January-February 1998 Roman Catholic Faithful, P.O. Box 109, Petersburg, IL. 62675   
 (217-632-5920)    (Fax 217-632-7054)

Of what use is authority
if no one is willing to exercise it?

by Stephen Brady

On May 15, 1996, Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF) was incorporated in the State of Illinois to combat the heretical teachings and liturgical abuses being forced upon the laity within the Springfield Diocese. At that time the board of directors had no idea RCF would grow to its present size and strength with members in fifty states and nine foreign countries. While RCF is small in numbers compared to many organizations, it has expanded to an international organization because of the Faith and determination of our members.

RCF has found that heresy is tolerated in many parts of the country. A Bishop of any diocese must take responsibility for what goes on within his diocese. If the documented abuses are brought to his attention and he still refuses to, or is unable to correct the situation; then, the bishop is the problem. The life of the diocese, often times, is a reflection of the lives of its administrators, and prudence would dictate a close scrutiny of their lives.

Unfortunately RCF has found that heresy does not seem to trouble many within the hierarchy, in fact, many bishops themselves are responsible for the wholesale loss of faith in many parts of the country. The Papal authority should correct any situation that might exist within a diocese. So what can RCF do at a time when the Holy See seems unable to exercise her authority?

At this time, RCF is concerned mainly with two dioceses. Springfield, Illinois, which is the home base of RCF, and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles California. The former small and near death; the latter, much larger and dying.

Bishop Ryan of Springfield, Illinois, is the problem in his diocese. In this issue of AMDG, Dr. Droleskey reports on recent events unfolding in Springfield, Illinois.

When it comes to Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles, CA, RCF has no idea what he believes or why he does what he does. Based on the letters RCF has received from the priests and laity and based on the speakers Mahony brings to his Religious Education Congress each year, RCF can safely say that Cardinal Mahony must not be in control of his Archdiocese or must not know what goes on in his Archdiocese. In either case, No TRUE prince of the Church would place a soul at risk by allowing known dissenters to educate his flock as does Mahony at his education congress. (More in Stephanie Block?s article "A Disordered Archdiocese.")

AS RCF MOVES INTO L.A.

At the last Marian apparition of Akita, the Virgin Mary said, in part, “The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres. Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises, and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.”(Akita)

And the following from the apparition of LaSalette, “Priests, my Son’s ministers, priests, by their evil life, by their irreverences and their impiety in celebrating the holy mysteries, love of money, love of honor and pleasures, priests have become sewers of impurity. Yes, priests call forth vengeance, and vengeance is suspended over their heads. Woe to priests, and to persons consecrated to God, who by their infidelities and their evil life are crucifying my son anew! The sins of persons consecrated to God cry to heaven and call for vengeance; and now here is vengeance at their very doors, for no longer is anyone found to beg mercy and pardon for the people. There are no more generous souls. There is now no one worthy of offering the spotless Victim to the Eternal on the world’s behalf!” (LaSalette)

I do believe the Blessed Mother’s words could very well describe the situation today.

We at RCF have made our intentions known to all who care to listen. Our tools are Faith, prayer and action; and as a last resort, litigation and public exposure. What you are about to read in this newsletter is shocking to say the least. “Name the darkness”...we cannot defend our Faith if we do not know what we are up against!

“Heavenly Father, we ask Your blessing on our efforts. Show us the way to spread the Truth of the Catholic faith in the midst of error and infidelity. Fill our hearts with authentic love for our priests, bishops, and all the clergy-a love that moves us to unceasing prayer for their souls and to constant exhortation to faithfully fulfill their sacred task of preaching the Whole Truth of the Catholic Faith without compromise.

Grant us wisdom in our deliberations, courage in promoting the truth, prudence in exposing error, and Charity in all the things we do. Bless our Holy Father the Pope by granting him loyalty and fidelity from the bishops and all the clergy of the church.

We ask these things through the intercession of our Holy Mother Mary.”

The courage of two people, Frank Bergen and Sandra Elraghy, is about to open a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church in America, a chapter that many within the hierarchy would rather keep closed. As you read Frank and Sandra’s story remember; “It is not an act of charity to allow one’s neighbor to run headlong into Hell.” God help us all if we fail to help those in need. That includes Bishop Ryan and other bishops and priests who seem to have lost their way. Ask yourself or your Bishop two questions: Why are so many priests, seminarians, and laity calling RCF for help? Of what use is authority if no one is willing to exercise it? 

The following letter is a typed copy of a hand written statement by Frank Bergen.

Monday, January 12, 1998

Subject: The Catholic Church in Central Ill.

My name is Frank Bergen. I am a 30 year old male currently incarcerated in the State of Ill. I am writing this letter and making the truth be known in order to clear my conscience of the abuse that was done to me and my faith, and the faith of countless others. And to help those involved seek help for their wrongs. I'm in no way seeking to be a gold digger or trouble maker.

For the last 14½ years of my life I have been a male prostitute and an abuser of illicit drugs. Thanks to God's grace I have found sobriety in the 13 months.

