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	Jury Selection Navigates Thicket of Moral Issues By Jeff Coen Chicago Tribune October 9, 2008 http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-crime-mcguire-09-oct09,0,2577907.story There were lots of pained expressions and long pauses in a federal courtroom Wednesday as would-be jurors were asked a tough question: Could they put aside their feelings and be fair to a now-defrocked priest charged with sexually abusing a boy in his care? A Catholic school principal seemed unsettled at the prospect of even trying, while a woman cried and hinted she had been a victim of abuse herself. Another prospective juror pitched forward in her seat and said the priest should "rot in hell" if guilty. As selection of a jury to hear his trial began, Donald McGuire, 78, said to have a failing heart, sat hunched in a wheelchair, often resting his chin on his chest as if he was asleep. As many as four additional victims could testify against McGuire, who rose in the Jesuit order and became an international retreat leader and a spiritual adviser to Mother Teresa. The abuse often occurred on overseas trips, prosecutors say.Rare was the juror who told U.S. District Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer they were indifferent about a priest accused of such a crime. Many said they favored a conviction. Many of the potential jurors said they attend mass or went to Catholic schools. One works for Catholic Charities, while another is a diocesan priest. The priest repeatedly rubbed his face as he wrestled with the questions. "I get mad at the fact there are priests who are ruining things for the church, and I also sympathize with human frailty," he said. He was later left off the jury. One 51-year-old woman who works as a nurse said she had an experience as a teenager that left her not fully trusting priests or men in general. McGuire's attorney, Stephen Komie, asked how uncomfortable she would be considering the fate of his client. The judge sounded like an understanding mother as she calmly asked questions. No one approves of this kind of conduct, Pallmeyer said. The question for jurors, she said, was whether they understood that in an American court, the government must prove guilt. The judge asked one graduate of Mother McAuley High School whether she could keep focused on that principle. "I think I can," the woman answered. Testimony could begin as soon as Thursday. Contact: jcoen@tribune.com
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