http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:MCKPK2tV2kkJ:www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vpsch143582626dec14,0,4830042.story%3Fcoll%3Dny-opinion-archive+site:www.newsday.com+murphy+priests&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

About two years ago as the storm known as the Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandal was breaking, some saw in this tragedy - in spite of the pain inflicted on so many victims - the work of the Holy Spirit. Maybe through the voices of the wounded, the Spirit had been cleaning the stable.

But it soon became clear that the crisis had been caused not merely by weak priests but by a clerical culture that disposed the leadership to minimize or cover up the sexual misbehavior. The two best books on the subject, Peter Steinfels' "A People Adrift" and David Gibson's "The Coming Catholic Church," analyze this period as a crisis in leadership and point to a future when the torch will pass from the clergy to lay men and women.

The Diocese of Rockville Centre, with its 1.5 million members, 134 parishes and embattled new bishop, stands out in all this mess for two reasons.

First, Bishop William Francis Murphy came to Long Island carrying particularly heavy baggage. He was appointed by the Vatican under the influence of Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law and is among several of Law's auxiliaries, compromised by their administrative roles in the nation's worst sex-abuse cases, to have been promoted by Pope John Paul II.

Second, the people of the diocese seem to love their priests; but, as their Oct. 1 letter calling for a meeting between the bishop and all 400 priests testifies, the priests feel alienated from their bishop. On Jan. 19 Murphy and the priests will meet. How well they listen to one another may well determine the future of the diocese and send messages to the rest of the American church, where such tensions must be bubbling beneath the surface in many places.

The Rev. Donald Cozzens, professor at John Carroll University and author of "The Changing Face of the Priesthood," says the Rockville Centre uprising is "not unprecedented but certainly extraordinary." Priests, he says, find it difficult to talk honestly to their bishops; they feel trapped in the feudal system, where the bishop was "m'lord" (Monseigneur) and priests were treated like lackeys. A local priest echoed the theme: The bishop is afflicted with the "Roman virus," by which "the bishop is the adult and we are children."

On Long Island, Murphy's past association with Cardinal Law very likely is exacerbating the tension. Especially on the North Shore, parishioners are very aware of Murphy's past and it is a frequent topic of conversation and concern. Some wonder whether this reputation may have led Murphy even to overreact in disciplining his own clergy.

That people, priests and bishops fight among themselves is not unusual in American Catholic history. In the 1830s, laymen, through a system called trusteeism, often controlled the daily operations of the church, including building the church and hiring and firing the pastor. The early 19th-century church was more democratic in some ways than the church today. The reforms of Vatican II and the revised Code of Canon Law - with parish councils, finance boards and priests' councils - created the tools of, if not democracy, broader participation.

But how well these boards work depends on the openness and skills of every bishop and pastor.

A priest outside Chicago with a conservative bishop tells me that his diocese has worked well since the pedophilia scandal became public because the bishop developed a strong policy on sexual abuse in 1987, set up lay advisory boards and takes their advice. In Chicago, Francis Cardinal George has "stepped back from things" a bit, has become less the "father corrector" type, and allows more freedom in pastoral decisions.

On the other hand, we know that the opposition of Boston priests to Cardinal Law's handling of the crisis certainly contributed to his resignation. In August, in Milwaukee, 163 out of 442 priests signed a proposal to admit married men to the priesthood.

But so far, no bishop other than Murphy has faced a petition from priests questioning his own authority.

In this case, more than 50 priests signed a letter expressing "sadness and a sense of desperation" about the bishop's leadership.

The big question for the January confrontation is: Can a man repeatedly described as aloof, arrogant and a CEO suddenly learn to listen?

According to Cozzens, bishops find true listening very hard because they have been conditioned to consider "listening" as giving an answer to subordinates who bring them questions. But true listening requires a willingness to be transformed by the words of an equal person, in religious terms seeing them as an equal channel for the Spirit.

