On July, 8, 1988, Archbishop Levada of Portland , Oregon, wrote to Cardinal Ratzinger, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, about the case of the Rev. Thomas Laughlin.
Laughlin, Levada explains, was ordained in 1948 at the age of 23. Levada continues, “he began homosexual contacts with boys shortly after his ordination (about age 25), and admitted to such misconduct both during his first priestly assignment as a teacher at Central Catholic High School, and as a pastor of St. Mary Parish in Corvallis. These contacts continued and apparently increased in frequency and number during his tenure as pastor of All Saints Parish until the time criminal charges of sexual abuse of minors were brought against him in 1983.”
“The reliable testimony of several boys questioned suggests that Fr. Laughlin used the confessional for purposes of solicitation.
“Even after his conviction, sentence, and having served six months in prison, he abused the privilege of his court ordered parole under the aegis of the Servants of the Paraclete in New Mexico by arranging for a secret liaison with one of the young men he had molested, and paid for his journey to meet him in San Diego for the purposes of engaging in sexual conduct.”
Archbishop Power of Portland had known about the abuse by at least 1975 and had not acted on it. That is not surprising, since in 1976 Power had received this letter from an official of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Seminary in British Columbia in which the official conveyed information from a “most reliable source” about Philip Steigerwald:
PHILIP STEIGERWALD, presently working in Queen of Peace, Salem, Oregon, scheduled to be ordained to the Priesthood on the 20th day of June , 1976, is an avowed homosexual.
He rationalizes that neither the world nor the Church, at the present time, understands the beauty and good in such a relationship. His companion, at the present time, is another seminarian at Mount Angel (redacted). Philip has practiced homosexuality since thirteen years of age and claims to have been initiated into this practice by his confessor at that time.
This situation is known to his mother, some of his family and, at least two or more seminarians.
Archbishop Power found this letter no reason not to ordain Steigerwald, who of course made sexual advances to boys in his parish. Years later, their mother found out, and talked to a priest, who told them “that the archdiocese knew before they ordained Phil that he was a homosexual.” The mother wanted an explanation. So do I. The most probable one is not flattering to the personal moral conduct of Archbishop Power.
Ratzinger may not have known about the type of person who Power thought was suitable for the priesthood, but he certainly knew there were severe problems in the Church in the United States. Why the failure to act effectively? Did Ratzinger tell himself these must be bizarre and isolated cases – but he was getting them on a regular basis. Or was he following John Paul’s implicit or explicit instructions about how to handle sexual abuse cases discretely and quietly? As Pope Benedict, Ratzinger owes the Church an explanation.
If the proper research is done about the historical acts done by the Roman Catholic Church, you will find the links to much more evil that you could every imagine. Please look into this. I have and have left this church I always thought was the “one and only” as they preached it to us brainwashed people , generation after generation. It is evil personified and must be “outed ” to it’s parishioners and the public as their children have been “spiritually murdered by these wolves in sheep’s clothing. Any one who knew and didn’t turn these evil people in to the local police are equally to blame, as if they were driving the get a way car.. It’s aiding and abbetting in this Crime Against Humanity. These Sexual Crimes against children, by Roman Catholic Priests in all the Roman Catholic Nations must be reported to the World Court . They have occured in mass numbers since the begininng of the RCC. The middle of the 1st century. WE KNOW NOW [thanks to INSTANT COMMUNICATION]so we must do something to end this evil, IMMEDIATELY! OR THE DEVIL WILL WIN!
Here is my comment, that I posted to another site.
Let’s take a look at the clerical sex scandal and the Church’s upper echelon’s participation in, and effort to control it.
The “structural forces school” within the Curia, headed by the Pope, has identified itself with a fixation on its own credibility. The collapse of credibility in the clerical sex scandal, albeit, a limited sphere of conflict, could severely cast doubt on the Pope’s and the Curia’s credibility in other sphere’s of competition. This would include the Papacy’s effort at consolidation of efforts in the area of international secular and religious politics.
In the zero-sum game for sustained international recognition, a reversal of confidence in the Vatican, in any matter, could undermine the reliability of papal power.
Consequently, to minimize the current clerical sex scandal, the Pope and his Curia have had to resort to a policy of containment. Organize the regional hierarchies to project an image of unity and harmony. Contain the internal squabbling and begin “singing from the same page.”
Next, the Pope must distance himself from the damage, This is accomplished by avoiding any admission of personal guilt. To do so, might well constitute a threat to the entire political, doctrinal/mythological and moral structure of his Church.
So, offer a plethora of apologies, but never, ever, acknowledge personal guilt. Has not admission of guilt always been an integral part of contrition? Yet, we see no contrition coming from this Pope. Instead, what we see is the Pope playing politics with the lives of the victims. If this is not serious sin, then what is?
What historians will see in the Papacy is
• an ideological world-view of its own importance that must be protected at all costs;
• a fixation that the infallibility of the Pope, and a fortiori, the creeping infallibility of the bishops, must be preserved, regardless of the price that must be paid by the victims of clerical sex abuse;
• an implacable commitment to a strategy that will defuse liability from the supra presbyterate clerical structure;
• a premium placed on the credibility of Papal and Curial containment doctrine in order to obviate continuing debilitating attacks;
• and finally, an amelioration of laity unrest by a use of diverse devotional techniques, (sic) “the year of the priests.”
Consequently, the Pontiff will continue to accept a personally shadowed moral status as an imperative for maintaining his own public image and the image of his Church. To do less, he sees as a betrayal of his office.
As a result, no admission of guilt; no contrition; lots of apologies! The scandal continues! The cancer metastases on the entire papal panoply.