In 1983 I ran away from home in central Ill. I was almost 16 years old. I had no money, no job, and an attitude of indifference. I wound up in downtown Spfld at 4th and Washington at the Amtrak Station turning trick (or selling my body for money) in order to have the basic needs of life. In that time frame I heard of a good date that paid well, called "The Bish." who was supposed to pay good, have simple sexual taste meaning no intercourse, and would be a regular if he found you desirable. I finally met and dated this man called the "Bish." I being Catholic knew immediately who it was. It was Bishop Daniel Ryan the Bishop of Spfld (Springfield, IL). He liked to give and receive back rubs, to grab your face and kiss you, sometimes would like o___ sex preformed on him, he would kiss the h___ of your p____ and for the finale would lay upon you and rub till he ejaculated (And the other prostitutes called this easy). Then would pay between 50 and 150 dollars, buy you clothes, take you to eat, and buy groceries, pay rent, and pay utilities if asked and he was in a good mood. These drunken sprees of his continued with me and others till his going into alcohol drug treatment in the late 80's. During the period from 1983-1994 I met and dated other priests as well. In 1984 I met Father______... who I dated till my incarceration in 1992. exchanging m____ m______. In the Early 90s I met Father_____... who took me back to his room at the rectory where we m______ m_________, this was a one time thing. The on the Christmas Season of 1994 met a man who was drunk downtown looking for company (sex) for money. It was Father____... We went back to the rectory of St.___ and we m____ m______. This was a one time thing also. During the encounters with priest I told each and every one of them that I was dating or had dated Bishop Ryan for money. I also told Bishop Ryan of my encounters with each and every one of these priests mentioned. I often used to go with Dan Ryan up to his apt above the Cathedral where sex and drinking prevailed. Sometimes after a sexual encounter with the Bishop I would have confession where I was absolved of my sins, and he would tell me "Christ sent me to love you." Do I need to mention his foot fetish, or his like of Johnny Walker, or he took his male companions to eat at Red Lobster in Spfld or when he was drunk he was at times forceful or that I can describe his apt. above the Cathedral or his sexual organs and other distinguishing marks. The only reason I came forward was to stop the abuse of position by this man and others, and to finally once and for all clear my conscience Before making this statement I was able to find a priest who heard my confession so I could say this with a clean heart. I hope the Church of Central Ill strengthens it self out of all this as it's time. I was not paid, forced or coerced into making this statement. I am also not the only one who did this, there are at least 6-10 other people I know by name who dated Bishop Ryan too. To them I say please come forward and stop what's happening. Some of these where also minors too. In my back ground you will find I was an addict and a convicted felon. Please don't let this cloud you as this is the truth. I say this with my right hand to God and affirm with my dying breath. To Bishop Ryan and the others. I'm sorry I had to do this, but it has to stop for the good of all. For those that wish to slander me and to cover this up or plain don't want to believe this could ever happen we are all human with all its problems. Sometimes a wolf does come in sheep's clothing.

Sincerely, Frank Bergen

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More Witnesses Emerge
in Bishop Ryan Case

by Thomas A. Droleskey

Nearly fifteen months have passed since Stephen Brady, the President of Roman Catholic Faithful, wrote to Springfield, Illinois, Bishop Daniel Ryan to inform him that two priests had come forward to charge him with sexually harassing them. And one of the priests making the accusation said that Ryan had threatened to send him to a psychiatric center when it became apparent to him that the priest had talked to others about his conduct.

After it was learned that the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, had provided Ryan with confidential statements made by the two priests, Brady decided to hold a press conference on February 3, 1997, to publicly reveal the charges. The Wanderer interviewed both of the priests involved in the case, although the interviews were not printed so as to permit a prominent American priest to pursue his contacts in the Vatican to affect Ryan's quiet removal.

The prominent American priest subsequently took one of Ryan's priest-accusers to Rome in late February of last year. A high-ranking curial official listened to the evidence presented against Bishop Ryan. Although there were reports that the Vatican later made three requests of Ryan to resign as ordinary of the Diocese of Springfield, Ryan remained in power, continuing to deny all of the charges made against. him. The priest-accuser who had gone to Rome last year was later given protection by the Holy See, which informed Ryan that he could not contact his accuser. The priest continues to insist that his story is accurate, but he is not willing to come forward publicly at this point.

Above and beyond the salacious charges brought by the priests against Bishop Ryan, the real story in this matter has always revolved around Ryan's abuse of his episcopal power and how the Vatican has ignored the pleas of both the clergy and the faithful in the Springfield diocese to correct the situation there by demanding, not requesting, Ryan's resignation. The faithful were told by the prominent American priest who had gone to Rome to be patient, that the Vatican would act to remedy the situation. But nothing happened. Ryan remained in power, although he continued to be dogged by Stephen Brady whenever he appeared publicly in the Springfield diocese.

Things came to a head in December of 1997, however. A priest in Lincoln, Illinois, which is located in the Diocese of Peoria, was accused of having molested several young men over the course of a twenty year period. The secular press, which had buried the Ryan story, mentioned the charges against Ryan while running accounts of the Lincoln story. When asked to comment on Stephen Brady's accusations about Ryan's personal and ecclesiastical conduct, Kathleen Sass, Ryan's spokeswoman, told The Daily Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois) that Brady's comments "are based in ignorance of good church teaching."

