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25 in 25: Bishop John McCormack
By Laura Knoy on Tuesday, October 2, 2007.
John Brendan McCormack grew his religious roots in our neighbor to the south. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, ordained in Boston and served in several Bay State churches before becoming a top aide to then Boston Cardinal Bernard Law. He was later appointed as Manchester, New Hampshire’s ninth Catholic Bishop by Pope John Paul II. His time with the church has not been without challenge…facing the sex abuse scandal, priest shortages, parish closings and efforts to re-energize the faithful. We’ll talk with Bishop McCormack about how the Catholic church has changed and evolved over the past quarter century and where he sees it going over the next twenty-five years.
Guest
- John McCormack: Bishop of the Diocese of Manchester
New Hampshire Catholic Bishop John McCormack talks with NHPR's Laura Knoy. (Brady Carlson, NHPR) |
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Bishop McCormack, your choice of words in describing how the Catholic church can rebuild confidence is troubling. By your own testimony, you are guilty of perpetuating the cover-up (see below).
Yet today you are "sorry for the way the church handled the problem". First of all, the problem is still with us; it is not something that is done and over with to many people affected and those of us who have not returned. Second, you should not so quickly apologize for the church without bearing responsibility for your own actions.
What do you say to those who view such behavior as confirmation that the church is operating for its own benefit?
Individuals forgive individuals not institutions. How are we to forgive men who hide behind the institution rather than demonstrate personal repentance?
The bishop was trained as a social worker in 1960, and, as a priest, is surely quite aware of Luke 17:2: "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble."
Bishop-accountability`s website states that "there is NO record of McCormack ever having reported a crime of child abuse to police or prosecutors while in Boston."
Predators like John Geoghan, who abused more than 100 innocent children, were moved on from parish to parish, only to continue to feast on those kids. If he were stopped and removed- instead of enabled by leaders like McCormack- at the first instance of abuse, there might have been 99 less childhood victims.
Regarding his particular role in the sexual abuse scandal, and knowing Jesus` love of children, I would like McCormack`s response to the question: "Why are YOU not held responsible /accountable for what you like to call "mistakes"? AND, rather than your use of the word "mistakes", is it not a mortal sin in the law of the church, and a crime in civil law?"
I disagree with John McCormack's statement that he's doing all that he can to solve the sex abuse crisis. The most important thing he can do is resign. How can the church trust him to be an agent of change when it was his job to move pedophile priests from parish to parish under Bernard Law in Boston? Is he that addicted to his powerful position that he doesn't care about the harm he's doing to the church?
Nice comments, as well, about women and equality in the church... Maybe women don't go to him saying they want to be priests because they don't want to take vows of obedience to bigoted, authoritarian bishops and cardinals. He may have noticed that there aren't any men asking to be priests lately either. He's a failure and he should resign immediately.