Not one word in this article surprises me, although every one disgusts me. When are Catholics going to admit that priest have been allowed to sexually abuse children, men and women for centuries? And when will Catholics finally realize that the only way to stop the hierarchy from continuing to allow this horror – although the pope did denounce these acts, he is not actually DOING anything about them – is to stop contributing? The only thing that speaks to the hierarchy of the Catholic church is money! Sexual abuse by priests and religious will never stop unless WE make it stop!
As head of the CDF, Congregation for Doctrine and Faith, for well over 20+ years, Cardinal Ratzinger was bombarded with letters from all over the world, requesting the dismal of priests and other clerics, like brothers, nuns and monks. He participated as much in the Culture of Coverups,” within the Vatican as much as the bishops and archbishops of Ireland did, as outlined in the Ryan and Murphy Reports. Why did Cardinal Ratzinger willing do it? We might look a little higher in the food chain to discover the answer, and this one sat in “The Chair of St. Peter.” He is none other than Pope John Paul II, which refused to allow (during JPII’s lifetime) the defrocking and laitization of his personal friend and founder of the Legionaires of Christ, Fr. Maciel. It wasn’t until Pope JPII was on his deathbed and physically unable to intervene that Cardinal Ratzinger reopened the Maciel case, and Maciel was promptly “invited” by the Vatican “to a life of repentance and prayer.” For the current Pope to admit that he was as much at blame as the cardinal, bishops and archbishops of Ireland in contributing to the “Culture of Coverups of Abuse” would undermine the entire spiritual structure of Catholicism.
How could the highest ranking Cardinal of the Catholic Church participate in the “Culture of Coverups” for over 20 years and then suddenly become “The Vicar of Christ on Earth,” as soon as he is elected Pope? How is this instant example of immediate sanctity possible? There is an obvious disconnect here, but most Catholics, who are still practicing, refuse to believe it! Maybe they will start believing it when the next step is taken and the Survivors of Abuse end up taking their cause to the World Court! It would be a fitting end to the story!
The truth is that people in the pews will NOT believe any of you, even if you plaster them with pictures and facts galore. Have you ever ventured over to Catholic Answers Forum? The “JPII generation” idolize the pope; he can do no wrong and anyone who says differently is demonized.
Glorybe1929 and Amos I have never read so much HATE agaisng ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC AND APOSTOLIC CHURCH.
The problem is HOMOSESUAL priest who have sex with young boys 11 to 17 year old NOT children under the age of 8.
I 2 believe his holyness Benedict XVI must explain to the whole church.
As Catholics we r entitled to that.
There is an easy way to STOP this conduct by NO LONGER SUPPORTING THE EVIL MONSTER THAT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS BE COME. NO MONEY NO CHURCH !!!!!!
The rcc heirarchy is interested in: 1. their own power and lifestyle. 2. wealth and 3. mintianing the structure that is providing 1 and 2 above. What you can do is first leave the church… second if you cannot bring yourself to leave, for your weekly offering give a penny which says more than not leaving anything… give whatever you feel a need to give to the needy… third support legislation that gives power to the victims of abuse. CER1940
Good article and comments Leon. Thank you
To Cer1949:
I agree with your statements, but I would like to add one thing. Several years back there was “A Vatican Bank Scandal” where the Church lost millions if not billions! We’ll never know! What I find to be so incongruent with the idea that the Catholic Church bases itself on the teachings of Jesus is the whole idea of having a bank in the first place, which hold billions. What are they storing money up for anyway? Wouldn’t Jesus want them to distribute it to the poor and needy and to preach the Gospel of Christ? Donations from hard-working Catholics are WORTHLESS if they are only stored up in Church banking accounts. It’s one thing to set a little back for expenses, but quite another to abuse the whole system of giving. Maybe after the Priest Pedophilia problem is solved, the press might want to take a look at the Vatican Banking System.
Please post the pdf’s of Levada’s letter to Ratzinger and any other letters informing him directly.
Invaluable documentation that needs wide circulation. But I too fear that adulation of the papacy and holders of the office are beyond reproach from a blinded laity.
How anyone can call what I said as hate, is completely illlogical. The whole idea is the EVIL that is going on in this supposed Holy Roman Catholic Church.I think that if there is a hate involved it would be the devil and his works that we hate. We detest what has been allowed to happen, by the hierarchy, and that is what you should feel also. If they do these things to God’s precious children how much more are they doing to pertetuate these Crimes Against Humanity. There are all kinds of cunning people there saying things like Tiger Woods, “I thought I deserved to have what I wanted.? No one deserves anything. God gives and we should be thankful. We have a saviour but God also said there is a sin against the Holy Spirit that is un forgivable. . These Crimes are just that. How can a child react to a man or woman who says they represent God here on this earth. No other Christian church claims that distinction other than the RCC. Pray that your eyes can see and your ears can hear! AMEN!!!Alleulia!
Tony de New York, I found no hate in Amos’ comments. What I found was an attempt to explain rationally why the Papacy has not taken stronger action against what anyone in his right mind considers to be grievous sin. A lot of that explanation has to do with understanding human behavior in corporate contests, where the organization and its credibility are paramount — regardless of the harm it might have inflicted.
Sadly, this makes the Catholic hierarchy look no more noble than Enron executives or Soviet bureaucrats.
Thanks again Leon for all you do. One day when I meet God in heaven I will have justice. Until then I will be working on forgiveness.Kurt Gladsky
The Archbishop still has the gall to ask for money every year | Crowhill Weblog
[…] crisis for years and has written extensively on matters of sex and religion. A recent post — What Ratzinger Knew in 1988 — brings up yet another inexcusable failure by the […]