Sass's comments caught the eye of one Sandra Elraghy, a resident of Springfield who had never met Stephen Brady. A student at Springfield College who works at a laundromat in Springfield, Elraghy had been a prostitute in the Illinois capital until 1990. She was thoroughly familiar with the street life of that city, and telephoned Brady to inform him that she had been in a car with two male hustlers on several occasions when they were picked up by "the bish," that is, Bishop Daniel Ryan. She provided Brady with extensive information in an audio-taped interview with him on Friday, December 12, 1997.

Elraghy named Frank Robert Bergen and Kent "L." as two of the male prostitutes who had been hired by Ryan to provide him with sexual favors for money. The information Elraghy, who is now taking instructions in the Catholic faith, provided about the bishop's sexual trysts corroborated the stories by the two priests interviewed by The Wanderer last year. It also substantiated the information that Brady had received from a number of independent sources, including an anonymous letter he received last year which listed a number of male hustlers who were known to be consorts of Bishop Ryan.

Elraghy did not know where to find Frank Bergen, but believed that he could be found in an Illinois correctional facility, which turned out to be the case. He agreed to cooperate with Brady on one condition: that Brady find him an orthodox Catholic priest to hear his confession. Armed with this new information, Brady sent out a press release to announce a press conference to be held in Springfield on Tuesday, December 30, 1997. He notified both the Papal Nuncio, Archbishop Cacciavillan, and the Archbishop of Chicago, the Most Reverend Francis George, of the pending press conference.

To Brady's surprise, a representative of Archbishop George contacted him, requesting him to postpone the December 30 press conference. The representative, Jimmy Lago, said that the archdiocese would conduct a thorough investigation of the matter. Brady, who had postponed a press conference in January of last year so as to provide the Vatican with more time to digest the information he had sent them about the priest-accusers, was more than a little skeptical. However, he agreed to postpone the press conference after Lago assured him that a serious investigation of the matter would be conducted by the archdiocese.

The press conference was scheduled to deal with the new evidence of Ryan's homosexual behavior, as well as developments in the Lincoln case. Brady was receptive to not discussing the Ryan situation at that conference if Lago attested in writing that he represented Archbishop George, and that the archdiocese was conducting an investigation into the matter. Brady says that he made it clear to Lago that he would distribute the statement to members of Roman Catholic Faithful and to members of the press as a means of explaining why the new evidence would not be presented at the press conference. Brady kept his part of the bargain and did not mention the evidence possessed by Sandra Elraghy or Frank Robert Bergen.

Lago, however, appeared to double-cross Brady and James Bendell, RCF's attorney. He made a statement to The Daily Pantagraph, published on January 6, 1998, that "There's a lot of allegations, but no proof. Nobody is willing or able to even step forward at this point." Lago knew that two priests had made accusations in 1997, and he was aware of evidence possessed by Elraghy and Bergen. Lago had even spoken to Elraghy personally. Brady and Bendell considered Lago's remarks to be evidence of bad faith. Bendell wrote Lago a letter that same day, January 6, 1998, telling him that "RCF must now consider relations between us as totally broken, and we are proceeding with our campaign to remove Ryan, including the rescheduling of the press conference with the woman mentioned above."

Lago told The Wanderer on January 7, 1998 that he did not give permission to Brady to distribute his statement to the press. He said that he stood by his statement to the Pantagraph, that he personally knew of no one who had evidence who was willing to come forward at that point. When confronted with the fact that there are people who have come forward with first-hand information, Lago stuck to his published comments. He insisted that his investigation was a serious one and that he would make no further comments to the press. He did not respond when asked why he could not have given a simple "no comment" or "this matter is under investigation" when questioned by the secular press.

Brady told The Wanderer that he did tell Lago that his statement attesting to the seriousness of the Archdiocese of Chicago's investigation would be given to the press. He believed that Lago was not serving as an honest broker in the matter, and therefore rescheduled the press conference to reveal the Elraghy and Bergen charges on Thursday, January 15, 1998.

Entreaties were made by high-ranking ecclesiastical officials to convince Brady to cancel the press conference. One such official admitted that the Vatican had known all about Ryan's homosexual activity for many years. He said that it would take time to remove Ryan, but assured Brady that Ryan would be removed. Another prominent cleric, the one who had gone to Rome in 1997, argued that the good of the church demanded that Brady cancel the press conference, that it would be unseemly for the new charges to become a matter of the public record. This priest went so far as to telephone Brady's wife, Joanne, to say that the press conference, if held, would be an example of pride and anger, not fidelity to the church.

Brady listened to all of the entreaties. However, it was his judgment that the information had to be revealed publicly, especially in light of the fact that the Vatican had known about Ryan's activities all the time. Too much harm had been done to the state of the church in Springfield to permit this new evidence to languish in the Vatican bureaucracy for another five or six years. The press conference, therefore, went on as scheduled on Thursday evening, January 15, 1998.

Attended by over seventy people, including four reporters from the secular media (and one woman who claimed to represent the Vatican in the matter, a woman who has ghost-written articles about the Springfield diocese in The Wanderer), the press conference began with a moving statement by Jo Ann Brady.