An example: Bishop Murphy, to show that he listens, has called for a diocesan synod in 2007 and has instituted "listening sessions" in which parishioners speak and write agenda items to be formally addressed at the meeting in four years. On the Rockville Centre diocesan Web site he has posted his answer to their questions. He goes on for many thousand words telling the readers how much he cares, shares their pain, etc., and enumerates his accomplishments. He respects the Voice of the Faithful, he says, but cannot allow the advocates for lay power to meet on church property because they call for changes in "church structures," and he doesn't know what they mean.

The issue for Voice of the Faithful, however, is not doctrine but governance - issues such as how Murphy and others like him got selected as bishops, how priests are trained, how parishes are organized. In one word: accountability. Is the bishop accountable to his people - or only to Rome?

What will happen at the meeting? I foresee three possibilities.

Status quo. They will talk for an afternoon. Murphy will say he has heard his priests - and mean it. But he will tell himself that his primary loyalty to Rome prevents him from doing what they request.

The New York Times scenario. Last spring many writers at The New York Times rebelled against their executive editor, Howell Raines, because of his alleged favoritism toward a reporter who plagiarized and disgraced the paper. He called a big meeting, with the publisher present, to hear them out, and promised to reform. The publisher supported him. Within a few days Raines was gone.

The New Testament miracle. The Gospels, particularly Luke, are filled with Jesus' parables about servants who are not doing their jobs. They are out for themselves, work deals, dominate other servants, go to bed early. They like titles, status. Scholarship has shown that those Gospel stories are really aimed at the priests and leaders of the early Christian communities. Jesus foresaw how status would corrupt church leadership; so, the night before he died, he got down on the floor and washed his disciples' feet.

Today these slacking servants like to be called "Eminence" and wear ceremonial pointed hats and pink slippers, and carry golden staffs. They even allow subordinates to kiss their rings. We might expect this during a papacy where the Vatican has preferred to name as bishops not men known mainly for imagination, intellect and pastoral skill, but rather men of the narrowest doctrinal orthodoxy: unquestioning commitment on the issues of contraception, celibacy and the ordination of women.

A remarkable aspect of the Rockville Centre priests' protest letter is that it contains no demands, no manifesto. They eliminated a sentence supporting the Voice of the Faithful, specifically to defuse the agenda. This may make Bishop Murphy's job easier, though the spotlight will be bright, with the lay National Review Board reports on the pedophilia scandal due a few weeks after the Rockville Centre meeting. Those reports inevitably will open wounds.

Somehow, to win the confidence of - and therefore to lead - his priests and people, Murphy, indeed every bishop, has to learn that the Spirit is speaking to him directly through his brother priests and his lay brothers and sisters throughout the diocese. This idea is no more radical than Christianity itself.

What's a Bishop to Do?

Excerpts from the documents of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, 1965:

As those who lead others to perfection, bishops should be diligent in fostering holiness among their clerics, religious and laity according to the special vocation of each. They should also be mindful of their obligation to give an example of holiness through charity, humility and simplicity of life. . . . A bishop should always welcome priests with a special love since they assume in part the bishop's duties and cares and carry the weight of them day by day so zealously. He should regard his priests as sons and friends. Thus by his readiness to listen to them and by his trusting familiarity, a bishop can work to promote the whole pastoral work of the entire diocese. . . . The relationships between the bishop and his diocesan priests should rest above all upon the bonds of supernatural charity so that the harmony of the will of the priests with that of their bishop will render their pastoral activity more fruitful. Hence, for the sake of greater service to souls, let the bishop engage in discussion with his priests, even collectively, especially about pastoral matters. This he should do not only occasionally but, as far as possible, at fixed intervals.

Raymond A. Schroth, S.J., is professor of humanities at St. Peter's College in Jersey City, author of "Fordham: A History and Memoir" and a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter.



