August 21, 2005

Priest affair? Yes, I do care

NEW YORK
New York Daily News

Denis Hamill

Who cares?

That was my first reaction to "The Beauty and the Priest" sex scandal between Msgr. Eugene Clark, the rector of St. Patrick's, and Laura DeFilippo, his "leggy," "shapely," "attractive" - take your pick, dudes - secretary.

Whatever happened between DeFilippo and Clark, at least it was between consenting adults, and not another 11-year-old altar boy rape story.

Still, I was curious about how Clark came to own a $2 million home in Amagansett while I'm still taking my kid down Coney. But the church has taken a vow of silence on this one.

But, hey, Clark isn't the first clergyman to get rich. God works in mysterious ways. Cardinal Law of Boston, who covered up for child rapists, was punished for his sins with a life sentence in a luxury condo on St. Peter's Square, where he was allowed to say Mass at the Pope's funeral. Bishop Thomas Daily, who also had a veiny hand in the Boston coverup, was given a fine stone house in Brooklyn, where he smugly presided over the collapse of the Catholic school system.

Talk about ash and sackcloth.

Posted by kshaw at August 21, 2005 08:52 AM