Mrs. Brady made a point-by-point rebuttal of the accusations levelled against RCF by the prominent priest who had telephoned her the day before. Looking straight at the woman who has served as a conduit of information for this priest, Brady said that the press conference was being held out of love for the church, out of a concern for the salvation of the souls of her children. She went on to say that arriving at the decision to hold the press conference was not easy, but that it became easier when it was learned that the Vatican had known that a practicing homosexual was serving as the ordinary of a diocese. Her comments were echoed by Pamela Bultmann, a board member of RCF.

Stephen Brady then read a letter sent to him by Frank Robert Bergen. The letter stated the nature of the charges he was making against Bishop Ryan and three other priests, one of whom has been dead for several years. The charges were identical in nature to those made last year by the two priests. Bergen went on to explain his reason for coming forward:

"I am writing this letter and making the truth be known in order to clear my conscience of the abuse that was done to me and my faith, and the faith of countless others. And to help those involved seek help for their wrongs. I'm in no way seeking to be a gold digger or trouble-maker.

"For the last fourteen and one-half years of my life I have been a male prostitute and an abuser of illicit drugs. Thanks to God's grace I have found sobriety in the [last] thirteen months.

"In 1983 I ran away from home in central Illinois. I was almost 16 years old. I had no money, no job, and an attitude of indifference. I wound up in downtown Springfield at 4th [Street] and Washington at the Amtrak station turning tricks in order to have the basic needs of life. In that time frame I heard of a good date that paid well, called 'the bish. . . .'" Bergen went on to describe Bishop Daniel Ryan's conduct, explaining that he would "pay between $50 and $100, buy you clothes, take you to eat, and buy groceries, pay rent, and pay utilities if asked and he was in a good mood. These drunken sprees of his continued with me and others until his going into alcohol drug treatment in the late eighties." He also described his illicit activities with other priests. And he wrote that Ryan heard his confession and absolved him of his sins each and every time he had a sexual encounter with him. If this is so, Ryan has excommunicated himself. And it is reserved to the Holy See alone to remove such an excommunication.

Bergen, who is dying of AIDS, wrote, "The only reason I came forward was to stop the abuse of position by this man and others, and to finally once and for all clear my conscience. Before making this statement I was able to find a priest who heard my confession so I could say this with a clean heart. I hope the church of central Illinois strengthens itself out of all this. I was not paid, forced or coerced into making this statement. I am also not the only one who did this, there are at least 6-10 other people I know by name who dated Bishop Ryan too. To them I say please come forward and stop what's happening. Some of these were also minors.

In my background you will find that I was an addict and a convicted felon. Please don't let this cloud you as this is the truth. I say this with my right hand to God and affirm with my dying breath. To Bishop Ryan and the others, I'm sorry I had to do this, but it has to stop for the good of all. For those that wish to slander me and to cover this up or plain don't want to believe this could ever happen, we are all human with all its problems. Sometimes a wolf does come in sheep's clothing."

Brady said that Bergen was exploring his legal options with James Bendell, who now represents Bergen with respect to the possibility of the bringing of a civil suit against Ryan. There is also the possibility that the state's attorney's office in Sangamon County will be given evidence for the purpose of pursuing criminal charges against Ryan for having sexually abused a minor.

Brady then introduced Sandra Elraghy, who explained why she had come forward to present her evidence against Bishop Ryan (a typed transcript of her December 12, 1997 interview with Brady was provided to the press).

"The only reason I have agreed to come here tonight to attest to Bishop Daniel Ryan's corruption is because of the intercession of the Holy Spirit and, lest we forget, the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Mother of the Church, who must be very sorrowful at the sins of her beloved people."

"We are all sinners who fall short of the grace of God, but we can be filled with goodness, not evil. The only way is by turning back to our roots, the Holy Roman Catholic Church. For all of this I have agreed to come forward to what I know to be the absolute truth. . . .to help gather lost souls for Christ."

"I know, of course, that I am nothing to many worldly people, but the Holy Ghost, through the intercession of the Queen of Peace, Mary, Mother of God, our only hope, has chosen not only me but others like Frank Robert Bergen to come forward with their knowledge of the church's corruption in the Springfield area. I have only given a small portion of information, and hopefully others will come forward with their own knowledge. I feel I have been chosen to begin something that creates scandal, when really the church should have taken care of this long ago. It is a pity to know that so many have been deceived, that so many are not being truly faithful to God. The atrocities, hypocrisies, lies, deceptions and deceit of Satan must be uncovered. I hope that by somehow making my small gesture, as Frank Bergen, my friend and brother in Christ, is making, that others will be inspired in Godly manners. Only then will the true foundation of the Church be restored."

In a detailed statement which took her four drafts to complete, Elraghy concluded by saying, "By all the faithful joining together, only then will the Church's restoration begin. By doing this perhaps we can be an example to others throughout the world. And God will look upon us with mercy."

"Many people know not only of Bishop Daniel Ryan's abuse of young male hustlers/prostitutes, but of his sexual harassment of his own priests. Truly, the vileness must be eradicated. The fox is truly guarding the henhouse around here and it is about time somebody spoke out about the truth. Why me, you may ask? Because I have everything heavenly to attain. I pray that by speaking out changes will be made."