Murphy Should Respond to Priests' Concerns

By Dick Ryan
Newsday
January 13, 2004

http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-vprya133623800jan13,0,1216375.story?coll=ny-opinion-archive

Next Monday may be one of the most historic days in the life of the Catholic Church on Long Island. Or one of the most bitter.

When 52 Long Island priests (several of them pastors and monsignors) signed their names to an Oct. 1 letter to Bishop William Murphy requesting a meeting, they hardly minced their words. "We perceive a fairly widespread dissatisfaction with the way you have related to some clergy and laity," the letter began, "and we sense a certain lack of confidence in your pastoral leadership in the Diocese of Rockville Centre." Strong words from a group of men who in the last few years have been almost mute.

The purpose of the private meeting at St. John the Baptist High School in West Islip is to cover such issues as communication and the need for "a Christian atmosphere" in the diocese and also to discuss "a general malaise and even an abiding anger within our beloved diocese."

Fortunately, the bishop agreed to the meeting and did not take his cue from Cardinal Edward Egan in New York, who recently dismissed a similar letter from 74 priests in the Archdiocese. But if Bishop Murphy is keeping score, he will take serious note of still another flood of letters from almost a thousand priests from all across the country urging the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to begin a serious national dialogue on the critical need to ordain married men to the priesthood.

The natives are restless, and suddenly there is a sweeping national convulsion within the Catholic Church as countless priests are suddenly standing up to shout "enough!"

So Murphy can no longer afford to smile benignly, say something pious and continue to patronize his priests and his people. If the tone of the letter is any indication, those days are over and the meeting Monday will be as critical for him as it will be for the priests and people who will be watching.

"The sadness and sense of desperation that we experience as so prevalent in our diocese," concludes the letter, "impels us to find a way to be true witnesses to the joy of the Gospel of Jesus." Those words were not written by Newsday's Jimmy Breslin or the parents of children abused by priests or by Voice of the Faithful. They were written by dozens of solid, holy priests who have been scalded by all the decadence and deceit of the last several years in their church but who have committed their lives to a calling that is bolted down on all the old gospel ideals of truth, holiness, commitment and conscience.

"There is no place at the crib for self-centeredness and self-righteousness," Murphy's Christmas message scolded. "There is no place for the suspicion and vindictiveness that Catholics have been showing to one another ... no place for the incivility that has infected life here on Long Island."

If Murphy really wants to come across at next week's meeting as someone who is neither self-centered nor self-righteous, he will, as a starter, fling open the doors, once and for all, to Voice of the Faithful, a group of mostly older, deeply devout men and women who shame some of the hierarchy with their courage, their honesty and their passionate concern for children everywhere.

And, if he really wants to be hailed as a man devoid of all suspicion and vindictiveness toward those who questioned his policies during the sex-abuse scandal and his failed accountability after the scandal, then he should respond openly, completely and immediately to every issue raised by every priest at that meeting instead of postponing or, like Egan, ignoring them.

It remains to be seen if he will trade in an old mind-set that is I-am-the-bishop inflexible for one that is pastoral, compassionate and truly that of a caring shepherd. The bishop will make a serious blunder if he approaches the meeting with that same stubborn arrogance that has been the mantra of too many bishops throughout the abuse scandal. He can finally turn the page with that same spirit of healing, reconciliation and redemption that first soared across the universe from that tiny crib in Bethlehem so central to his Christmas message. It's his choice. It's his signature, for better or worse, for the future of the diocese.

It will be a critically momentous meeting for the priests and Catholics everywhere who have grown so tall in so many ways despite all the chaos of the last several years. And it will be an eloquently revealing moment for those looking in from the outside from as far away as the Vatican.

Dick Ryan of West Islip is a columnist for The American Catholic.

