You have almost every kind of major public scandal that the Church has commonly experienced covered here in one story. Financial crimes, sexual sins by clergy, whistleblower retaliation, probable heretical beliefs by a bishop, and an attempted cover-up at the highest levels of the Church. At least hopefully there was no sexual abuse (that we know of).
This could be another test for Pope Leo too, given that a Cardinal is attempting to protect someone who is likely to be found guilty of some serious civil crimes and violations of Church law. Will Cardinal Sako be allowed to get away with this? Whether he succeeds or not in his crusade he has already shown his character. This kind of clericalism has long been allowed to thrive in the Church, especially in recent years. As a Cardinal, only the Pope can deal with him and set things right. This is a golden opportunity to set an example and show that things are different, that the Church is serious about cleaning up its act. A chance to make at least some good out of a bad situation. I hope he doesn't pass it up.
I mean are we not considering participating in the trafficking of women in sexual slavery as abuse? Bc thats just a fancy word of industrialized rape.
I think you pry mean of kid which yes. A small mercy. Unless those sold into sexual slavery are teen girls and how many lattes should we bet on that being in the case 😣😣😣
Not to mention the side family and kids he seems to have. Lord have mercy 😣😣
ETA: your comments about his eminence really struck me bc my indignancy over his actions is almost worse. Abuse of power and vow ignoring sinful clerics are about as old as the Church herself , but after the last 25 years has shown, the Cardinal is STILL thinking a double down is the right move?!?
You are right, I was thinking more along the lines of abuse of minors or vulnerable adults (e.g., Rupnik) when I wrote that. But soliciting prostitution is participating in abuse too in its own way, especially since it is highly likely that at least some, if not all of the women he saw were victims of human trafficking.
Fully agree on your take on the Cardinal's actions. To me at least, his attempt to cover up or wave away this scandal at least rises to the same level of severity as the bishop's actions. In my opinion, for what it's worth, any penalties, punishments, or sanctions applied to the bishop should be applied to anyone involved in a cover-up for something like this, including the Cardinal.
It occurs to me that the love which this prompts in me for the Chaldean Church in general, and this priest in particular, is the real purpose of the Pillar.
Do you want to love the Church more? Fork over $8/month. It's absolutely worth it.
My point is money - not Christian morality -is the only thing that matters. I still wonder why in 11th grade the Franciscans (OFM’s) made me learn inside-out Lawrence Kolberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Perhaps it kept me out of white-collar jail, but crime pays and no one goes to jail in the U.S. anymore.
I love the idea of the Franciscans teaching morality when some of them were involved in the $20+ million embezzlement from their order a few years ago.
I wondered how the OFMs had so much money available to be stolen. I said to my acid tongued parishioner friend: "I thought the Franciscans were married to Lady Poverty?" "They certainly are now!"
Thanks Pillar for covering an awful story about failures of an individual and his hierarchy. Was especially dismayed by this quote, among many:
"Sources close to the cardinal told The Pillar that Sako had a long-standing friendship with Shaleta, personally selected him for the San Diego post, and has relied on contributions from Shaleta’s eparchy to support the patriarchate’s ministry in Iraq."
So money made a difference. Your reporting style may seem to some as pedantic, but it is necessary when documenting transgressions of High Church Officials. In reporting these issues, you have no margin for inaccurate reporting. Due to your record, I believe what you have reported here, and am appreciative of your efforts. It must be tough to research and present such negative stories about our Church, every keystroke must be laborious. It is important, please keep up your great work.
"It must be tough to research and present such negative stories about our Church ..."
I felt that same kind of heaviness I believe you're referring to when reading this. I love Christ and His Church, and reading this didn't arouse any kind of righteous indignation or anything of that sort. it just made me really, really sad.
I would look into another parish in the Eparchy with some financial improprieties and misconduct from the Priest.
Holy Family Chaldean Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Conveniently the Church President resigned on Sunday, the same day the news about Mar Emmanuel Shaleta broke. There was (is?) is similar arrangement with the Church Hall going on... not to mention many other issues.
There are two main characteristics of Chaldean Catholics in the United States that I can think of from my interaction with them. They are very faithful and obedient Catholics (model Catholics which all other Catholics should follow) and they are very good businessmen. If the bishop thought he was going to get away with financial manipulations in this community, he apparently did not know his own flock. They made sure they had a lot of evidence for Bishop Shaleta's misdeeds, so I don't know what the Vatican is waiting for. Considering the multiple controversies surrounding Patrarch Sako, he is not doing himself a favor acting as Bishop Shaleta's defense attorney.
I was curious about the timeline - it sounds like in November 2024, the theft of at least 400k had been detected, with receipts. And at some point (after that?), someone hired a PI to follow this bishop around and document all the indicators of sexual impropriety. Is it possible they weren't getting an adequately serious response to "only" financial misconduct?