"I began my journey by calling Stephen Brady of RCF because I had read a Springfield State Journal-Register newspaper article where a spokesperson for Bishop Ryan's office had said "The RCF is basing their issues on ignorance." Therefore, I can no longer remain silent. I hope and pray by telling the truth that I shall be set free of my own human bondages, and that others will also be blessed. As Christ said, "The truth shall set you free."

Brady then asked this reporter to make a brief statement. I stressed the fact that the evidence presented by Bergen and Elraghy corroborated the stories told last year by the two priests. And I then read excerpts of comments made about the serious nature of sodomite behavior on the part of bishops and priests. One such quotation, from the Third Lateran Council (1179) will suffice:

"Anyone caught in the practice of sin against nature, on account of which the wrath of God was unleashed upon the children of disobedience, if he is a cleric, let him be demoted from his state and kept in reclusion in a monastery to do penance; if he is a layman, let him be excommunicated and kept rigorously distant from the communion of the faithful."

The secular press had a number of questions for Brady, Elraghy and this reporter. Many of the questions centered on the credibility of Bergen and Elraghy. I reiterated what I had said during my brief remarks, that both Bergen and Elraghy corroborated the stories told by the two priests in 1997. Brady said that he had other information, which he was not yet ready to release, which also verified what had been revealed at the press conference. The questioning of the witness's credibility became so pronounced at one point I said, "Look, you are reporters. You have the names of two people who were part of the street life of this city. They have said that there are others who have knowledge of all of this. Do your job as investigative reporters. Go to the streets of this city and get the information that is there for you to get."

A reporter from WMAY Radio in Springfield asked me if these charges could be considered academic if Bishop Ryan stopped his homosexual behavior after going into an alcohol treatment program in the late-'80s. "Assuming for the moment that he did stop his behavior at that time," I said, "you still have the problem of his threatening to send a priest in late-1996 and early-1997 to a psychiatric center because he knew the priest had information about him. This is an abuse of his episcopal power, and that is what makes this story relevant even if he has stopped his homosexual activity." Others pointed out that he has never admitted any of his activity, indeed, has continued to protest his innocence of all of the charges made against him. If the charges are true, as one person in the audience noted, then he owes a public apology for the abuse of his authority. As Sandra Elraghy noted, "Weakness is one thing. We are all weak. Abuse of power is something else."

A layman named Mark Thomas told the reporters that they were treating Sandra Elraghy the same way the press in Washington had been treating Paula Jones. Each woman is accusing a man who has been protected by the press. It is interesting, he asserted, that the weak and the powerless can be trashed by the media without any serious investigation of the charges they make against the mighty and the powerful. Another woman said that St. Paul and St. Mary Magdalene were among the greatest sinners in the history of the Church, and they proved themselves to be rather credible once they had reformed their lives. This woman also asked about the status of priests ordained in the diocese if Ryan had indeed excommunicated himself by absolving Bergen of the sins he had committed with him.

Brady thanked everyone for coming to the press conference. Once again, however, the secular media buried the story. And the woman who claimed to be representing the Vatican let it be known quite publicly to several people after the press conference that it was Archbishop George who had telephoned Stephen Brady to plead with him not to have the press conference. Brady himself had kept George's identity confidential; however, the woman ostensibly working for the Vatican at the behest of a prominent American priest, couldn't resist the opportunity to let people know that she had "inside information: about the events that led up to the press conference.

Brady told The Wanderer after the press conference that he believed it was important to have held it in light of the fact that the Vatican has known about the situation in Springfield for years.

The Wanderer attempted to interview Bergen at the Jacksonville, Illinois, Correctional Facility on Friday, January 16, 1998. However, I was denied permission for the interview; the warden said that I had to get permission from the central corrections office in Springfield before gaining admission to the prison. Attempts will be made to interview Bergen by phone.

Bergen did write another letter to Brady. Dated January 13, 1998, he said:

"Every human being has desires and lust, but when powerful people use it to help destroy the weak, you have to expose the problem. Unfortunately in Springfield it got out of hand for many years. Why didn't I expose this years ago? Because I lost my faith due to years of abuse, and how do you say openly with any dignity that, yes, for years I had sex for money with priests because the devil held my hand through the guise of chemical dependency and eventually caught AIDS and will die? I need for myself and others for the record to be set straight as I'm done hurting myself and want those that hurt me to STOP!. . . .Being a priest is a lifestyle in itself. Having a double identity is like having a split personality and I want no one comforting me or absolving me who has a hidden agenda."

He said that "The best thing I've gotten out of all this so far is the cross I wear around my neck. The feeling I get from it is one of a great love for me. He died for us no matter what the costs."

Although questions are raised in an editorial on page 4, one can be raised now: What price is the Holy See willing to pay to keep Bishop Daniel Ryan in power? The silencing of Frank Bergen and Sandra Elraghy? Time will tell.

