Saturday, May 07, 2005
EMAIL FROM DR. BOND
Dear Friends,
As you already know from James Bendell's press release yesterday, a total settlement of $454,550 was reached in the federal sex abuse lawsuit against Carlos Urrutigoity, Eric Ensey, the Society of St. John, the Fraternity of St. Peter, the Diocese of Scranton, and Bishop James Timlin. Below please find two links to newspaper articles concerning the settlement:
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/11577966.htm
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=14480871&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=415898&rfi=6
Not surprisingly, the attorney for the Diocese of Scranton has already claimed that the $454,500 figure is "misleading." Having ignored the truth for almost four years about homosexual molestation by SSJ priests, the Diocese apparently sees no reason to begin concerning itself with the truth now.
Yesterday also marked the flight of the Society of St. John from the property in Shohola, PA where the SSJ had planned to build their version of the Neverland Ranch, a homosexual playground where traditional families were to be enticed to deliver up their sons to the SSJ priests for "spiritual direction" in bed. The SSJ raised over five million dollars to construct their "Catholic village" in Shohola, but not a single building was ever erected.
I have been informed that the SSJ has fled to Argentina (as we reported long ago was their intention), but I have no firm facts as to their new location. The SSJ leaves in its wake untold spiritual destruction of young souls, to say nothing of the material resources wasted by the SSJ's efforts to seduce boys and their families. We do know some of the other victims of the SSJ priests who never came forward to testify, but the full extent of the evil done will never be known until the Last Judgment.
The courage of those who did come forward to testify against the SSJ, especially John Doe, has served to protect many who would have otherwise become victims of sexual abuse under the guise of traditional Roman Catholicism. While no amount of money could ever compensate John Doe for the harm done to him and his family, we pray he will find some peace in knowing that the large financial settlement of this case makes manifest that these priests were guilty as charged.
Sadly, the SSJ scandal is far from over. Urrutigoity and Ensey must still be laicized, a process which is supposedly underway, and a full investigation must be undertaken to determine the degree of guilt of the other SSJ priests. All of these priests--Fr. Daniel Fullerton, Fr. Dominic O'Connor, Fr. Basil Sarweh, and Fr. Dominic Carey--have lied to protect the predator priests of the SSJ, and all have been involved in deceiving Catholic donors. Moreover, Deacon Joseph Levine, who is now studying for the priesthood in the Diocese of Scranton, must never be ordained. As a former superior general of the SSJ, Deacon Levine not only insisted upon the innocence of Urrutigoity and Ensey long after their guilt was manifest, but he also perpetuated the fraud of presenting the SSJ as a religious community to unsuspecting Catholic donors.
The College of St. Justin Martyr and I still have three lawsuits against the Society of St. John and the Diocese of Scranton, and we will continue to pursue justice through the courts, regardless of how long it takes. Our story, and the whole history of this sordid affair in the Diocese of Scranton, can be found on our web site at www.SaintJustinMartyr.org/news/notices.html.
May our Lord bless all who have contributed to the nearly four-year effort to expose the predator priests of the SSJ, as well as the complicity of the Fraternity of St. Peter and the Diocese of Scranton.
Pax vobiscum,
Dr. Jeffrey M. Bond
President
College of St. Justin Martyr
(570) 685-5945