A Push for Peace
LI priests, bishop to hold rare forum

By Rita Ciolli
Newsday
January 18, 2004

http://www.newsday.com/mynews/ny-libish183630997jan18,0,3140902.story

In an effort to end the divisiveness that has shaken the Catholic Church on Long Island, Bishop William Murphy will take the extraordinary step of standing before his priests tomorrow to listen to their worries about a diocese they have described as angry and beset with malaise.

"I hope all priests will come to the meeting and feel empowered to speak the truth, as they know it, in a spirit of charity," said the Rev. William Brisotti, pastor of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch. He is one of the 52 priests who signed a letter to Murphy telling of the "distressing" sense of alienation in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Even before the letter was sent, Murphy agreed to an unprecedented open forum discussion. Tomorrow's private meeting, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at St. John the Baptist, a diocesan high school in West Islip, will begin with prayers and opening remarks by Murphy. Afterward, the priests will break into smaller groups to discuss their concerns, such as Murphy's leadership style, his relations with priests who disagree with him and his handling of priests accused of abuse, as well as those who feel the problems in the diocese have been blown out of proportion.

In regards to the laity, one of the more contentious issues will be his refusal to let Voice of the Faithful, a group seeking changes in church management, to meet on parish property.

The Rev. George Watson, a Jesuit who specializes in mediation services, will present the questions that the groups develop. Murphy will respond. Priests can also question Murphy directly. Organizers are expecting a turnout of up to 150 priests out of about 400 in the diocese.

While Murphy quickly embraced the proposal for a meeting and has often expressed his desire to strengthen bonds with his priests, he declined to comment before the meeting.

However, Msgr. James McNamara said there are more than two sides to the discussion and that priests need to listen to each other as well. "Some supporters of Bishop Murphy will say that he is trying to do a good job and don't want to lay all the problems at his doorstep," said McNamara, pastor of Church of the Holy Cross in Nesconset.

McNamara, who is highly regarded in the diocese, was asked by Murphy to negotiate the details of the meeting with the four priests on the organizing committee, putting him in what he said is an awkward position.

McNamara described the bishop as "open and honest" during the planning process.

McNamara said he hopes as many priests as possible attend, even those who may have declined to sign the letter because they did not like its tone or didn't feel a meeting was necessary. "All voices need to be heard," he said.

Meanwhile, in recognition of how important the meeting is for the life of the diocese, church doors at some parishes will be open tomorrow to allow Catholics to pray for their bishop and clergy. One of the largest gatherings is expected to be at St. Hugh of Lincoln in Huntington Station, a parish struggling with the legacy of several abusive priests. There is a prayer vigil there tonight at 7 and tomorrow during the hours of the meeting. The Eucharist will be on special display.

"This meeting is an opportunity for hope, healing and communion," reads a flier distributed at the church asking for prayers for the bishop and his priests.

For Murphy, the stakes are high. Financial contributions are down and fallout from the abuse scandal has sidetracked him from enacting his own agenda in the diocese.

"This is a crisis of great proportion for his own career," said Stephen Pope, an associate professor of theology at Boston College. Pope said top church officials would be watching to see whether Murphy, who was installed as head of the Rockville Centre Diocese in September 2001, can be an effective leader, a key requirement to moving up the ranks in the church.

"Any disagreement, let alone public protest by priests, is quite startling from a Catholic perspective. It is only done when there is a lot of thought behind it because there is a lot at stake," Pope said.

After the Long Island priests acted in late November, a similar letter was sent by 74 priests in the Archdiocese of New York to Cardinal Edward Egan, saying that morale among priests there was "at an all-time low." A spokesman for Egan said that petition was never formally delivered and that the cardinal would not hold such a meeting because such discussions could take place during frequently scheduled priest councils.

One Long Island priest who asked not to be identified likened the encounter between Murphy and the priests to a marriage-counseling session. There has been an acknowledgment that the relationship is in trouble and now the parties are starting to talk about it, he said.

Murphy needs to restore the collegiality and trust among many of his priests, some of the most influential lay leaders say, and, in turn, win over the confidence of an educated and affluent laity that made Rockville Centre one of the richest dioceses in the nation.