Bishop Paprocki in Springfield, Illinois merged a committee investigating financial manipulations by clergy with a committee investigating clergy sexual misdeeds because, as he said, they are almost always linked with each other. The Chaldean lay leaders knew that financial and sexual crimes go hand in hand. Since the Chaldeans have a great love for their Church and many have money, it was probably not difficult to find someone to fund the private investigation to clean up their Church.
Financial and sexual crimes do seem to go hand in hand with clergy and women, but what about homosexual abuses? When I was a graduate student at Catholic University in the 1980s, I certainly saw a lot of homosexual activity/abuse at the surrounding seminaries that didn’t involve financial abuse.
Yes, that is true, but in some cases the first clue that may show up in a sexual abuse case is some financial manipulation, as the homosexual lifestyle is not cheap and is often linked with paying of sexual partners to keep them quiet (like in the infamous case of former Archbishop Weakland of Milwaukee paying off his homosexual partners from archdiocesan funds). With the case of Bishop Paprocki, he did not say he was not investigating homosexual abuses on their own, but rather that he was widening the net to investigate additional potential sexual abuses in cases of financial misdeeds by the clergy as well.
As a Chaldean Catholic myself, I think I can speak for 99% of us when I say that we are furious and will not accept or allow this, under any circumstances.. EVER!
Making the case for trusteeism even stronger.
This was tough to read. Sako's accidental email made it slightly less tough.
Next article idea: investigate whether Sako has a few side hustles of his own going on.
What a disservice to the Iraqi Chaldean church after all they have been through.
This is great journalism by the Pillar.
You have almost every kind of major public scandal that the Church has commonly experienced covered here in one story. Financial crimes, sexual sins by clergy, whistleblower retaliation, probable heretical beliefs by a bishop, and an attempted cover-up at the highest levels of the Church. At least hopefully there was no sexual abuse (that we know of).
This could be another test for Pope Leo too, given that a Cardinal is attempting to protect someone who is likely to be found guilty of some serious civil crimes and violations of Church law. Will Cardinal Sako be allowed to get away with this? Whether he succeeds or not in his crusade he has already shown his character. This kind of clericalism has long been allowed to thrive in the Church, especially in recent years. As a Cardinal, only the Pope can deal with him and set things right. This is a golden opportunity to set an example and show that things are different, that the Church is serious about cleaning up its act. A chance to make at least some good out of a bad situation. I hope he doesn't pass it up.
I mean are we not considering participating in the trafficking of women in sexual slavery as abuse? Bc thats just a fancy word of industrialized rape.
I think you pry mean of kid which yes. A small mercy. Unless those sold into sexual slavery are teen girls and how many lattes should we bet on that being in the case 😣😣😣
Not to mention the side family and kids he seems to have. Lord have mercy 😣😣
ETA: your comments about his eminence really struck me bc my indignancy over his actions is almost worse. Abuse of power and vow ignoring sinful clerics are about as old as the Church herself , but after the last 25 years has shown, the Cardinal is STILL thinking a double down is the right move?!?
Take a solid church history course and you’ll see that he still has more to go: papal concubines and papal bastard children ✅
You are right, I was thinking more along the lines of abuse of minors or vulnerable adults (e.g., Rupnik) when I wrote that. But soliciting prostitution is participating in abuse too in its own way, especially since it is highly likely that at least some, if not all of the women he saw were victims of human trafficking.
Fully agree on your take on the Cardinal's actions. To me at least, his attempt to cover up or wave away this scandal at least rises to the same level of severity as the bishop's actions. In my opinion, for what it's worth, any penalties, punishments, or sanctions applied to the bishop should be applied to anyone involved in a cover-up for something like this, including the Cardinal.
This is why The Pillar exists.
exactly.
Grateful.
Jesus, purify your Church and sustain her pastors. Keep them faithful.
This really hurts to read. One of my spiritual fathers from seminary is a Chaldean priest of this eparchy. Prayers ongoing.
"Rather than successfully forward the email, Sako replied to the Pillar." The second-hand embarrassment is killing me.
Timing of this article is crazy
It occurs to me that the love which this prompts in me for the Chaldean Church in general, and this priest in particular, is the real purpose of the Pillar.
Do you want to love the Church more? Fork over $8/month. It's absolutely worth it.
When your deal with the devil didn’t have a “make sure you hit the forward button” clause 😑😑😑😑😑
One-way tickets from LAX to Ketchikan are only $500...
One can always fool another person. One can never fool the Holy Spirit.
Once again, 17th century financial controls at the parish level. Google “segregation of duties” or loosen those crowns.
The only sentence fragment you need to read that explains *EVERYTHING* :
“has relied on contributions from Shaleta’s eparchy to support the patriarchate’s ministry in Iraq.”
well, if the Chaldean church is mainly in Iraq or people from there, it makes sense a US church would support the church in Iraq
My point is money - not Christian morality -is the only thing that matters. I still wonder why in 11th grade the Franciscans (OFM’s) made me learn inside-out Lawrence Kolberg’s Theory of Moral Development. Perhaps it kept me out of white-collar jail, but crime pays and no one goes to jail in the U.S. anymore.
