Last week in my city, the Catholic diocese published the names of priests in its files that the bishop believes were credibly accused of sex abuse. Most of them are dead or retired. At Saturday vigil masses, priests read the letter from Bishop Michael Duca. The Baton Rouge Advocate was at a couple of parishes where abuser priests had served. Here’s how the priests now in charge handled it:

Though both churches read Duca’s letter at their respective Saturday Vigil services, they differed in the degree to which each parish confronted the allegations.

At St. Aloysius, the Rev. Eddie Martin did not directly name the two priests accused of abuse at the church, but he did call on parishioners to confront evil in the world with love and to maintain the faith despite the sins of clergy leaders.

“We cannot lose our trust in the church as the body of Christ, with Christ as our head leading us, even if very fallible individuals entrusted with his flock have not followed his teachings in an inexcusable, shameful way,” Martin said.

During the Prayers of the Faithful, parishioners prayed “that the victims of any abuse be cared for with dignity and find peace.”

Wait, you don’t even mention the names of the priests from that parish who abused people in that parish? What?! I do not understand that. And then you tell people they shouldn’t lose faith in the Church?

Their names are David William Chaloux and Clyde Landry, both now dead. Clyde Landry was also the priest in my own town’s Catholic parish for much of my childhood. I know families affected by his abuse. Lives devastated. And this priest, now in charge of the parish where Landry and Chaloux molested children, won’t even say those men’s names. Unbelievable.

At the other parish, it was much worse:

The Rev. Michael Alello, at St. Thomas More, offered no commentary on alleged abuse beyond the bishop’s mandated letter.

In a homily that touched on the importance of having difficult discussions with a parish congregation, Alello made no reference to abuse. Later, at the end of the service, he let the bishop’s letter speak to the issue without further elaboration.

After the letter was read, Alello hurried on to share what he described as exciting news about a recent gathering of people interested in becoming Catholic. Alello declined to comment on the issue of abuse when approached after Mass.

That’s pathetic. Priests abused children at that parish, and he won’t even talk about it beyond what the bishop made him say. Instead, he goes on to give some happy-clappy news. Father Allelo is 39 years old, and was ordained in 2007, five years after the abuse crisis broke nationwide.  Bishop Duca announced in early November 2018 that he was going to make this list public, though I’m credibly informed that he did not share the list with any of his priests before he shared it with the public last week. Point is, Father Allelo had lots of time to prepare for this extremely painful moment. And yet, beyond reading what the bishop told him to read, he was silent about what happened to the people of that parish, and their children.

What do you suppose the people of that church learned about how to deal with clerical sex abuse in their own midst from their priest? My guess is, don’t talk about it; instead, focus on the good news. 

Some leadership that is. Man.

I was still a Catholic in 2004, and visiting my folks in Louisiana when news broke that a former (and deceased) Baton Rouge bishop had been credibly accused of molesting a kid. The then-bishop had a letter read at masses admitting that it was true. I was at mass that weekend in my hometown. A visiting priest happened to be saying the mass. After he read the bishop’s letter, he instructed the congregation not to speak about it further. I was so mad I almost stood up and walked out, but as usual, I suppressed my anger for the greater good. So that worked out well for me.