"The local priest is supposed to represent the bishop in the local congregation. That is pretty difficult to do if I am not in one accord or mind with my bishop," said the Rev. Michael Sullivan, a canon lawyer in Minneapolis and a board member of Justice For Priests and Deacons, a San Diego-based support organization for priests.

One of the key issues being discussed in an auditorium in West Islip is also boiling over in New York and other dioceses. Bishops everywhere are under intense public pressure to rid the church of priests who have abused minors. However, this zero-tolerance policy, as well as what some priests see as the shunning and poor treatment of colleagues, has frayed the bishop-priest relationship.

"There is a real concern that the bishops, in trying to meet the crisis of the sexual abuse problem, have really jeopardized the rights of their priests," said the Rev. Robert J. Silva, president of the National Federation of Priests' Councils, which represents more than 27,000 priests in two-thirds of the nation's dioceses.

Silva said it is going "to take this kind of dialogue to heal this breach" in many dioceses, adding that while the results of other priest-bishop encounters have been positive, "the priests need to be open to some of the difficult things the bishop might say to them."

While some of the fallout from the abuse scandal is nationwide, some of the problems here are particular to Murphy. "We perceive a fairly widespread dissatisfaction with the way you have related to some clergy and laity and we sense a certain lack of confidence in your pastoral leadership," the priests wrote Murphy in their letter.

In a February statement, Murphy acknowledged that he has yet to gain broad respect because he came from Boston and has been tainted by his association with instances of priests abusing minors and the systemic cover-up that took place there.

His swift ban on the Voice of the Faithful in the summer of 2002, after the nascent grassroots group met once in a church basement, probably accelerated the group's growth to 1,600 members and cemented their role as dogged antagonists, critics say. Despite meeting with the group's leaders and priests who have pleaded their case, Murphy maintains that he is unsure of what the group wants to change in the church.

"The ban is one of the most obvious examples of how he conducts himself," said Dan Bartley, co-director of the Long Island chapter. "The diocese needs a pastoral, collaborative leader, not a CEO."

Other priests observed that Murphy's years of service at the Vatican and in the huge, very traditional Archdiocese of Boston instilled a management approach and lifestyle that causes friction here, a more relaxed suburban diocese where the clergy and faithful are used to a leader who came up through the local ranks.

For many, priests said, the disconnect with their leader is symbolized by Murphy's decision to spend more than $1.1 million to renovate the top floor of a former convent in Rockville Centre for his residence, displacing a handful of elderly nuns. Some are expected to suggest tomorrow that Murphy move from his new residence as a first demonstration that he understands the resentment of the laity.

"He is new and comes with the struggles of Boston. Most bishops grow into their jobs ...," said Pope, who added that there are bishops who are more difficult for their priests to deal with than Murphy. "This doesn't have to be a situation of permanent alienation between a bishop and his priests."

Murphy and the committee of priests that circulated the letter are expected to make a statement tomorrow after the meeting about what transpired. However, no one is expecting concrete results soon. "I would hope that the first meetings are for purposes of communication and dialogue and not for resolution. Resolution is just too quick," said Sullivan, the church lawyer from Minnesota.

McNamara said there must be time for everyone present to absorb what happened. "There will be follow-up," he said.

However, much has already been accomplished, said Silva, head of the priest federation. "The Rockville Centre meeting alone is a real accomplishment because the priests had the courage to ask and the bishop had the courage to say yes."



Bishop Confronts Priests' Unrest

By Rita Ciolli
Newsday
January 19, 2004

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-libishop0120,0,523570,print.story?coll=ny-linews-headlines

In an extraordinary exchange with his priests Monday, Bishop William Murphy acknowledged that he made some mistakes in the first two years as leader of Long Island Catholics, but he defended his decision to spend more than $1.1 million renovating his residence and gave no indication on whether he would lift his ban on Voice of the Faithful meeting on church property.

