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I never knew the man, former priest and husband of Amy Welborn, but I have come to esteem him since his death in 2009. I can't say I really knew much about him, nor did I read his blog while he lived. In fact I only recently began reading his rather simple, yet insightful posts. They are good. This past week I stumbled across his blog Annunciations while searching for information on Father Gino - the Italian priest Pope Benedict XVI disciplined in his work of cleaning out the filth in the Church. I'll write about Gino another time (I actually visited him while I was in Italy in the '70's). Fr. Gino has since been exposed as a fraud not unlike Maciel Marcial, founder of the Legion. I was surprised to discover an interesting defense of Marciel by the now deceased Fr. Neuhaus, on Dubruliel's blog. It may serve as a cautionary tale of sorts:
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Fr. Richard Neuhaus, in First Things provides a defense of Fr. Marcial the founder of the Legionaires of Christ (see below), in the March 2002 issue of First Things: The Public Square:
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So what is a person who does not share their prejudices and purposes to believe? I can only say why, after a scrupulous examination of the claims and counterclaims, I have arrived at moral certainty that the charges are false and malicious. I cannot know with cognitive certainty what did or did not happen forty, fifty, or sixty years ago. No means are available to reach legal certainty (beyond a reasonable doubt). Moral certainty, on the other hand, is achieved by considering the evidence in light of the Eighth Commandment, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” On that basis, I believe the charges against Fr. Maciel and the Legion are false and malicious and should be given no credence whatsoever. - Fr. Neuhaus
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That being said, I would disagree with some of Fr. Neuhaus' reasoning.
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I met Fr. Bruce Ritter once some years ago and I was very impressed with him. I spent a weekend with him, he never made any moves toward me that were inappropriate and we shared some moments watching news coverage of the Pope's visit to Nicaragua. Ritter's work was praised by President Ronald Reagan at the time and his Covenant House ministry spread throughout the country. But, sadly when tales started coming out about Fr. Ritter's inappropriate sexual activity, very few came to his defense. Human beings fail and they fall, whether they are conservative or liberal. - Michael Dubruiel, Annunciations, March 29, 2002
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So much has happened, I almost forgot about Fr. Ritter.
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Michael Dubruiel strikes me as having been a rather wise man. What a loss. May he rest in peace.
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My prayers for Michael, Amy and his children.
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Photo: Michael with one of his sons in Rome. Source
Terry,
ReplyDeleteI visited Fr. Gino maybe like months before the accusations flew. I actually stayed at the seminary/monastery over the weekend. I went in a bigtime believer in Reincarnation, and went out not believing in it. That was a miracle! Fr. Gino is one of the purest people in this time we're living in if not the purest. Not a little saint, but a Great Saint. ..Also I believe Fr. Maciel is a Great saint as well. What does this mean? What do you think it means? Two big saints of modern times are immersed in scandals. Not unlike saints in the past who were attacked in different ways. And now Pope Benedict and John Paul II.
Terry,
ReplyDeleteI look forward to your post on Fr. Gino.
Thank you Terry.
ReplyDeleteVery kind. We do miss him.
This was a kind and thoughtful post my friend......:-) Hugs
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect to Fr. Neuhaus (RIP), his column was nothing more than a voice piece for Americanist heresy and Neo-Conservativism. He would hide under the cloak of orthodoxy for agreeing with every single action of JP II, until it contradicted his own view (e.g. Irag war, capital punishment, etc).
ReplyDeleteIt is then hardly unsurprising that he defended Fr. Marcial, just because JP II thought the world of him.