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The following is a typed copy of the second letter
I received from Frank—

Tuesday, January 13, 1998

Dear Stephen,

Each new day bring a new twist. After reading the article you sent, I feel the press, church, and public is going to crucify me. So be it! I'll need for Mr. Bendell to call Warden McEvers and the Chief of security here Maj Betts informing them of the severity of these truths stated!

The best thing I've gotten out of all this so far is the cross I wear around my neck. The feeling I get from it is one of a great love for me. He died for us no matter what the costs. As Christ also knew his own people would deny his love for them and call him a liar and heretic. We see who won!

If anyone ever asks about my commitment and reason for doing this please let them read my letters to you (Xerox) and let my words and actions speck for themselves. It's a shame that people throughout the Centuries have always denied the truth and persecuted those that speak it.

Little do they know is that death comes as a comfort for me and they can throw all the sticks and stones that they want! My family is my greatest worry thru all this as they did nothing or said nothing to bear the blunt of the sword that the people of deceit shall swing.

They are simple people caught in confusing times. I pray w/all my heart and soul that people just see the error of their ways and seek help and eventually repent of their sins. I forgive what Dan Ryan, Fr’s _____, ______, ____ and the rest of them for what happened. It was a 2 way street, but what people have to realize is that they drove the car. I didn't seek these people out. They sought out me for one sole purpose. SEX. This wasn't a soul saving part of their ministries.

Every human being has desire and lust, but when powerful people use it to help destroy the weak you have to expose the problem. Unfortunately in Spfld it got out of hand for many years. Why didn't I expose this years ago? Because I lost my faith due to years of abuse, and how do you say openly w/any ease or dignity that yes for years I had sex for money w/priests because the devil held my hand thru the guise of chemical dependency and eventually caught AIDS and will die. I need for myself and others for the record to be set straight as I'm done hurting myself and want those that hurt me to STOP !!! If this goes to court, I'll have everyone subpoenaed!

Let's see if they'll lie about it to ?

When I was on the street I used to be scared a lot of all the unexpected things that would or could happen.

I'm not scared anymore nor worried about living life to it's fullest! To fulfill my life I have to do this and everyday remind myself that the past is past and each new day is a blessing from God! I pray for the Bishop and the others because I know the ways of sin, every time I pray I thank God I'm not like that anymore and hope his love brings them around to be humble as it did I!

Being a Priest is a lifestyle in its' self. Having a double Identity is like having a split personality and I want no one comforting me or absolving me who has a hidden agenda! Well I've rattled enough for now and hope to see you Thursday w/Dr. Droleskey.

Love In Christ Jesus, Frank Bergen

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editorial

In the Dead of Winter

by Thomas A. Droleskey

Much has been made about the postconciliar era being the "springtime of the Church." However, anyone familiar with the actual state of the Church at present knows that we are in the dead of winter. While there are encouraging signs here and there of a revival of the faith as a result of the formation of new religious communities and as a result of the wider availability of the Tridentine Mass, the truth of the matter is that most Catholics in this country live in an ecclesiastical situation which more fully approximates the dead of winter, not the springtime.

This is especially the case in Springfield, Illinois. The doctrinal and liturgical abuses in the diocese headed since 1983 by Bishop Daniel Ryan are well-known. They have been reported extensively in the last two years by The Wanderer. And the ecclesiastical winter there has turned into a deep freeze in the last year as Ryan, protected by a secular media not interested in pursuing the truth, has stonewalled serious allegations made against him by two priests that he had sexually harassed them. The deep freeze has intensified into something worthy of Antarctica as a result of the way that new charges have been handled by ecclesiastical officials and the secular media.

What is most appalling about the Ryan case is that the Vatican has known about his activity for years. If this is so, and Stephen Brady was told it was by a high-ranking ecclesiastical official, then the real scandal involving Bishop Ryan is not his sexual perversion. The real scandal is the fact that the Vatican has permitted this man to corrupt his diocese so thoroughly while he denounces as "divisive" any effort to bring the truth of his perverted behavior to light. The real scandal here is that Ryan has been permitted to abuse his episcopal office for so long, long enough so as to be bold enough to threaten a priest-accuser with psychiatric confinement.

Several sources have informed The Wanderer that Ryan is being supported by a clique of between six and twelve bishops, perhaps even more. These men have urged Ryan to stand firm in the face of the charges made against him. These men are not at all concerned about the possibility that the charges are true, that Ryan has abused his priests, that he has corrupted minors, that he has abused his episcopal authority. No, what matters is solidarity in the ranks. The "radical" Brady must not be given a scalp, even if it means that an unrepentant sinner who may have excommunicated himself by absolving Frank Bergen of the sins he committed with him will remain in power until he reaches the age of retirement.

The information that American bishops have known about Ryan's activities does not come as a total surprise. One of the priests interviewed by The Wanderer last year said that his spiritual director had informed both the late Archbishop John May of St. Louis and the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin in the late-1980s of Ryan's proclivities. And there is a report that Bishop Joseph Imesch of Joliet, Illinois, was called to the Vatican last year to be reprimanded for having recommended the ordination of a known homosexual, Ryan, to the episcopacy. yet both Imesch and Ryan are permitted to remain the ordinaries of their respective dioceses.

