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	House Chaplain Pushed Sex Offender's Release By Manya A. Brachear and Margaret Ramirez Chicago Breaking News November 19, 2008 http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/11/house-chaplain-asked-for-sex-offenders-release.html Before his appointment as Chaplain of the House of Representatives. Rev. Daniel Coughlin pushed for the early release from prison of a priest convicted of sexually abusing two teenage boys, it was learned today. In a letter dated May 20, 1999, 10 months before he was nominated for the chaplain post, Coughlin asked the Wisconsin Parole Commission to release Norbert Maday from prison and place him under the supervision of the Chicago archdiocese. "We would be pleased to receive Norbert Maday into the Archdiocese of Chicago system," he wrote. "We would also accept financial responsibility for his maintenance, monitoring ... This would relieve the state of Wisconsin from the financial burden of caring for Maday." Coughlin, then vicar of priests, a position in which he supervised Chicago area priests, was appointed House chaplain in March 2000. The revelation first reported by Roll Call, a Capitol Hill newspaper, was part of a legal deposition released by Cardinal Francis George earlier this year as part of a $12.7 million settlement involving 16 victims and 11 priests. In his letter, Coughlin outlined a "system" where Maday would live "in a residence where his activities are monitored and he may never be in the presence of a minor without another adult present." A later audit of the archdiocese monitoring system for accused priests found it to be grossly deficient. The deposition also included letters by George citing Coughlin's efforts to free Maday. George said he was told that Maday didn't have a fair trial. It was only after Coughlin's departure and more allegations surfaced that George reviewed the files and realized Maday had "seriously abused many, many innocent children." The cardinal reversed Coughlin's request in April 2007. Maday is no longer a priest in the Catholic church. Coughlin , who could not be reached for comment, served as vicar for priests from 1995 until his appointment to Washington in 2000. From 1990 to 1995, he oversaw a retreat center in Mundelein adjacent to a center that housed priests removed from the ministry for abuse allegations. "Sadly, this is a familiar pattern in the Chicago archdiocese: a priest who successfully keeps quiet about clergy sex crimes wins a promotion," said Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who didn't realize when combing through the deposition that Chicago's Coughlin was the same Coughlin on Capitol Hill. "Surely there's a more appropriate and less sullied cleric who can be the House chaplain," she said. Coughlin was named after a contentious selection process, in which then-Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) was accused of anti-Catholic sentiment. In his autobiography, Hastert said George recommended Coughlin for the job. "I believe Daniel Coughlin will bring to the House a caring and healing heart," Hastert said at the time of Coughlin's appointment. "Let us embrace our new chaplain, put this episode behind us and move forward to do the people's business." Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi did not return calls for comment. Contact: mbrachear@tribune.com, maramirez@tribune.com.
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