BishopAccountability.org
	The Fall of an American Idol New Oxford Review April 7, 2011 http://www.newoxfordreview.org/note.jsp?did=0411-notes-idol The announcement was all too abrupt. When Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer declared — out of the blue — in his weekly e-letter "Spirit & Life" on August 27, 2010, that he was stepping down from his post as president of Human Life International (HLI), something seemed amiss. The reason for his unexpected departure, Fr. Euteneuer wrote, was that his bishop had called him back to his home diocese in Palm Beach, Florida, to return to parish work. "This is the right thing for me to do and at the right time," wrote Fr. Euteneuer. "I have great peace about the road that lies ahead and about all that has been accomplished up to this point…. I am ready for a break!" After recovering from the initial shock, those of us who had interacted with him or admired him from afar were left scratching our heads. Why would a man who lived, and seemed to thrive, in the public eye to an ever increasing extent over the decade of his tenure at HLI depart so suddenly, without warning, without any indication whatsoever that this was coming? The explanation was puzzling. He had just released a new book and was in the middle of a speaking tour — hardly the "right time" for an abrupt change of course. He didn't even have a parish assignment to go to yet. No replacement was waiting to take the reins of HLI. Why the rush out the door? Though the questions lingered, what else could we do but wish him well and offer prayers of thanksgiving for his years of outstanding work to advance the prolife cause? The very same day, August 27, the board of directors of HLI released a statement thanking Fr. Euteneuer for his "meritorious service," saying that his "leadership at HLI and his influence on the pro-life movement around the world will be greatly missed." Could this really be the end of the illustrious career of the seemingly indefatigable Fr. Euteneuer — he who had led picket lines at abortuaries, held conferences the world over (logging over a million travel miles), written numerous articles, columns (including in the NOR), and books, and appeared in film documentaries and on TV talk shows (including a legendary 2007 face-off with Sean Hannity of Fox News)? It hardly seemed possible. Yet, just like that, Fr. Euteneuer disappeared from the scene altogether. He didn't return phone calls, letters, or e-mails, or respond to requests for interviews. His parish assignment never materialized. Had he gone into seclusion? Or was he simply enjoying the "time of rest and renewal" he said he had been looking forward to, and which he surely deserved after a decade of demanding work? In the absence of reliable information, rumors invariably rush in to fill the void. Sure enough, in the ensuing months, strange stories began to emerge, mostly in the Catholic blogosphere, about possible malfeasance on Fr. Euteneuer's part. What made the rumors particularly troubling was that they alleged that Fr. Euteneuer's misdeeds took place in the context of his exorcism ministry. Fr. Euteneuer is a trained exorcist and had been focusing more and more on this aspect of his priesthood, including writing a book on the subject, Exorcism and the Church Militant (with a Foreword by Fr. John Corapi), published by HLI and released last June. But then, a mere two months later, and not coincidentally it seemed, HLI "ran out" of copies of Fr. Euteneuer's book (copies are extremely hard to come by now, and can cost upwards of $500 online). This further fanned the flames of speculation, and HLI was accused of engaging in a "cover up" of Fr. Euteneuer's alleged crimes — a cardinal sin in today's climate. We hoped that the rumors were just that — mere rumors, speculative and unfounded. Nevertheless, we braced ourselves for the worst. As time went on, the rumors became increasingly bizarre — enough to stir Fr. Euteneuer, his bishop, and HLI into action. On January 31, after a full five months of mystery, Fr. Euteneuer released another statement to the press to, as he put it, "set the record straight so that speculation can stop." In so doing, Fr. Euteneuer confirmed one of the rumors — he admitted to "violating the bounds of chastity with an adult female" who was under his spiritual care. Fr. Euteneuer was quick to add that, although the violation occurred within the context of his exorcism ministry, it was "limited to one person only" and "did not involve the sexual act." He then proceeded to shoot down some of the "malicious falsehoods" circulating around the Internet, including that a possessed woman lives in his parents' house, that he "targeted" vulnerable women seeking spiritual direction, and that he engaged in financial improprieties. Fr. Euteneuer's statement also included a strikingly heartfelt and forthright public confession and apology. It is worth a full read: I take full responsibility for my own poor judgment, my weakness and my sinful conduct that resulted from it. I offer no excuse for my professional or moral failures, nor do I shift the blame to anyone else. I state without reserve that I am deeply sorry for my actions. I have personally apologized, where possible, to anyone I have harmed. I am saddened beyond words for my fall, not only because of the harm done to my priesthood and my family, but also because of the harm done to all others who are affected, to the faith of those who placed so much trust in me and our Church, and to the pro-life movement so populated with heroic, faithful people. I must face and make amends for the disappointment I have caused. I have, of course, asked for God's forgiveness and I have confidence in his boundless mercy. I am now grateful to be able to publicly ask for all of yours as well. The day after Fr. Euteneuer released his statement, HLI came out with its own follow-up statement, clarifying its role in the sad affair. As soon as its board caught wind of the accusations last August, HLI commenced an inquiry, whereupon Fr. Euteneuer "admitted inappropriate conduct. At that time, Bishop Gerald Barbarito recalled Rev. Euteneuer to the Diocese of Palm Beach, and HLI sought and received Rev. Euteneuer's resignation." Interim HLI President Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro-Carámbula indicated in a "Spirit & Life" e-letter (Feb. 4) that, up until the time Fr. Euteneuer released his second statement, the organization was "under the legal constraint not to speak