Priests' letter decries bishop's "bullying" behavior

By Mary Wozniak
News-Press
June 17, 2014

http://www.news-press.com/story/news/2014/06/17/priests-letter-decries-bishops-bullying-behavior/10651117/

A scathing letter sent by 10 priests in the Diocese of Venice to Pope Francis' United States representative criticizes their bishop, Frank Dewane, for a host of accusations that include bullying behavior and the secret acquisition of properties.

The letter is causing ripples of concern among across the Southwest Florida Catholics. The diocese covers 10 counties, including Lee and Collier. The diocese has 60 parishes and serves about 250,000 Catholics.

Addressed to Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, who is the papal nuncio, or the Holy See's representative in Washington, the letter says that priests are demoralized and fearful of reprisal if their names are revealed to the public.

"Aware of many letters of concern which have been sent to both the Apostolic Nunciature and the Congregation for Bishops in Rome, we come before you now as a united group to say our situation worsens with time and has become intolerable," the group wrote. The nuncio's office did not reveal names.

The letter, dated Jan. 17, talks about the believed breach of canon law, including dismissal of a council that investigates and resolves issues related to pastoral works in the diocese. It describes a management style of "absolute authoritarianism," featuring "outbursts of rage, use of blasphemous language, despotic demands based not on reason or logic."

"I think that these priests are extremely courageous for doing this," said John Hancock, of Naples, a member of lay Catholic group Voice of the Faithful of Southwest Florida. "I know how much is at stake. Their pensions, everything depends on the bishop."

A woman who answered the phone Monday at the papal nuncio's office said the office was not commenting to the media about the letter.

A statement issued in response May 27 by diocese spokesman Bob Reddy said the bishop never saw the letter until it was published in the media, and its allegations are false.

"This is a clear attempt to maliciously and publicly damage the reputation of Bishop Dewane and the Diocese of Venice," the statement says. "With the general nature of the unfounded complaints in the letter that was released, one has to wonder who is being bullied by whom?"

Reddy declined a request for an interview with Dewane on Monday, saying that diocese statements covered the issues.

Ernie Skinner, chairman of the Finance Council of the Diocese of Venice, wrote a letter published June 6 in The News-Press defending the bishop. He wrote that financial reports are reviewed quarterly, the diocese expenses levels are within budget, real estate activity is reviewed at every meeting, and the diocese is audited annually.

"At no time was there any hint of cover up or misrepresentation of information," he wrote.

The bishop has had a rocky relationship with some of his flock since he assumed power in 2007.

Ellen McNally, head of the Southwest Florida chapter of Call to Action, a liberal Catholic group, said her interactions with clergy show "the priests are pretty much divided," she said. There are those who find the bishop difficult to work with because of his structured and old-school management style, and there are those who are giving him a lot of sympathy, she said.

Known as a conservative leader and disciplinarian, Dewane has presided over at least two controversies since 2010 that were reported in the media. One involved the Rev. Stan Strycharz, a priest at St. Leo's, who was defrocked in October 2012 over charges he mismanaged his duties at the parish, fathered a child and disobeyed the bishop.

The other was the firing of Bishop Verot High School teacher Chris Wilson in May 2011. Wilson, a lay teacher, filed a lawsuit, claiming he was fired for blowing the whistle on a diocesan priest who asked sexual questions of students during confession. Wilson lost the lawsuit when judges agreed with the diocese that his duties were considered ministerial, so discrimination laws did not apply.

The bishop's statement noted that Dewane continues to be open to speaking to any priests in the diocese about what concerns them, and regularly visits parishes and schools in the diocese.

The priests invoked Pope Francis in summarizing their complaints. "Your Excellency, we have lost confidence in Bishop Dewane whose behavior is the opposite of what Pope Francis urges his priests and bishops to be" the letter states.

The papal nuncio addressed the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in November and delivered a message from Pope Francis, according to a Nov. 12 story in the National Catholic Register.

"The Holy Father wants bishops in tune with their people. When, this past June, I met with him in his simple apartment at the Casa Santa Marta for a fruitful discussion, he made a special point of saying that he wants 'pastoral' bishops, not bishops who profess or follow a particular ideology," the story says.