Wednesday, April 8, 2009

What is Fr. Haley's current status?

Who knows?

Is Father Haley still a priest?

Has he been forcibly laicized?

Has he been excommunicated as the rumor mill says?

Try to find and out and all you get is the clerical version of the polka with fast and fancy footwork.

No one is talking.

The entire case of Fr. Haley has been shrouded in silence and secrecy. If you write to Bishop Loverde, as I have, you will most likely receive a letter from Chancellor Mark Herrmann telling you that all information about clerical personnel is confidential to protect the privacy of the priest.

But who does the silence and secrecy really protect? The bishop and the homosexual subculture in the church.

In 2005, a clerical tribunal headed by Bishop Thomas Doran met at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. The hearing was closed.

Was Father Haley allowed to face his accusers?

He definitely was NOT allowed to bring in character witnesses, because I and many others would gladly have testified for him.

What was the outcome of the tribunal? Was there a verdict? What was it?

No one is allowed to know.

Secrecy and coverup were the great enablers of the sex abuse scandals. They also enable injustice and scapegoating. As long as silence and secrecy prevail, justice will not be served. Phil Lawler, Russell Shaw, Randy Engel, and Leon Podles have all written books that show what egregious evil is enabled by silence and coverup. It protects the institutional Church, the hierarchy, and the lavendar mafia - it does not serve the truth or the flock or the lowly faithful shepherds. Remember when the pharisees wanted to kill Jesus, they held their trial in the dark of night and suspended all the Jewish rules protecting the accused. Think of Fr. Haley and other scapegoated priests on Good Friday when you read the Passion. Pray for them. And also pray for those in the hierarchy who do foul deeds in the dark.

16 comments:

  1. Mary Ann,

    The last I heard of Father Haley was from Matt Abbott's post:

    http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/abbott/080224

    Thanks for what you are doing for priests!

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  2. I can't fathom why the progress of this case on the Church docket is subject to any secrecy. That question is a matter of law. If the Church is not following their own canons then Fr. Haley's own silence is part of the problem. He has become an enabler of the current dysfunction. He was quite talkative in the deposition why the silence now? Some distorted idea of obedience? I think not!

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  3. Fr. Haley is under pontifical silence not to disclose his ecclesial status nor anything about the procedures/tribunal, etc. I agree that the Church situation is dysfuncional. It's also a Catch-22. Father has no income but his small Church stipend. If he speaks out, he loses that and his health insurance.

    Fr. Seamus MacCormack sued the diocese of Manchester and received a settlement the details of which are secret. All of these cases against faithful priests are disgraceful and the secrecy protects the bishops.

    I urge you to visit the Brotherhood of Silence website for Fr. Seamus MacCormack's story and read the case studies on Leon Podles' website. Fr. MacCormack's situation and the cases documented by Podles make it crystal clear why homosexuals must be banned from the priesthood.

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  4. Thanks, I thought he was under some kind of comuulsion.

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  5. I am a former seminarian for the diocese of Arlington and now a priest for a religious order. I still know a lot of priests in the diocese of Arlington. Though this is 2nd hand information some recently told me that Fr. Haley was still a priest, but could not act as a priest publicly. He is living in another area of the country. I heard in the diocese of Denver, Colorado.

    I have heard that he had a canonical hearing in or about 2006 before Bishop Doran of Rockford and it was said both Fr. Haley and Bishop Loverde were found at fault. I have not heard what the followup was.

    I am no friend of Bishop Loverde. One should be cautious though of giving full support to Fr. Haley. Some of his accusations were certainly true as he brought out some of the scandalous behavior of at least 3 priests in the diocese. However, he also made unfounded accusations against many good priests in the diocese in his court deposition. He also violated other priests privacy by breaking into their computers and searching through their rooms for evidence. This is not the way to go about things.

    As a result of the way Fr. Haley through out his accusations, many good orthodox priests in Arlington who stand up to the homosexual networks would not welcome him back to the diocese.

    We need all to be open and honest about the abuse coming from the homosexual networks and other places in the Church, but to recognize dignity of accused priests also, by being truthful and obtaining information through legitimate sources.

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    Replies
    1. I know this is an old comment, but I just have to respond to it even though I don't expect an answer.

      "As a result of the way Fr. Haley through out his accusations, many good orthodox priests in Arlington who stand up to the homosexual networks would not welcome him back to the diocese."

      While you may question some of Fr. Haley's accusations, perhaps you could name the many good orthodox priests in the Arlington diocese who "stand up to the homosexual networks." I have yet to hear of any but Fr. Haley.

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  6. I know this is an older post now...

    It sounds like Fr. Haley could be letting them buy his silence? Maybe he is using the time to pray for enemies of the Church, external or internal. It seems there is a need to start a fund for orthodox priests who are ostracized, and provide for them, i.e. those who find themselves unjustly dealt with, as it sounds like Fr. Haley was. He could then go on praying without the risk of having no food or basic medical care or insurance. Wait for the Lord Fr. Haley, He is not mocked.

    AMDG

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  7. Fr. Haley remains in limbo and is still traveling the country like a Nomad in a motor home with no fixed address. Please keep him in your prayers.

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  8. I thought I'd share something interesting: Fr. Haley is still listed in the 2010 - 2011 diocesan directory. The address listed for him is the cathedral. Fr. Erbacher and Fr. Hamilton are also listed in the directory.

    I hope I'm not giving already-known information, but I've just recently discovered this website and I am looking for answers.

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  9. Fr. Haley is no longer listed in the diocesan directory:
    https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/Communications/2018-Diocesan-Directory-web-version.pdf
    But Fr. Erbacher and Fr. Hamilton are (p.126 and p. 127). Both are listed as Vicar for Clergy at the Chancery.

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  10. The homosexuals always seem to get a pass.

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  11. Fr. Haley's story is mentioned briefly in this June 29th column by Rod Dreher:
    http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/uncle-ted-mccarrick-catholic-church-thrive/

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  12. Any updates or if we can reconnect with him?

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  13. F16, I'm sorry not to have responded to this sooner. I just saw it. Fr. Haley asked me not to give out his contact information, but I'll ask him again.

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  14. I know you are not to give out Fr. Haley's contact information, but how can we support him financially? I personally knew another amazing priest that was falsely accused of inappropriate behavior and it took ten long years for the Vatican to finally say the priest was innocent. (The civil court threw it out immediately saying there was no evidence at all) Of course his Bishop will not give him a parish, even with the long awaited statement declaring the priest's innocence. We need to support these priests! Please let us know how we can do that.

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