TRANSCRIPT
We reported in yesterday’s Vortex on the legal hellhole the archdiocese of Baltimore has fallen into, owing to a flood of 600 lawsuits over sexual predation of minors.
It is very likely that, in short order, Abp. William Lori will file for bankruptcy protection for his archdiocese — the first diocese established in America.
Aside from the symbolic blow such a move would be to the Church in the United States — joining 30 other dioceses in filing for bankruptcy for the same reason — there is an entirely overlooked aspect to all this as well.
It isn’t just minors that have been sexually assaulted, although those cases are the ones that make headlines because of the victims’ ages.
There are also vulnerable adults — especially seminarians who have been and are assaulted by homopredator clergy.
Recall that most of Theodore McCarrick’s victims were not minors, although significantly some were, but were mostly seminarians at his Jersey Shore beach house — and then this went on for years.
Charges and accusations just like this have plagued seminaries and their faculties for decades now, up to and including the prestigious bishop factory in Rome: the North American College.
Most of the time, corrupt leaders circle the wagons and get rid of the whistle-blower seminarians and then return to business as usual.
One such leader who is accused of this is the Baltimore archbishop, William Lori, the chaplain of the Knights of Columbus who, by the way, has yet to release any statement on the Maryland attorney general’s report proving Lori kept predators and cover-up personnel in place.
He knew what had happened and participated in the cover-up. For that alone, if he doesn’t resign, he should be removed by Pope Francis.
But touching on this other point of covering up sexual harassment of seminarians under his charge, joining us on set today is Church Militant producer and reporter Nick Wylie with some details. Thanks for coming on, Nick.
Nick, you’ve been looking deeply into the case of a seminarian — whose name we are not going to reveal — who documented years of sexual harassment at the seminary and which, according to his family, Lori ignored, swept under the rug and then kicked him out.
We have the entire file on this case right here — correspondence between Lori and the family, for example. Tell us more.
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While the sexual assault of minors is heinous, absolutely, it is so despicable that other types of victims are often overlooked — such as seminarians.
The Catholic laity need to wake up and realize that, for many of the senior clergy in the United States, this is just standard operating procedure.
We will be following the Baltimore case with close scrutiny as events continue to unfold.
