We're here today for two reasons
- to protect the vulnerable and to heal the wounded.
We're here at the cathedral specifically
because it is the figurative center of this diocese and because the bishop is
ultimately responsible
for the safety and well being of every Catholic in his
jurisdiction.
We know that the Jesuits, the diocese and
We know that Fr. Thomas Gleeson's
not a university employee and likely isn't here often.
We know that Gleeson hasn't been
convicted of a crime.
We know that his west coast Jesuit
supervisors claim that the allegations against him are
"unsubstantiated."
But we suspect that the sexual
harassment allegations against Gleeson are credible and that only a
handful of people in
about them.
And we know what the safest course of
action is here: suspend him from his board position, investigate the charges,
and then take whatever
action is appropriate based on the findings.
No institution can really police itself,
so we hope that if anyone has seen, suspected or suffered any misdeeds by
Gleeson, they will call police.
The allegations against him by a young
seminarian apparently don't reach the level of crimes. But, for the safety of
Wheeling
In 2002, the US Catholic church adopted a
national clergy sexual misconduct policy. It mandates "openness" in
cases of alleged clergy misdeeds.
And it requires that a priest who is credibly
accused of sexual abuse be suspended while the case is investigated.
After that policy was adopted, many
bishops re-examined earlier allegations that had once been ignored, dismissed
or deemed 'unsubstantiated.' Dozens of Catholic clerics, who had been
accused but kept in ministry, were suspended. That's what we want to see happen
here with Gleeson.
Why are we here now?
Because we just recently learned that
Gleeson is apparently on the university's board..
Because there's no time like the present
to err on the side of safety.
Because if someone abuses his authority over one young person, he's apt to do
it again.
Because if someone's been
credibly accused of sexual misconduct in one setting and they remain
in the same kind of setting, that's problematic
and risky.
Because we've spoken with John Bollard
and find him to be extremely credible.
And, finally, because very, very few
sexual misconduct allegations against Catholic clergy prove to be wrong,
especially in cases where victims
actually file lawsuits and church
officials settle those lawsuits.
Catholic officials, we expect, will deny
and minimize and split hairs here.
They'll deny that Gleeson sexually
harassed the young seminarian in
They'll minimize Gleeson's alleged misdeeds, claiming harassment isn't as bad
as actual physical abuse or that sexual misconduct with someone
over 18 is
less egregious than someone under 18.
They'll split hairs and say that the
bishop has no control over the university.
They'll parse words and say that
the national sex abuse policy only covers children who are victimized, not
young adults.
But keep in mind these facts:
First, church officials paid a settlement
to Gleeson's accuser.
Second, as best we can tell, no one has
claimed or is claiming that Gleeson is innocent.
Third, Gleeson's accuser took legal
action against this priest years before the church's current sex abuse and
cover up scandal began making headlines.
Fourth, over the past decade, Gleeson's
accuser hasn't changed his story.
Fifth, over the past decade, neither
Gleeson nor his supervisors have disclosed anything that might prove his
accuser is wrong or that he is, in fact, innocent.
And sixth, finally, church officials
insisted on a 'gag order,' limiting what Gleeson's accuser could say publicly.
Given all this, it hardly seems likely
that Gleeson's accuser is wrong. Neither Gleeson nor his supervisors are acting
in any way that suggests their innocence.
The bottom line is that there are two
choices here: making excuses, doing
nothing, and jeopardizing students, or being cautious, taking action, and
protecting students.
Common sense and reasonable prudence
should prevail over all of these legalistic and self-serving justifications.
After all, everyone can almost
always find reasons to sit back and do nothing.
That approach, sadly, is all too-typical of the Catholic hierarchy. That
approach is one reason
thousands of Catholic priests, nuns, bishops and lay
employees have sexually violated tens of thousands of once-trusting boys and
girls and seminarians. That approach must change.
Finally, we might feel a little different
about Gleeson being on the
As best we can tell, however, neither
Gleeson or the school or the university or the diocese have ever alerted any
Wheeling area Catholics or
Wheeling University students, staff or alums about
the allegations against Gleeson.
That, by itself, is troubling. So
again, we ask that if anyone here, or elsewhere, has seen, suspected or
suffered misdeeds by Gleeson - please
come forward, speak up, get help,
protect others, and start healing.
And we ask that someone - the university, the bishop, the Jesuits of this
province - suspend Gleeson from his board post and investigate the
allegations
against him, particularly in light of the church's 2002 sexual misconduct
policy.