"I am very pleased to come here and state that this has been a good day for all of us. I felt very, very pleased to have the large number of priests present. We had an open discussion that I found to be very helpful," Murphy said in a short statement at a news conference afterward.

The bishop expressed hope that the discussion "will help us to serve the people of God in Rockville Centre, and across Long Island, in a much more fruitful and committed way. We're committed as priests to serve our people, and we do that together." Murphy and the more than 190 diocesan priests appeared tired after the five-hour program when they left St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School in West Islip. The bishop took no questions.

While respectful and deferential, most of the priests who spoke at the meeting were critical, while a handful praised him, according to priests who attended the meeting.

The organizers of the meeting stressed that the extraordinary dialogue on topics ranging from his choice of residence to his handling of the sex abuse scandal was a start to correcting the rocky relationship the bishop has with a good number of his priests.

"It is going to be a long process," said Msgr. Peter Pflomm, one of the members of the priests' steering commitee. However, he was optimistic some healing would come about. "We are the church," he said, "the Lord is very much part of our conversation."

Pflomm said a large number of issues arose and everyone needed time to process the information. Organizers said they would gather in a few weeks with Murphy and the Rev. George Watson, the Jesuit priest who served as an outside facilitator, to decide how to proceed. However, Pflomm said, "there was no decison on Voice of the Faithful."

The grassroots group was banned from meeting on church property by Murphy in the summer of 2002 and has called for his resignation.

"We are very pleased that the priests of our dioceses expressed such strong support for Long Island Voice of the Faithful," said Dan Bartley, co-director of the Long Island chapter of the national lay group that sprang up in response to the church's sex-abuse crisis. "Healing can begin if Bishop Murphy heeds their advice and embraces the spirit of collaboration we have been hoping for."

Another issue that dominated the discussion was concern whether fellow priests accused of sexually abusing minors were being given all the rights and protections they were entitled to under the church's canon laws. Murphy updated priests about what is going on at the Vatican regarding priests suspended and accused of abusing minors.

Saying progress was made, Msgr. James McNamara, who represented Murphy in the organizing of the meeting, said there was "further bonding between the bishop and his priests." McNamara said the priests "were pleased with the honesty and humility with which he spoke. I think what did happen today is a further bonding between the bishop and his priests."

As he left the meeting, the Rev. James Daly, a retired auxiliary bishop, said, "It was a great experience for all us priests and bishops." Daly said attendees were "more or less" asked to keep the matters discussed confidential. Priests said that when they asked several times during the meeting if they could talk to the reporters waiting outside, they were told they could say it was a good meeting and speak of their own impressions but not disclose any confidential details.

Several priests, speaking anonymously afterward, praised Murphy's opening remarks in which he acknowledged some of the criticism about his personnel style, admitting that he could be vain at time and that he often made decisions without consulting other top leaders in the diocese.

After Murphy's 30-minute opening remarks, the priests broke into groups by geographical location of their parishes. Each table then listed its concerns, and someone read them to the assembly. Later, about a dozen priests took advantage of "open mike" time to address the bishop and their fellow priests.

Murphy readily agreed to the meeting in November after he learned a petition was circulating among the more than 400 priests in the diocese. While most priests praised Murphy's honesty Monday, some said they were disappointed he said very little in response to the questions and concerns presented to him.

Others speaking in support of the bishop criticized the meeting and said priests should be loyal to Murphy.

More than a dozen priests spoke in favor of Voice of the Faithful, saying the diocese could not move foward until the group's status is resolved. Other priests told Murphy the ban and his decision to reject the bishop's suite in the St. Agnes Cathedral rectory in favor of a costly renovation of the top floor of a former convent would continue to be lightning rods.