One wonders what it will take for the Holy Father to remove men who engage in and/or support the practice of perverted sexual relations. Although some Vatican apologists state that there needs to be "hard evidence" in order to remove a man like Bishop Ryan, the current information we have suggests that the Vatican has had evidence in this case for a long time. Everyone thus far has buried it, and this includes Archbishop Agostino Cacciavillan, who did not even conduct an investigation of his own before sending Ryan the confidential statements of the two priests who made the initial accusations against him last year.

Indeed, a prominent curial official actually met with one of those priests in the flesh last year. The evidence this priest presented must have been compelling enough to afford him the Vatican protection he now enjoys. It may even have been compelling enough to have led to three separate requests for Ryan's resignation. The evidence against Ryan is mounting. But these simple facts were not enough for Cardinal-elect George's hand-picked investigator, Jimmy Lago, to have treated the matter with the seriousness it deserves when he was questioned by the secular press. Is it any wonder that Sandra Elraghy and Frank Bergen did not believe that their stories would have any impact on the investigation being conducted by the Archdiocese of Chicago at present?

Evidence? There is plenty of it in the Ryan case. Both Elraghy and Bergen are ready to take a lie-detector test. Although not admissible in a court-of-law, such tests have proven to be a good gauge. I do believe a chap named Simpson failed his polygraph rather dramatically. Both Elraghy and Bergen tell a tale that is thoroughly consistent with that told by the two priest-accusers last year.

Evidence? Forget about Bishop Daniel Ryan for the moment. What kind of additional evidence is needed to remove Rochester, New York, Bishop Matthew Clark? This man has openly called for the Church to find a way to "bless" homosexual unions. Isn't that prima facie evidence demanding his immediate removal as ordinary of Rochester?

What about Saginaw, Michigan, Bishop Kenneth Untener? This man has consistently defied the Church on a number of issues. He may not even believe in the sacerdotal priesthood of Jesus Christ, thereby vitiating the validity of the ordinations he has conducted during his episcopacy. Why is he permitted to destroy the faith in Saginaw. And while we are at it, how come Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland is permitted to stay on in Milwaukee? What type of "evidence" does the Holy See need to remove bad men who are corrupting faith and worship in their sees?

Although a lot of the American bishops talk rebellion when they meet in Washington, the strategic removal of between six and twenty of their number in one fell swoop would be enough to get a lot of bishops back in line in a big hurry. Sure, such a move might expedite the de jure schism. Far from being something to be avoided, however, the formal schism would prove to be a healthy thing for the survival of the faith in this country. For the Church here cannot survive if she is under the domination of moral cowards and sexual perverts intent on remaking the faith in the image of the false gods they serve so loyally.

The Ryan case has become a focal point in the battle for AmChurch. His removal or survival will tell us whether we are in the dead of winter — or whether there are more tangible signs of a January thaw than we can see at present with the feeble eyes of the body. The case raises a number of intriguing questions:

1) Has Ryan excommunicated himself?

2) If he has, what is the status of the men he has ordained to the priesthood?

3) Will he, as Pope St. Pius V Demanded, be turned over to the secular authorities for having corrupted minors if there is enough legal evidence to sustain such a charge (there is no statute of limitations in Illinois on a Class I felony charge)?

4) How can it be that the Vatican has known about these charges for years without seeking to come to the assistance of the faithful in Springfield?

5) What efforts will be made to repair the damage Ryan has done by his actions? One of the priest-accusers has actually left the Church and has started his own schismatic sect, one that caters to practicing homosexuals. He did so because of the way Ryan treated him. How is this damage going to be undone?

6)   What actions will be taken against the other priests of the Diocese of Springfield named by Frank Bergen and others? Will the network of homosexuals that runs from Joliet down to Springfield be rooted out and eradicated?

7) What measures will be adopted to assure that other homosexual bishops — and those who promote homosexual behavior — will be removed posthaste?

These are serious questions. They need answers. A failure to answer them will be an indication that we are still in the dead of winter, suffering the effects of a frostbite inflicted on us by the unwillingness of ecclesiastical officials, both here and in the Vatican, to own up to the truth.

While we know the Church will last until the end of time, is it too much for us in the laity to seek a redress of the problems which beset us from within the Mystical Body of Christ at present? For until the Church is willing to face these problems squarely and take firm disciplinary actions, her ability to evangelize the world will be greatly impeded.

May Our Lord have mercy on each of us. And may His Blessed Mother pray for us, that we will not be silent in the face of the cover-ups which are destroying the faith in this country and around the world.

