Dismissed Bend priest files complaint against Diocese of Baker

By Scott Hammers
Bend Bulletin
October 16, 2014

http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/2499263-151/dismissed-bend-priest-files-complaint-against-diocese-of?entryType=0

James Radloff

A Catholic priest who was dismissed from his position in Bend last year has filed a complaint with the state Bureau of Labor and Industries.

Father James Radloff headed the Bend-based St. Francis of Assisi parish for nearly two years before he was dismissed last October by Liam Cary, bishop of the Diocese of Baker.

Radloff and the diocese have said little about the events leading up to Radloff’s dismissal, alluding to an unspecified dispute between the former priest and Cary.

The complaint, filed with the Labor Bureau on Sept. 30, states the disagreement between Cary and Radloff can be traced to an incident prior to Easter 2013, when Cary allegedly conducted an approximately hour-long confession with a teenage boy. “When the boy emerged, he appeared shaken, upset and distraught,” the complaint states, and according to Rad­loff, the boy’s parents reported the incident to Radloff.

Radloff reported the incident to Cary, the complaint states, and asked that Cary refrain from taking confessions from children until it could be investigated. The complaint alleges Cary told Radloff he had “crossed a line” by reporting the incident, and launched a campaign to damage Radloff’s reputation and ultimately remove him from his post.

The complaint details 29 allegations of mistreatment by Cary and the diocese, with Radloff claiming he was evicted from parish housing on four days’ notice and forbidden from traveling within the diocese, which covers nearly two-thirds of Oregon.

Radloff was barred from performing the duties of a priest at his mother’s home parish in Chicago, the complaint states, and parishioners in Bend were given false and misleading information about his dismissal, “creating the misconception that I was a ‘pedophile priest.’”

A prospective employer who contacted Cary’s office seeking a reference was told, according to the complaint, “when Bishop Cary gets through with Father Radloff, he won’t be allowed to perform Ash Wednesday mass at a mini-mart.”

Bill Buchanan, a Bend attorney representing Radloff, said given the conditions placed on him by Cary and the Diocese of Baker, Radloff was effectively no longer “a priest in good standing” once he was dismissed.

“When a priest in good standing is prevented from functioning as a priest, all you have left is a vow of poverty, a vow of celibacy and a vow of obedience,” he said.

Representatives of the Diocese of Baker declined to comment on the complaint.

Following six months spent in Chicago while unsuccessfully attempting to appeal his dismissal to the Vatican, Radloff left the Roman Catholic Church and returned to Bend to open a new church associated with the Evangelical Catholic Church.

Charlie Burr, spokesman for the Bureau of Labor and Industries, said agency investigators have up to a year to complete their investigation of the allegations, though investigations typically take four to six months.

Employees working for a religious order such as the Diocese of Baker are still protected from mistreatment at the hands of their employer, Burr said, although religiously based employers do enjoy some exemptions, particularly in cases where the faith of the affected employee is central to their work duties.

Burr said if investigators find substantial evidence to support Radloff’s allegations, the agency will attempt to work out a settlement between Radloff, Cary and the diocese.

If an agreement cannot be reached, the Labor Bureau’s administrative prosecution unit could pursue formal charges, Burr said, at which time both sides would be brought before an administrative law judge to argue their case.

Should the judge rule in favor of Radloff in that situation, the bureau could issue financial penalties, Burr said, although Cary and the diocese would be allowed to challenge the order before the Oregon Court of Appeals.