Deeply Betrayed
I’m writing to thank you for your Feb. 12 article entitled “From Boston to Charlotte” (by Tara Servatius). I have not experienced sexual abuse by any cleric, but have certainly experienced other forms of abuse, including having my job as a theology professor at Belmont Abbey suddenly and inexplicably terminated in 1993.
When this happened — and I was provided no reason, though I had received a glowing evaluation from the academic dean the previous week — I appealed to Bishop Curlin for assistance. Curlin was initially receptive, but would never meet with me. He dealt with me through his intermediary, Mauricio West, who had been a monk at Belmont Abbey. West assured me of Curlin’s outrage and concern.
The assurances turned out to be mere rhetoric, and when push came to shove, Curlin and West stood stoutly behind their brother priests at Belmont Abbey. I left Charlotte like a whipped dog. These priests all have secure lives, have had their educations paid for by the church, have houses, salaries, health insurance, status — all provided by the church. When they deprive a layperson of all of those things, they lack any imagination about the pain and suffering they inflict.
Ironically, the person Belmont Abbey hired to replace me was Rev. Berthold, who came to the diocese and Belmont Abbey with a letter from Cardinal Law informing them of his dismissal as a rector of a seminary after allegations of inappropriate physical behavior with adult seminarians. You may know from following that story in the Charlotte Observer that, when the news broke from Boston last summer, Curlin-West and the Belmont Abbey abbot, Placid Solari, all tried initially to lie and say that they had no knowledge of Berthold’s past when he was hired. Later, they all had to retract and admit that Law had, indeed, told them of Berthold’s past.
Your article asks, “For the love of God, what is wrong with these people?” I can answer that question. They are people full of hubris. They are so insulated by clerical power and privilege, they think their secrets will not be known or made public. They trust not in God, but in money, access to patronage, and in bullying tactics.
They are also very, very frightened, because the secrets that have come out through the Boston case are merely the tip of the iceberg. As a Catholic theologian, I have been enough on the inside to know that dioceses across the country have been paying off these cases in secret for many years now, to silence those who want justice for sexual abuse cases.
Thank you for blowing the whistle. Like you, I feel deeply betrayed.
— Bill Lindsey, Little Rock, AR
Mean-Spirited Note
I object to the editor’s note that followed Emmanuel Barbe’s objection (Letters, Feb. 12) to Tara Servatius’s “Not In America” column (Jan. 15). The note was sleazy and terribly offensive. I generally expect Creative Loafing, and Ms. Servatius, to engage seriously with those ideas with which they might disagree. Indeed, I have found Ms. Servatius’s opinions, while they may often differ from my own, usually to be well articulated and thoughtful. But the response to Barbe was mean-spirited and counterproductive, intended to quash disagreement rather than encourage the free exchange of ideas. Rather than respond to his reasonable, even moving objection to her opinions about Europe, the editor’s note instead insulted him and associated his name with an issue completely unrelated to the subject of his letter.
–Marc P. Singer, Charlotte
Unreasonable, But . . .
I thought the vicious, unreasonable diatribe by (We in Europe) Emmanuel Barbe, with its stupid attempt to stretch Servatius’ article into an insult to his alleged friend in Paris, spoke for itself on its lack of merit and sanity.
However, the fact that he was office assistant to Andrew Reyes had nothing to do with the article or his letter.
— Charles Blackwell, York, SC
Respect Comes Before Masturbation
In response to “The Greatest Love” (by Lucy Perkins, Feb. 19). I am offended that Perkins thinks that the least important consequence of teen sex is unplanned children. Kudos to her for realizing that abstinence is the best choice for teenagers; it is for all reasons, not just religious. However, where are the statistics to prove that sexual tension leads to violence in adolescent males? I venture to say there are many variables that contribute to serious violence in teens and to isolate only the lack of sex — with or without a partner — is naive.
Yes, no one really likes to talk about masturbation as a healthy alternative to teen sex and parents and school sex-ed teachers may be wise to do so. However, teens would also benefit from discussing modesty and respect for their bodies. Parents and educators would be remiss to exclude these critical aspects. I highly doubt that a “stay home and masturbate’ message will become a public service announcement, but campaigns like Kennedy’s from MTV on “heavy petting’ might help. Regardless, it all boils down to personal responsibility, something we often overlook.
— Nicole Henderson Auger, Charlotte
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This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2003.
