadays... If I'm making any sense at all here...