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	'Coward' Loses Faith in His Bishop A Week That Rocked the Church By Frank Mickadeit Orange County Register September 21, 2007 http://www.ocregister.com/column/brown-didn-good-1849165-knew-mary Let's end the week with some reflection about what we've learned about the Diocese of Orange. We learned Bishop Tod Brown withheld that he was accused of molestation once. That he sent a key figure in the molestation scandal, Monsignor John Urell, to a hospital in Canada virtually on the eve of trial. That Brown's Covenant With the Faithful apparently had a little-known codicil: "All of the above is null and void if we get in deep legal trouble again." That diocesan officials had evidence assistant basketball coach Jeff Andrade was in a relationship with a girl in the mid-90s and didn't report it to police. Whew. Makes a Catholic question the moral authority of his religious leaders. Well, not all Catholics, apparently. Comes now Mary Matuzak of Orange. I got similar notes, but hers was the best: "OK, enough already. I have read enough of your columns to know how obsessive you can be. I also know that teenage girls having sex with both their high school and college teachers is nothing new and is certainly not relegated to the Catholic Church. "Now this young woman in question supposedly had a sexual relationship with this teacher from ages 15-17, correct? … (S) he slept with this guy for two years and the parents had no clue? "Yes, Mater Dei should have fired him if the administration knew about it, but who knows for sure now what anyone knew or said 10-12 years ago? I am certain that this young woman does, indeed, have psychological problems. But her affair 10 years ago was a symptom, not the cause. But now she sees that the Church has deep pockets, and her attorneys see a chance to grab headlines and millions. "Father Urell is a noble guy – he's done unsung good for many. But there you and the rest of the wolves are, tearing apart his reputation. Why? I have noticed many times your deep-seated animosity to a religion to which you claim to subscribe, and perhaps this animosity fuels your desire to keep the muckraking going. "The pedophilia scandal was horrible, but this issue is nothing more than a chance for all you 'journalists' to reopen the wound. ... Do you really want to expose a religion for its hypocrisies? How about Islam? Oh, but wait. That would be dangerous, wouldn't it? Better to go back to provoking the unprovokable. Coward." Other than bringing a fatwa upon herself, I think Mary did a good job here. Completely wrongheaded, of course, but a nicely strung-together screed that avoids addressing the unequivocal nature of Brown's promise of openness. I still believe in the sacraments and the teachings of Jesus. I still have faith in priests I've known. I've written lovingly about Father Jim Burnham, who died in an accident when I was in college, and of Monsignor Joseph Wadowicz of Lake Forest, who on his deathbed last year asked me to tell his story. They are angels watching over the words I'm writing. I still believe virtually every priest is good. But this last week destroyed my faith in the local leadership. Actions speak louder than words, even words nailed to a cathedral door. The Covenant had no qualifiers . Yeah, lawyers will clean up. The media will have a field day. I'll get at least a dozen "good" columns. But even a bottom-feeding coward like me would give up a dozen columns if it meant this didn't have to happen. Is Brown hushing up because he's scared of going bankrupt, like San Diego? Maybe it would be best. Maybe the whole structure needs to change so no diocese holds enough property to make it a target. The pope and his bishops should retain their power not because of what they own but because of their teachings and deeds. What would happen? Individual Catholic communities would remain intact and build the infrastructure necessary while continuing to look to Rome for spiritual guidance. But Mary is right about one thing. I walked into Muldoon's in Newport on Tuesday night and standing 10 feet away was Bishop Brown. Couldn't believe it. We were both there to relax at a meeting of the Celtic Bar Association. With Brown unavailable to the media of late, it was my big opportunity. But I hesitated. It just didn't feel appropriate to perhaps create a scene and embarrass my friends and hosts. And I knew the odds were small he'd tell me anything anyway. Didn't we both deserve a night off? I rationalized. I introduced myself. If he knew who I was he didn't show it. I shook his hand and walked away. Coward. Contact: fmickadeit@ocregister.com.
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