BishopAccountability.org
	Bone to Pick with Archdiocese of Hartford Connecticut Catholic Corner October 9, 2008 http://connecticutcatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/bone-to-pick-with-archdiocese-of.html I have a bone to pick with the Archdiocese of Hartford over Father Stephen Foley who has been accused of sexual abuse, including William Noll who claims Foley abused him for three years when he was a teen. Foley hightailed it out of CT when he was ordered to leave a Bloomfield seminary and has so far refused to return and face the charges against him. He was found in Virginia and once again refused or failed to show up for a video deposition. This isn't the first time Foley has defied court orders. He failed to show up last March on another sexual abuse case, but that one was settled just before it went to trial. I know all are assumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of law, but lets face it, when a grown man, a "man of the cloth" clergy runs and hides instead of facing his responsibilities and honestly answering questions and accusations put to him, what are we to believe? Charge after charge is being placed on Foley and he's hiding from them like a coward. Nearly as bad is that the archdiocese of Hartford is helping! How are they helping? They are still paying him $1,000 a month stipend and his health insurance (he's being treated for skin cancer) and he is STILL A PRIEST, though he's been ordered not to perform any priestly duties for the time being. When the archdiocese of Hartford was asked about Foley, here is what they had to say: "He is not a slave. The archdiocese doesn't own him. The legal system has more control over him," Church spokesman John Gatzak said. "If the legal system can't get him to do what he is supposed to do, you can't expect the archdiocese to do it." What was that again Mr. Gatzak? We "can't expect the archdiocese to do it"? Why the heck not? How about cutting off his money and health care? How about stripping the coward of his holy orders? How about telling the police where he can be found? The archdiocese of Hartford has ALREADY settled at least 12 sexual abuse cases against Foley involving 43 people! And now we hear "you can't expect the archdiocese to do it"? This is sickening and wrong. The archdiocese of Hartford is wrong and they need to admit it and work with the police to bring Foley in. And WHY is this man still a priest? More than 40 people in settled abuse cases have come forward against Foley and his sexual abuse yet this man is STILL a Roman Catholic priest. That is disgusting and vile in this Roman Catholic bloggers opinion. I am very disappointed in the archdiocese of Hartford at the moment and I truly hope they get their act together and do the right thing with Foley, because what they are doing now is wrong. It's simply wrong.
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