Signaling their determination to have a strong and independent role in the diocese, priests dropped "donation envelopes" into a plastic bucket to pay for their box lunch of a hero sandwich, green salad and cookie, as well as stipend for the facilitator and a donation to the school.

Bishop William F. Murphy at a news conference after yesterday's meeting with priests. Photo by Kirk Condyles for The New York Times

The bishop and organizers of the meeting, which was closed to outsiders and the news media, declined to discuss specific issues or say what if any changes were agreed on. After brief remarks at a news conference after the meeting, the bishop left without taking questions. Two priests who had attended the meeting answered a few questions.

"We need a great deal of time to process" the discussion, said Msgr. Peter Pflomm, of Seaford, but he added, "I myself leave feeling very hope-filled."

Msgr. James McNamara, who is friendly with the bishop, praised his "honesty and humility." He called the exchange "a frank discussion" and noted that the priests themselves did not always agree with one another.

The extraordinary dialogue, at St. John the Baptist High School here, lasted five hours, replete with prayers, an outside mediator, a question-answer period and small groups to discuss various issues.

Bishop Murphy has faced controversy almost from the start of his tenure in 2001 as the spiritual leader of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, which covers Nassau and Suffolk Counties, comprises 134 parishes and is among the nation's wealthiest dioceses.

Last month the diocese's priests circulated a remarkable letter telling the bishop that they felt "sadness and a sense of desperation." They said: "We have perceived a general malaise and even an abiding anger within our beloved diocese." The letter continued: "We perceive a fairly widespread dissatisfaction with the way you have related to some clergy and laity, and we sense a certain lack of confidence in your pastoral leadership.''

Eventually 52 of the diocese's 400 priests signed. But even before they sent the letter, Bishop Murphy heard about it and immediately welcomed the priests' request for a meeting. In announcing the meeting, the diocese acknowledged the "pain acutely felt by priests on the front lines of ministry."

In a Christmas message alluding to the strife, Bishop Murphy said: "There is no place for the suspicion and vindictiveness that Catholics have been showing to one another."

One indicator of the turmoil is that church donations have dropped amid concerns over allegations of sexual abuse by clergy both here on Long Island and nationally. The Bishop's Annual Appeal fell far short of its goal, and some parish collections are also feeling the pain.

Some Catholics have accused Bishop Murphy of taking inadequate remedial steps on the abuse cases here, which predated his arrival. They have also criticized his actions on abuse cases in his prior post as chief deputy to Cardinal Bernard F. Law in the Boston Archdiocese, especially after a report last year in which he was criticized by the Massachusetts attorney general for his handling of sexual-abuse cases.

Bishop Murphy has defended his actions here and in Boston and also says that he is determined that the church take every step necessary to avoid repeating past mistakes.

On the other side of the issue, some priests say that the crackdown on abuse has left them under suspicion, wrongly accused and unfairly penalized.

Bishop Murphy has also clashed with the local branch of Voice of the Faithful, a national lay group formed in reaction to the abuse scandals. He has banned the group from meeting on church property, and its leaders have called for his resignation. An earlier version of the priests' letter urged the bishop to reverse himself and give the group meeting space.

Soon after coming to Long Island, Bishop Murphy also drew fire for removing several nuns from one story of a convent and spending over $1 million to renovate the space into new quarters for himself. Some critics have suggested that he move out.

The abuse scandals erupted here last year when a Suffolk County grand jury report concluded that the diocese had covered up cases, failed to report complaints to law enforcement authorities, ignored victims and kept abusive priests. No criminal charges were filed, however, because the statute of limitations had expired.

After the report, 45 people who said they had been abused filed suit against the diocese, seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Their cases are pending.

Monday's event was tightly controlled. As the session ended, reporters were herded into a room for the news conference and kept there as the priests exited to the parking lot. Several priests who were approached declined to comment, and one who started to answer was pulled away by a security agent.

Asked what they had for lunch, one priest said, "I don't remember." Another confided that it was hero sandwiches.