RC Archbishop Resigns before Deposition of Former Pedophile Priest Now in Tec
By David W. Virtue
The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dubuque, Iowa Jerome Hanus has announced he is resigning "for health reasons" just two weeks prior to his scheduled deposition of a former pedophile priest who was later accepted into the Episcopal Church. Hanus is the first archbishop to resign under Pope Francis. Archbishop Hanus will move back to Conception Abbey. The new pope is said to be house cleaning following a worldwide scandal involving the actions of scores of epipedophile priests and allegations that there is a cabal of homosexual cardinals operating within the Vatican. Zero tolerance is the mantra of the new pope. [] In a November 7, 2011, Parry admitted, "During the camp, I had inappropriate sexual contact in my living quarters with... a member of the Abbey Boy Choir. I have since recognized that I may have acted inappropriately with at least one other member of the Abbey Boy Choir."
In 2000, Parry, then a non-functioning Roman Catholic priest, joined the staff of All Saints Episcopal Church as music director. Episcopal Church records show that on Oct. 15, 2004, he converted and was received into The Episcopal Church. In 2002, after noticing that All Saints could use more clergy, Parry offered to become an Episcopal priest there At the time, Episcopal Bishop of Nevada, Katharine Jefferts Schori knew about Parry's "proclivity to reoffend with minors". Officials in the local Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Vegas had made this information available to her. As a part of the conversion process, Parry told Jefferts Schori of his sexual misbehavior as a Roman Catholic monk/priest and that he was dismissed from his Abbey because of it. He did not tell her of the five or six earlier offenses
In 2002-03 at some point in the reception process, Abbot Polan of Conception Abbey spoke to Bishop Jefferts Schori about Parry's background. Poland says he told her of Parry's repeated offenses, that he sent her the 2000 psychological results about Parry, and that they discussed his proclivity to reoffend. Even with this information in hand -- that this soon-to-be Episcopal priest, could very easily "reoffend with minors" -- Jefferts Schori recognized his Roman Catholic ordination to the priesthood and gave him faculties (diocesan authority) to fully function as an Episcopal priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada. Parry eventually ended up as an assisting priest at All Saints Episcopal Church in Las Vegas. He left that position in June 2011 when the Kansas City Star ran a story about his sexually abusive past as a Roman Catholic monk/priest at Conception Benedictine Abby in northwest Missouri where he was the boys' choir director. The story also revealed the fact that a law suit had been filed by a former Abby student outlining Parry's abuse with him and other students along with the Abbey's cover up of these abusive events. All Saints has an attached All Saints' Day School, which is a State of Nevada licensed Kindergarten and preschool. It also has an extended hours childcare that is caring for and teaching 60 children aged 2 through Kindergarten. Parry would, in all likelihood, have been involved with these young children, through the Day School's music, dance and drama programs, as well as with any children or youth involved in music on the parish level. The current Bishop of Nevada, Dan Edwards claims that Parry had no contact with children or youth during the 10 years he was employed at All Saints. However, there are lots of times when parish children get involved with special church music such as during Christmas and Easter and when the bishop comes to visit. Children also interact with the priest as acolytes, torchbearers, and gift bearers during the Service of Holy Communion. And many times the parish priests will visit the various Sunday School classes to help with catechesis or the teaching of the faith and with preparation for Confirmation. Episcopal priests, like their Roman Catholic counterparts, also hear confessions that are a private one-on-one encounter. Online The Episcopal Church still lists Bede James McKinley Parry as being canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada and living at: 5733 Capitola Avenue in Las Vegas. "...information [is] not provided for clergy's principal position(s) or parish(es)." The Episcopal Church Publishing website still shows that Bede Parry was received from the Roman Catholic Church into The Episcopal Church by Katharine Jefferts Schori on Oct. 15, 2004. [] [] [] So the question is: why does an Archbishop resign in the wake of a sex scandal while Jefferts Schori takes a walk with no accountability? Will the Episcopal House of Bishops have the courage to act and take this matter up and apply the necessary disciplinary canons to force her out? We shall see.
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