Maybe not white collar criminals, but plenty of others still go there.
I love the idea of the Franciscans teaching morality when some of them were involved in the $20+ million embezzlement from their order a few years ago.
I wondered how the OFMs had so much money available to be stolen. I said to my acid tongued parishioner friend: "I thought the Franciscans were married to Lady Poverty?" "They certainly are now!"
“American attitudes of “puritanism” regarding financial administration.”
Now that one made me spit some coffee out my nostrils.
Yeah that one is a remarkably stupid thing to think.
Sounds like an investigation of the Cardinal is in order too…
It’s been in order for years, if you only knew the things he says and does, every week it’s a new problem with him.
In the annals of coffee-spitting remarks, was that better or worse than pinning it all on the Babylon Brigade, I wonder?
I don't know. I wonder if we have such American blinders on, that this really is acceptable in places like Iraq. I have no idea.
Sad, the way these straitlaced people object to a little embezzling.
Thanks Pillar for covering an awful story about failures of an individual and his hierarchy. Was especially dismayed by this quote, among many:
"Sources close to the cardinal told The Pillar that Sako had a long-standing friendship with Shaleta, personally selected him for the San Diego post, and has relied on contributions from Shaleta’s eparchy to support the patriarchate’s ministry in Iraq."
So money made a difference. Your reporting style may seem to some as pedantic, but it is necessary when documenting transgressions of High Church Officials. In reporting these issues, you have no margin for inaccurate reporting. Due to your record, I believe what you have reported here, and am appreciative of your efforts. It must be tough to research and present such negative stories about our Church, every keystroke must be laborious. It is important, please keep up your great work.
"It must be tough to research and present such negative stories about our Church ..."
I felt that same kind of heaviness I believe you're referring to when reading this. I love Christ and His Church, and reading this didn't arouse any kind of righteous indignation or anything of that sort. it just made me really, really sad.
I would look into another parish in the Eparchy with some financial improprieties and misconduct from the Priest.
Holy Family Chaldean Catholic Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Conveniently the Church President resigned on Sunday, the same day the news about Mar Emmanuel Shaleta broke. There was (is?) is similar arrangement with the Church Hall going on... not to mention many other issues.
Please forgive my ignorance but what is a Church President? Are you saying another Bishop resigned on the same day as this news broke??
A parish council president. They act as the head of the council governing the parish
Ok, gotcha. Thank you!
Come, Holy Ghost, with Your holy cleansing fire! Burn the rot & corruption out of Your holy Church! No matter how painful, purify the Bride of Christ!
There are two main characteristics of Chaldean Catholics in the United States that I can think of from my interaction with them. They are very faithful and obedient Catholics (model Catholics which all other Catholics should follow) and they are very good businessmen. If the bishop thought he was going to get away with financial manipulations in this community, he apparently did not know his own flock. They made sure they had a lot of evidence for Bishop Shaleta's misdeeds, so I don't know what the Vatican is waiting for. Considering the multiple controversies surrounding Patrarch Sako, he is not doing himself a favor acting as Bishop Shaleta's defense attorney.
I was curious about the timeline - it sounds like in November 2024, the theft of at least 400k had been detected, with receipts. And at some point (after that?), someone hired a PI to follow this bishop around and document all the indicators of sexual impropriety. Is it possible they weren't getting an adequately serious response to "only" financial misconduct?
Bishop Paprocki in Springfield, Illinois merged a committee investigating financial manipulations by clergy with a committee investigating clergy sexual misdeeds because, as he said, they are almost always linked with each other. The Chaldean lay leaders knew that financial and sexual crimes go hand in hand. Since the Chaldeans have a great love for their Church and many have money, it was probably not difficult to find someone to fund the private investigation to clean up their Church.
True, that is a perfectly reasonable explanation - thanks for undermining my cynicism!
If one Evangelical Counsel is woefully lacking, the other two likely are, as well.
Remembering the appalling stories about the late Bishop Daniel Ryan in Springfield, a merciless clampdown was long overdue.
Financial and sexual crimes do seem to go hand in hand with clergy and women, but what about homosexual abuses? When I was a graduate student at Catholic University in the 1980s, I certainly saw a lot of homosexual activity/abuse at the surrounding seminaries that didn’t involve financial abuse.
Yes, that is true, but in some cases the first clue that may show up in a sexual abuse case is some financial manipulation, as the homosexual lifestyle is not cheap and is often linked with paying of sexual partners to keep them quiet (like in the infamous case of former Archbishop Weakland of Milwaukee paying off his homosexual partners from archdiocesan funds). With the case of Bishop Paprocki, he did not say he was not investigating homosexual abuses on their own, but rather that he was widening the net to investigate additional potential sexual abuses in cases of financial misdeeds by the clergy as well.
As a Chaldean Catholic myself, I think I can speak for 99% of us when I say that we are furious and will not accept or allow this, under any circumstances.. EVER!
Lord have mercy.