BishopAccountability.org
	Group Takes Priest Case to Oakland By Meera Pal Inside Bay Area November 17, 2007 http://www.insidebayarea.com/trivalleyherald/localnews/ci_7491198 A small but emotional group gathered outside the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland headquarters Friday to question why a priest with a public lewdness arrest was chosen to oversee the Pleasanton parish. Instead of Bishop Allen Vigneron, who is in Washington, D.C., the group faced the Rev. Mark Wiesner, a spokesman for the diocese, who reiterated the bishop's support for the Rev. Padraig Greene. Greene, who on Jan. 1 will become pastor of St. Augustine and St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic churches in Pleasanton, was arrested in 1999 for performing a sex act on himself in a public restroom at an Oakland hills sports center. "Father Greene's life is more than just this one dark moment," Wiesner said. "Before that and since that, there have been no other incidents." For Joey Piscitelli and other members of the Survival Network of Those Abused by Priests, Greene's past behavior should be considered a warning sign. "This man committed a deviant sex act and wanted to be seen," said Piscitelli, director of the Northern California chapter of SNAP. "The Bishop is testing this priest on the people of Pleasanton." Piscitelli handed out copies of Greene's police and court records in front of the Oakland offices. Greene, who was ministering at Christ the King Catholic Church in Pleasant Hill when he was arrested, spent two days in custody. The Alameda County district attorney later dismissed the charges against him after Greene agreed to six months of counseling at St. Michael's Center in St. Louis. The center, run by the Servants of the Paraclete, a Catholic religious order, treats priests, nuns and brothers who suffer from alcoholism, depression and other afflictions. "We believe he has whatever it takes to not engage in that behavior," Wiesner said. News of Greene's questionable past, however, has created confusion for members of Catholic Communities of Pleasanton, with some feeling betrayed by their church elders. Almost all parishioners learned of Greene's past indiscretion when Piscitelli handed out fliers on Sunday. Many others remain supportive of Greene, crediting his unique ability to understand and effectively minister his congregation to his own healing process. "Out of that hurt he has been able to reach people," Wiesner said. Pleasanton resident Theresa Aimar, one of several parishioners who have renounced the Catholic Church entirely after Greene's past was made public, cautioned that the diocese should err on the side of caution and appoint a pastor with a clean slate — someone without a history of sexual misconduct in public. Statements in support of Greene have been posted on the Catholic Communities' Web site, with retiring Pastor Dan Danielson writing, "(Father Greene) will make an excellent pastor for a community of other repentant sinners." Piscitelli disagrees and plans to be at St. Elizabeth Seton Church on Sunday to hand out copies of the police and court records. "The bishop of Oakland is trying to force parishioners of Pleasanton to accept a lewd priest," Piscitelli said. Meera Pal covers Pleasanton. Reach her at 925-847-2120 or mpal@bayareanewsgroup.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.