This week, a lawyer for the Claretian Missionaries announced that Bruce Wellems was forced to petition the Vatican to give up his collar. That’s right. He can’t be a priest. For those of you who have been following this blog, that’s huge news. But for this person, it’s vindication: That’s Eric Johnson. Bruce Wellems was…Continue reading Some Good News in the Saga of Bruce Wellems
Eric Johnson’s 1995 correspondence with the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Claretian Order. Letters from the Claretian order to members about the status of Bruce Wellems, and the instruction to destroy evidence and emails. Eric Johnson’s June 8 questions to the Claretians and the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Fr. Bruce Wellems: the man everyone wants to protect. Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reported that the Chicago Archdiocese and the Claretian Fathers have barred Catholic priest Father Bruce Wellems from ministry. To be honest, they made that decision in March, but didn’t tell anyone until May. Were they ever going to tell anyone? That’s a big…Continue reading Once again: Why won’t anyone tell the truth about Bruce Wellems?
On Sunday, the Chicago Tribune ran a page-one piece about the case of Fr. Bruce Wellems, a Chicago priest who admitted to luring a seven-year-old boy from basketball games and then sexually abusing him multiple times during the course of a year. Wellems was an older teenager at the time. Did the Claretians (the…Continue reading Why can’t anyone tell the truth about Fr. Bruce Wellems?
<– Back to Part Two: Is There a Crook in the Diocese of Crookston? In 2014, Fr. Bruce Wellems was banned from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. Church officials there found out that he had sexually abused a seven-year-old boy when Wellems was fifteen. Los Angeles booted him back to Chicago where he had ministered for years.…Continue reading Fifteen Years After Dallas, Part Three: A Priest Admits Abusing, Chicago Cardinal Does Nothing
That’s today’s lesson for Claretian priest Fr. Tony Diaz. He’s the organizer of San Gabriel Mission’s May 25 Build the Dreams Scholarship Fundraising Dinner. His fatal error was deciding to honor admitted child molester Bruce Wellems along with actor Edward James Olmos. Wellems is a priest of questionable standing who has been banned from the…Continue reading Don’t lie
Not fake news. They’re really doing it. And Edward James Olmos is gonna be there, too. Bruce Wellems is a problematic guy, to say the least. He’s been banned from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He’s been removed from ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago and by the Claretian order. Last year, he was sued…Continue reading Banned priest and admitted abuser slated for San Gabriel Mission award
NEWS EVENT: Victims to leaflet mass attendees LA Priest admits he repeatedly abused a child But Catholic officials let him work in parishes In 2014, they “quietly removed” him from LA church, misled parishioners about cause And they insisted that incriminating documents be destroyed Now, despite “zero tolerance” policy, he may be put back on…Continue reading News Event – January 3, 2016 – LA priest admits abuse, Archdiocese misleads parishioners
Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich has a lot of explaining to do about why he has allowed a priest—who has admitted to sexually abusing a child—to remain a priest and work with kids. In fact, in light of a Chicago Tribune article today, I think Cupich should step down for his blatant disregard for…Continue reading Cupich: Priest abused BEFORE ordination, so it’s okay