THE tattered remains of the Pope’s reputation were further shredded today with a revelation in the New York Times that top Vatican officials – including Ratzinger himself Â- failed to defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys.
Yet more bad press for Ratzinger
Despite being repeatedly warned by several American bishops that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, no action was taken against the Rev Lawrence C Murphy, who worked at a renowned school for deaf children from 1950 to 1974.
Details of this failure by the Church to protect vulnerable youngsters from a predatory priest are contained in church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit.
The internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, shows that while church officials tussled over whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the Church from scandal.
In 1996, Ratzinger failed to respond to two letters about the case from Rembert G Weakland, Milwaukee’s archbishop at the time. After eight months, the second in command at the doctrinal office, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, now the Vatican’s secretary of state, instructed the Wisconsin bishops to begin a secret canonical trial that could lead to Father Murphy’s dismissal.
But Bertone halted the process after Father Murphy personally wrote to Ratzinger protesting that he should not be put on trial because he had already repented and was in poor health and that the case was beyond the church’s own statute of limitations.
Near the end of his life, Father Murphy said in a letter to Ratzinger:
I simply want to live out the time that I have left in the dignity of my priesthood. I ask your kind assistance in this matter.
The New York Times obtained the documents, which the church fought to keep secret, from Jeff Anderson and Mike Finnegan, the lawyers for five men who have brought four lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The documents include letters between bishops and the Vatican, victims’ affidavits, the handwritten notes of an expert on sexual disorders who interviewed Father Murphy and minutes of a final meeting on the case at the Vatican.
Not only was Father Murphy never tried nor disciplined by the church’s own justice system, but he also got a pass from the police and prosecutors who ignored reports from his victims, according to the documents and interviews with victims.
Three successive archbishops in Wisconsin were told that Father Murphy was sexually abusing children, the documents show, but never reported it to criminal or civil authorities.
Instead of being disciplined, Father Murphy was quietly moved by Archbishop William E Cousins of Milwaukee to the Diocese of Superior in northern Wisconsin in 1974, where he spent his last 24 years working freely with children in parishes, schools and, as one lawsuit charges, a juvenile detention center. He died in 1998, still a priest.
Hat tip: Keith from the US (and thanks to Sister Talitha from Landover Baptists for sending us the cartoon).
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
March 25th, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Can we try to make a citizen’s arrest of the unholy father when he visits the UK? Surely him and his revolting cohorts must be vulnerable to being tried in civil courts now. Can you just imagine the whole lot of them being put on the sex offenders register!
March 25th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
I was surprised to read that the church has it’s own statute of limitations. Do these only apply to the clergy or to the flock as well? If so: is there a statute of limitations for sins in general? These people seem to have it al wrapped up for them-selves. Lording it over the sheeple while they get or got away with anything.
Some good news: after a little PR-disaster by a Dutch cardinal at least 500 people have ‘left’ the church, something everybody should do.
March 25th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
When anybody else gives money to abused, defenceless children, its called charity.
When the Catholic Church gives them money, that’s called compensation.
March 25th, 2010 at 7:40 pm
Har Davids, that is good news. I am constantly amazed that there are still people willing to defend the Catholic Church. Many of us have been aware for years that the RCC is rotten to the core but surely now it is obvious to everybody. In my opinion all lay Catholics that continue to support the Church now that the whole revolting truth has come out, are implicated in these crimes. Without the sheep, the Catholic Church would be nothing, it could do no more harm and could just be ignored by everyone as an irrelevance.
I believe that there has been an organised campaign in Ireland to get uncommited ex-catholics to publicly declare ex status and inform the Church that they have left. It would be good if this went global.
March 25th, 2010 at 8:03 pm
Does anyone want to bet that the Ratzinazi fellationists will not try to win brownie points for the Head Childfucker for showing compassion (not to the boys, of course)?
It occurs to me that a self-deifying poseur like Ratzinazi might not see the necessity of carrying a passport. If he cannot produce a diplomatic passport/visa when he enters the UK, any law enforcement officer on the spot will be legally entitled to arrest him. If he cannot be extradited to the World Court for lack of an indictment, he can be prosecuted within the UK for conspiracy to commit countless crimes against the constitution and common law.
March 25th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
This must strike the end of the catholic churches grip on humanity. This isn’t just one isolated case, it’s self evident that the entire Roman church is one huge paedophile ring. Why are the Police here, who normally trumpet out loud their actions against paedophiles, not being seen to say anything about an investigation.
March 25th, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I have been sorely tempted of late to walk into the Catholic Truth Society shop near where I work and ask why they don’t sell books with titles such as ‘The Pope Protects Paedophiles’ and ‘We’re A Bunch Of Sick Deviants Who Deserve To Be Sent To Prison’.
At least they would actually be living up to their name and actually be telling the truth for the first time in 2,000 years.
March 25th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Come on AngieRS, it isn’t a ring. I was an altar boy for 6 years and I have never been touched by a priest. They were Augustins. What they did among themselves I couldn’t guess.
The police isn’t there because we are dealing with holy men.
You do not arrest priests, rabbies or imams. The Pope is f.cking infallible! The bastards untouchable.
Not al the water in the rough rude sea can wash the balm off from an anointed King(read cleric); the breath of worldly men cannot depose the deputy elected by the Lord..
Richard II, William S.
Adrien M.
March 25th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Just going back to the Birsdhit story, earlier today I sent this message to Darren Henley, MD of Classic FM:
Hi Darren,
Sorry for bothering you – but I am bothered. And what’s bothering me is this: Why have you given in to Stephen Green and his bunch of evangelist nazis over Classic FM’s promotion of Not The Messiah?
