Joel A.Wright, second from left, was arrested at the San Diego airport on Friday. Credit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, via Associated Press
What made the Stubenville diocese take a potential seminarian that 45 other dioceses and religious orders had previously rejected?
Joel Wright is the 23-year-old Catholic seminarian who has been charged with attempting to adopt or purchase (for cash) a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old. He didn’t want to be a father. He wanted them for the purpose of molesting.
Yeah, that’s repugnant. But the larger story is far more pernicious.
When interviewed, Wright’s mother gave away a bombshell.
[Wright’s mother] said life for her son as one of roughly 15 pre-theology students at Pontifical College Josephenum wasn’t easy. She claims his path to priesthood was a bumpy road filled with dozens of rejections because of his cataracts and glaucoma.
“I stopped counting after 45 rejections of how many diocese and religions orders that declined him for his physical disability, for his vision, for his orthopedic for his health impairment.”
If the Catholic Church in the United States refused to accept men into the priesthood due to visual impairments, they would have a big ADA complaint on their hands.
In fact, who better to help and minister to the visually impaired than someone who shares the same struggles?
The 45 rejections had nothing to do with his eyesight.
My guess? He failed the psych exams. And Wright kept applying and applying and applying until he found a place desperate (and negligent) enough to take him.
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Other lawsuits charge that former employee Adamczak and former director John Clark Donahue sexually abused children who were involved in theater productions.
Donahue, who was arrested in 1983, admitted to sexually abusing at least 16 children. Adamczak was acquitted at trial and died in 2007.
This latest case will likely unearth evidence that the criminal jury was never able to see.
Children’s Theater of Minnesota is fighting all of the lawsuits.
***
I have pretty strong opinions about performing arts organizations whose founders are serial sexual molesters. Shocking, I know.
A group founded by a man who wanted a steady stream of boys to sexually abuse
All of the “good work” that a chorus or a theater group claims to do cannot erase the pain of the dozens of children who were hurt by Coughlin, Giese, Donahue, or Adamczak. I believe both groups should be disbanded.
In fact, anyone who cares about the welfare of children in the performing arts would want the groups disbanded. (Then start a new group, with a new board, built on a foundation of child safety and education.)
The performing arts can do wonderful things for children. But at the same time, we have to remember that the arts are a system based on audition, talent, favoritism, money, and power.
Children who already ache for attention will ache even more in a performing arts environment. Good teachers know that and make sure to be EXTRA vigilant when it comes to the physical, emotional and mental health and safety of the children in their care.
I know about bad organizations because I was one of those kids who ached for attention and wanted to perform. And because cover-up was more important than child safety, I paid the price.
Uncompromising and undeniably talented, Donahue had an almost cult-like following. Young performers sought his praise and desperately wanted to be part of his inner circle. But the starring roles, the attention and adoration, sometimes came at an unforgivable price.
Who would want to work for an organization that was founded by a serial child predator (and just so that he could have a steady stream of children to sexually abuse)?
Who would want to send their children there?
And before you write in the comments about how “wonderful” these two groups are, remember: any “success” or “positive” aspects of the group were built on the carcasses of sexually abused children.
Sticking your head in the sand and saying “things are different now” will never change that.
We’ll learn more as the lawsuits unfold.
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Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich: Forgives molesters, keeps parents in the dark
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 zero tolerance when it comes to sexual abuse.
Priests who have EVER sexually abused a child should NOT be in ministry. Especially if that ministry involves youth. Period.
A scenario:
You have teenager who has been kicked out of school, struggles at home, and is dabbling with drugs and violence. English is not your first language. Maybe your immigration status is less than ideal. You are working two jobs and have younger children. A local priest reaches out to you and asks if he can help your son.
You say yes.
Why? Because church officials have promised Zero Tolerance when it comes to sexual abuse. You trust them. You believe that Zero Tolerance means that this priest has NEVER abused a child.
Soon your child joins the priest’s marimba band and travels with the priest. You invite the priest into your home. He babysits your younger children.
But then you learn that this priest HAS sexually abused a child. But because he did it before he became a priest, Catholic Church officials kept it quiet.
This priest committed a heinous crime against a child. But church officials didn’t tell you. They won’t tell you if he did it again.
You find out that he was sent to a church-run facility for sex-offending clerics.
Church officials minimize the abuse, calling it a “sin” that can be “forgiven,” instead of a crime that should have been punished.
And the church isn’t even the person who tells you about the priest’s crimes … you learn about the priest’s past when someone tells you about a Chicago Tribune story. You learn that the priest’s victim has been trying to get accountability for almost 20 years.
You look at your son. When you ask him about the priest, he won’t tell you anything … because he’s a teenager.
The church says that Wellems “good works” should erase his crimes. But that’s not ZERO TOLERANCE. That’s minimization and cover-up.
Would you want your child to have a teacher who had sexually abused a child before she entered the profession? Would you want Josh Duggar to babysit your daughter?
And, for anyone who says, “But Wellems is sorry.” This is not about “forgiveness.” I don’t care if people have forgiven Wellems. I don’t want people who have sexually abused children working with my child or ANY child.
You can forgive the embezzler, but you don’t put him in charge of your finances. You can forgive the murderer, but you don’t give him your gun when he’s angry. You can forgive the bear who mauled your dog, but you don’t make the bear your indoor pet.
If a proposed bill becomes a law, older victims of alleged sex crimes will be able to use the courts for justice. That’s bad news for men like Bill Cosby
In an interview, Leyva cited U.S. Department of Justice numbers on rape convictions, calling the statistics “shocking.”
“Only two in 100 rapists would actually be convicted and do any kind of time in prison,” Leyva said, when reached by phone. “That was shocking to me. I also don’t feel like the numbers are getting any better.”
Co-sponsoring the bill is the California Women’s Law Center and San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos. Leyva also said that since she’s made her announcement, other senators have offered to co-sponsor or co-author the proposed legislation.
While the language of the bill is not yet available, I am very pleased to see this big push for change come from all sides. When state, federal, and citizen initiatives all call for change, the cause is harder to ignore.
