PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By Jim Remsen
Inquirer Faith Life Editor
In the Philadelphia grand jury's long catalog of priests accused of sexual abuse, two names stand out: the Revs. John H. Mulholland and Robert L. Brennan.
Unlike the many others - dead, defrocked, or suspended - Mulholland, 66, and Brennan, 67, remain in public ministry. Both are chaplains at retirement homes in the archdiocese, celebrating Masses and ministering to residents.
According to the report, released Wednesday, church officials were first told in 1968 about Mulholland's "sadomasochistic practices with boys" - which involved talk of bondage and eating human waste - and took no action.
Similarly, repeated complaints about Brennan's "inappropriate or suspicious behavior" with more than 20 boys dating to 1988 prompted a round of therapy - but he was then sent back to parish work with no warning to parishioners, the grand jury found.
Although the U.S. Catholic Church has vowed to remove any known abuser from active ministry as part of its 2002 child-protection charter, archdiocese officials maintain that these two priests are not clear-cut abusers under the special set of church laws known as the Essential Norms.