It was whistleblown. His secretary gave evidence at the case and one of the others have since left the priesthood. Broome is a very isolated part of the world and people move too slowly. Saunders was 'smart' to pick on Aboriginal boys because of the cultural taboo on men having sex with men and because their mistrust of the authorities. Broome is a very wounded place right now. They need all the prayers right now to begin healing and rebuilding.
“The prosecutor alleged that Saunders used boxing and wrestling as a “subterfuge” to engage in physical contact with the young men.”
For 6th through 8th grade, I attended Catholic School in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA. The school was a jointure of two parishes. 6th through 8th grades were not at my parish school but rather the larger, neighboring parish in town.
The pastor of that parish, likewise a deviant who made the Pennsylvania AG’s large landmark list of sexual predators shuffled around in the 1960’s and 1970’s, actually vested for Mass about 10 minutes early. He then wrestled with and groped altar boys from his own parish who were also vested in their cassocks and surplices. I can still see it like it was yesterday.
I came to find out many years later that - to my horror - he held sleepovers with 8th grade servers in his own parish.
Every Wednesday of 3 elementary school years, he celebrated our 8:45 AM school Mass. Thankfully, I did not serve every one of them and see this deviate wrestling in the sacristy at the left front of the sanctuary. The church has been torn down for many years now and my parish church still stands, thank God.
Perhaps I'm a harsh individual, but I think a 6-year sentence (of which only ~4 years needs to be served) is too lenient. He caused permanent, life-changing harm to those entrusted to his care.
I can recommend Fr Gene Gomulka's site. He reckons that many of the deviant clergy were themselves abused as adolescents by bent clergy, who then assisted their entry into the priesthood and ascent through the ranks. So the evil perpetuated itself from generation to generation.
I don't know, call me old fashioned, but I wish that just once, I really mean every time, the perpetrator would apologize to his victims and ask God for forgiveness. Isn't that the Christian way?
To head off any comments, a public crime that harms the whole church, needs a public declaration of repentance and commitment to a life of solitude and prayer.
My rather gloomy thought is that the perpetrators don't actually think they need forgiveness and their actions were justified, which certainly puts their souls in grave danger even beyond the sins they've committed.
How such people end up in such positions in the church is a scandal, though the people who enable them might be more capable of recognizing their contribution to the evil that happened. At least one would hope so.
Yes. And for abusive bishops a formal liturgy de-bishoping them that includes publicly breaking their crozier. Thank God the Church actually assisted in bringing this man to something like justice by giving their Vos Estis report to the police.
Dang... how does stuff like this happen? Surely someone would whistleblow when Church funds are used for heinous things like that.
We need to step up the financial controls in dioceses.
It was whistleblown. His secretary gave evidence at the case and one of the others have since left the priesthood. Broome is a very isolated part of the world and people move too slowly. Saunders was 'smart' to pick on Aboriginal boys because of the cultural taboo on men having sex with men and because their mistrust of the authorities. Broome is a very wounded place right now. They need all the prayers right now to begin healing and rebuilding.
“The prosecutor alleged that Saunders used boxing and wrestling as a “subterfuge” to engage in physical contact with the young men.”
For 6th through 8th grade, I attended Catholic School in the Diocese of Pittsburgh, PA. The school was a jointure of two parishes. 6th through 8th grades were not at my parish school but rather the larger, neighboring parish in town.
The pastor of that parish, likewise a deviant who made the Pennsylvania AG’s large landmark list of sexual predators shuffled around in the 1960’s and 1970’s, actually vested for Mass about 10 minutes early. He then wrestled with and groped altar boys from his own parish who were also vested in their cassocks and surplices. I can still see it like it was yesterday.
I came to find out many years later that - to my horror - he held sleepovers with 8th grade servers in his own parish.
Every Wednesday of 3 elementary school years, he celebrated our 8:45 AM school Mass. Thankfully, I did not serve every one of them and see this deviate wrestling in the sacristy at the left front of the sanctuary. The church has been torn down for many years now and my parish church still stands, thank God.
It’s a big deal.
Perhaps I'm a harsh individual, but I think a 6-year sentence (of which only ~4 years needs to be served) is too lenient. He caused permanent, life-changing harm to those entrusted to his care.
That was my thought as well…
Another lovely event that makes us so proud of our church. Where do we get such substandard men as bishops?
I can recommend Fr Gene Gomulka's site. He reckons that many of the deviant clergy were themselves abused as adolescents by bent clergy, who then assisted their entry into the priesthood and ascent through the ranks. So the evil perpetuated itself from generation to generation.
I don't know, call me old fashioned, but I wish that just once, I really mean every time, the perpetrator would apologize to his victims and ask God for forgiveness. Isn't that the Christian way?
To head off any comments, a public crime that harms the whole church, needs a public declaration of repentance and commitment to a life of solitude and prayer.
My rather gloomy thought is that the perpetrators don't actually think they need forgiveness and their actions were justified, which certainly puts their souls in grave danger even beyond the sins they've committed.
How such people end up in such positions in the church is a scandal, though the people who enable them might be more capable of recognizing their contribution to the evil that happened. At least one would hope so.
Yes. And for abusive bishops a formal liturgy de-bishoping them that includes publicly breaking their crozier. Thank God the Church actually assisted in bringing this man to something like justice by giving their Vos Estis report to the police.