publicly about the matter." In other words, the alleged cover-up was not HLI's fault. HLI moved quickly to verify the accusations, remove Fr. Euteneuer from his post, and receive assurances from his bishop that he is no longer engaged in public ministry. Case closed? Not quite. HLI's follow-up statement contains one troubling element. It reads: "Since the time of Fr. Euteneuer's resignation, the Board subsequently learned of additional allegations in connection with his exorcism ministry." That last is significant because it indicates that the allegations weren't in connection to his prolife work, allowing HLI to distance itself from this scandal. These new allegations, HLI says, have been submitted to the "proper ecclesiastical authorities." Is there more to this sordid story yet to be revealed? At some point in the midst of the turmoil, Bishop Barbarito distributed an internal memo to the priests of his diocese informing them of Fr. Euteneuer's situation. The prolife website LifeSiteNews.com got hold of the memo and, with Bishop Barbarito's permission, posted it online. While the memo doesn't allude to any further allegations, it does state that Fr. Euteneuer is "undergoing intensive evaluation and counseling" and that "immediate action was taken to deal with this matter and to restrict his ministry as soon as it was brought to the attention of the Diocese." Furthermore, Fr. Euteneuer has "cooperated in the process" and has "expressed contrition for his conduct and the harm it has caused." This is where things stand as of this writing. Some of you are probably wondering why we bothered to dredge up all this dirt. Fair question. We did so because Fr. Euteneuer was a friend of the NOR — from December 2009 to June 2010 he wrote a column series for us on the topics of exorcism and spiritual warfare. Many people therefore figured that we had some special insight into his disappearance. We did not. We have received numerous inquiries over the past several months about his status, which we have been unable to answer. Given our connection to Fr. Euteneuer, we felt obligated by the spirit of transparency and openness to try to answer those inquiries to the best of our ability, no matter how distasteful or dispiriting the task might become. Furthermore, we too admired Fr. Euteneuer's tremendous prolife work — his verve, his articulateness, his take-no-prisoners attitude — and we were excited about the opportunity to present his insights into the Rite of Exorcism and spiritual warfare, two sorely neglected aspects of Church life. We were as taken aback by Fr. Euteneuer's hasty exit as was everyone else, and we were as crestfallen to learn of his violations of his priestly vows. But just because he was doctrinally orthodox, outspokenly so, doesn't mean we can minimize or dismiss his moral failures, especially when those moral failures publicly compromise his priestly ministry and prolife work. The same standards that apply to sexual predators like Fr. Marcial Maciel and Deal Hudson apply to "our guys" too. This is the demand of justice. What lessons can we learn from all this? Of foremost importance is that we should put our faith in only one person: Jesus Christ. Eventually, all human "heroes" will find a way to disappoint us. Why? Because we all fall short of the perfection of the Son of God. Yes, as the tired cliché goes, we are all human. Our humanity is tied up with our sinfulness, and we are all sinners, to one degree or another. The majority of us wrestle with sin and salvation in relative anonymity, for which we should be grateful. But when a man enters the public forum to pontificate on matters of personal or political morality, he sacrifices his private life. Fair or not, his every move is scrutinized for cracks in a potential façade, for any hint of hypocrisy. When that man is a Catholic (especially when he is a Catholic priest), he's subject to the greatest scrutiny possible. The American public loves a good scandal; they take a certain sick pleasure in seeing idols toppled and angels crash to the earth. Sadly, there's been no shortage of fallen Catholic idols in our time. This is not to say that there are no righteous men among us. Certainly there are. But none of us can see into another man's heart, and few of us are privy to what goes on behind closed doors — until the whistleblowers or investigative reporters sound the alarms. That is why we must maintain an emotional distance even from those who appear to us to be blessed with an aura of holiness. Often, God's holy ones are known only to Him. The rest the Church declares saints and blesseds. Another point to remember involves the conduct of an exorcism. Canon law mandates that the office of exorcist be granted only to priests endowed with "piety, knowledge, prudence and integrity of life." Fr. Euteneuer failed in at least three of those categories when, as he admitted, "one particularly complex situation clouded my judgment and led me to imprudent decisions with harmful consequences." Moreover, in one of his Líbera Nos a Malo columns in the NOR, Fr. Euteneuer himself wrote, "I would only add to canon law's short list certain other necessary virtues for the aspiring exorcist: humility, unflagging moral courage, and hardheaded common sense" ("The Spiritual Toll of Pervasive Occultism," Mar. 2010). It has been said that priests who battle demons are subject to greater demonic assaults than others. This can include temptations, suggestions, confusions — demonic forces have a whole host of weapons at their disposal and won't hesitate to use them. That is why the four qualities called for by canon law, and the additional three added by Fr. Euteneuer, are essential to the success of priests who confront evil directly in the context of an exorcism. So let us pray for the healing of all involved: for Fr. Euteneuer, that his contrition be perfect and that he avail himself of God's abundant mercy; for his victim, that she finds the peace that only Christ can give; for Fr. Euteneuer's many admirers, that they won't succumb to depression or despair; for Human Life International, that it recovers swiftly from this scandal and once again asserts itself as one of the most vital forces in the prolife movement; and finally for the Church at large, that, despite the sinfulness of her leaders and members, she continues to be a guiding light to the fallen world, leading men to Christ, who promises salvation to those who believe in Him.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.