Darren, these people are bigots, bullies and zealots of the worst kind. They are utterly intolerant of anything that doesn’t fit with their hate-filled view of the world (just check the Christian Voice website if you don’t believe me – http://www.christianvoice.org.uk/index.html). And like all small-minded fanatics, they shout very loudly to and at anybody who will listen.
By giving in to their demands you are undermining free speech, the right to hold differing views, the right to question, the right to criticize and many other values which we cherish in this country. And worst of all, you are encouraging Stephen Green and his bunch of religious militants to carry on with their bully-boy tactics by showing them that it works.
I very much hope that you will change your mind on this matter by publicly reversing your decision and reinstating your station’s support not only for a comedy classic, but also for liberty.
Thank you for listening.
Kind regards,
Marcus.
Here’s the response I just received:
Dear Marcus,
Thank you for your email regarding “Not the Messiah”.
Following an email campaign, a number of incorrect views about Classic FM’s involvement in this event appear to have gathered momentum in the online community and I hope that you will allow me to take this opportunity to correct them:
1. Classic FM broadcast an advertising campaign for this event which ran from last Wednesday until last weekend. The station also ran a competition to win tickets to the event on the station’s website which also ended last weekend. No further advertising activity was booked to run either on-air or online after the weekend.
2. At no point did Classic FM ever intend to broadcast this event on air, nor did it ever enter into any negotiations to broadcast the event on air, so any assertion that any programme content has been withdrawn from broadcast is simply incorrect.
3. Classic FM has never been a financial supporter of this event and nor was it ever the promoter of the live event – and that relationship has in no way changed over the past week.
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to correct these misconceptions. May I also take this opportunity to thank you for taking the trouble to get in touch. I do hope that you continue to enjoy listening to Classic FM’s programmes.
Yours sincerely,
Darren Henley
Managing Director
Classic FM
Which, if true, does beg the question, why is Stephen Fuckwit Green claiming some kind of moral victory?
March 25th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
Marcus: Better to go into the Catholic Truth Society and ask where they keep the kiddie porn!
March 25th, 2010 at 9:58 pm
barriejohn: Trouble is, they might take me seriously. (Then come to think of it, nah. Have you ever seen the people who work in those places? They do tend to make William Hague look like a mo-fo bad-ass kid from the hood.)
March 25th, 2010 at 11:34 pm
Or just point out politely that there’s an oxymoron in the name of their store.
March 26th, 2010 at 12:39 am
It would be hilarious if the Pope canceled his visit to UK for fear of being arrested!!!! And let me quote myself, in an “I told you so” sort of way:
“The child abuse that has come to light by the catholic church is just the scum on a deep pond”
After centuries of burning scientists, heretics, witches and Jews, their real character is finally surfacing. Hypocritical disgusting pedophile grifters. Meanwhile, they decry the use of condoms in Africa to prevent the spead of HIV on “moral” grounds. The catholic laity must be so stupid they have to focus in order to remember to breathe. Beyond ridiculous.
NeoWolfe
March 26th, 2010 at 1:15 am
Goodness am I glad that the boy is the cartoon is facing towards us and not towards the priest.
March 26th, 2010 at 1:52 am
The vatican is a “state”, correct? And, the way I read it, for decades this “state” looked the other way when innocent children were being sexually terrorized. Therefore it is a state which has sponsored terrorism.
And what do civilized nations do to states that sponsor terrorists?
Why, they ignore them.
March 26th, 2010 at 3:18 am
Not even the deaf are safe from these pervert priests. It’s an outrage. And of course the poor little nippers wouldn’t have heard them coming.
March 26th, 2010 at 8:37 am
What, like this, Peter?
March 26th, 2010 at 8:51 am
It’s just a good job that Peter can’t see where the priest’s cock is!
March 26th, 2010 at 9:08 am
I heard on the wireless this morning that the Vatican are whinging about the negative media coverage – keep up the attacks you media types! Oh, apart from the catholic rag the Daily Telegraph who blame us secularists as well.
March 26th, 2010 at 9:33 am
You beat me to it, Angela! When I saw this headline on Ceefax this morning I very nearly pissed myself again:
“Vatican blames media over abuse”
You couldn’t make it up!!
March 26th, 2010 at 9:34 am
So it’s ok for paedo-priests to bugger unwilling quireboys but not ok for two consenting adults to do the same?
Glad that is cleared up.
March 26th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Tony E, are you feeling quite well? It’s not OK for anybody to bugger choirboys. Especially deaf ones.
March 26th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Heather,
Ooops, that should have read ‘two consenting adults to do the same to each other’
March 26th, 2010 at 6:49 pm
Yes, Tony, that’s quite acceptable. Deaf or not.
May 6th, 2010 at 10:47 pm
I am so ashamed of some of those who call themselves christians, the Bible say DO NOT Condemn my priest but pray for them. We should not spend our time looking at the fault of priests when some of us are in the same situation. We should remember that a priest is no different from you and I, he is just a human, with human weaknesses, and shortcomings, the time we spend condemning them, we should use that time to pray for them, asking God to give them the grace to be strong and avoid temptations. Yes is is true FR. Murphy, did those things, he was to be brought to book, no doubt, but we should not criticize those in Rome or the Archbishops for not doing so, as it is always said a mother protects her own.If for example your child kills someone, and you find out that he is the person who committed the murder would you take him to the police? anybody who is honest enough should answer. would you noty try to protect him and if possible send him to some distant country? where he will not be seen so as to be arrested and tried. Let us be reasonable, before we go around making comments.I do not support his acts but I do not think that is the right way we should approach it, and he is even dead, the issue should be forgotten, and we move ahead trying to prevent it in the future. Whoever wants to answer the question that I asked should email me the answer @ rgarcia200025@yahoo.com