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A Disordered Archdiocese

Roger Cardinal Mahony and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles

by Stephanie Block

Roger Cardinal Mahony has served the Archdiocese of Los Angeles since 1985, first as Archbishop and then as Cardinal. As pastor of the Archdiocese, final responsibility for the spiritual health and welfare of the episcopate fall on Cardinal Mahony’s shoulders. During that tenure, however, a number of serious problems have developed that place the Archdiocese at variance with Catholic moral and doctrinal teachings, as well as at variance with the traditions of the Church:

Situation in Los Angeles Archdiocese

Liturgy:

1. Cardinal Mahony’s First Pastoral on the Liturgy: Ten years ago, with Cardinal Mahony’s "ecclesiastical approval" the Los Angeles Archdiocese produced a document called "The Mass: Our Celebration." The document states that "…The Mass is the Christian family’s dinner party…" and later, "Learning to celebrate means learning to bring our gifts to the community. Inside of all pew-sitters there are readers and singers, bakers of bread and makers of banners, dancers and welcomers, and organizers struggling to get out…"

Position of the Catholic Church

Liturgy:

1. "The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows." [Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) #1074]

* Concept of Mass as Sacrifice is missing. While there are numerous references to the awe which the liturgy should evoke, the reasons given are vague, such as "the mystery of God." The assembly, in the vision of the pastoral, will no longer kneel at consecration, and "can talk about the way the Holy Spirit is invoked to transform these gifts and themselves. And so they are talking about the presence of Christ in the simple gifts of bread and wine, and in the mystery that is this Church." [Part I, Pg. 8, "Liturgy of the Eucharist."] The assembly, as just described, could be almost any Christian congregation

* The pastoral says that "to preside, a person must live from the rich ambiguity of symbolic reality." The Sunday Eucharist (which is understood by the reader to mean the Eucharistic presence of Christ in the Eucharistic species) is described as a "…symbolic deed done with power and reverence…" [Part II, pg. 13 "The presider respects symbol."]

"In past years, there has been some confusion about the proper posture for the congregation during the Eucharistic prayer. Recently, the bishops of the United States have reaffirmed the American adaptations for the Sacramentary in this regard. These norms call for all the congregation to kneel during the Eucharistic prayer from after the Sanctus through the "Amen" of the final doxology as an appropriate sign of reverence in our American culture." [Archbishop Justin Rigali, Clergy Online.]

4. Latin Mass: Letter of His Eminence Paul Augustine Cardinal Mayer, OSB, January 31, 1997 with permission for publication by Una Voce America: "In recent times it has been affirmed that the allowances given for the celebration of the ‘Tridentine Mass’ have been granted with provisions that only those who were familiar with the preceding forms of the Roman liturgy would be allowed to benefit from these concessions.

"During my time as President of the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei such limitation was never mentioned by the authorities involved. In this regard it should be mentioned that the Commission has used the faculty of erecting religious institutes which would benefit from the Roman Missal of 1962 and the other liturgical books in force at that time. Evidently it was understood that young recruits would be admitted to such communities and would benefit from such concessions made to them. Hence, one cannot speak of an age limit."

Education:

1. Annual Los Angeles Religious Education Conference: Designed to help Catholics grow in their faith, the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference has become an annual event. It has been met with annual protests from concerned Catholics.

Due to such protest in 1994, Cardinal Mahony canceled the talks of admitted pedophile, Father John Aurelio, and pro-abortionist Daniel McGuire who had both been scheduled to make an appearance. The Cardinal wrote: "I will not abide the presence of any speaker…who teaches anything contrary to the full teachings of our Catholic Church."

Despite such comforting promises, and despite the tireless efforts of Los Angeles Catholics to provide Cardinal Mahony with adequate information on the proposed Religious Education Conference speakers before each conference convened, subsequent conferences have featured a rash of speakers whose positions are very much contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. A sampling of these include:

Education:

1. Annual Los Angeles Religious Education Conference:

"It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the Magisterium is totally compatible with being a ‘good Catholic’ and poses no obstacle to the reception of the sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teachings of the bishops of the United States and elsewhere." [John Paul II’s response to Archbishop Quinn, Our Lady Queen of Angels Minor Seminary, September 16, 1987.]

1998 - Several past speakers have been invited to speak again: Sister Fran Ferder and Father John Heagle, Father Richard Rohr, Bishop Kenneth Untener, Father Richard Sparks, Kathleen Chesto among them. Also scheduled to speak will be:

Father Donald Senior, who has also been a speaker at the first Women in the Church conference in 1986. When asked by a reporter there why so many priests "ignorantly" supposed that Jesus had instituted Holy Orders, Senior responded that "If you’re going to have a conversion of viewpoints, or updating, more is involved" than mere clerical reeducation.

Despite years of protest from area Catholics who have complained that the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress is strongly biased against the Magisterium, Cardinal Mahony continues to defend the work of the Congress and to permit heterodox speakers an archdiocesan platform.

Catholic Schools:

a. Objectionable sex education programs are used in Los Angeles Archdiocesan Catholic schools. For example, Cardinal Mahony has approved use of the sex ed. program, In God’s Image, by Patricia Martens Miller. Miller’s program provides detailed descriptions of morally objectionable behavior and has the students debate whether, in certain instances, they should follow God’s law.

Morals:

Abortion:

a. Supporting pro-abortion politicians: In 1988, Los Angeles Knights of Columbus held an internal trial against member Edward Roybal, a California Congressman. Congressman Roybal had an abysmal pro-abortion legislative voting record. Under the Knights’ Constitution, Roybal merited expulsion for failure to uphold Church teachings.

Then Archbishop Mahony, however, was quoted by Supreme Knight Virgil Dechant has supporting Roybal. He said that Archbishop Mahony told him the "Congressman Roybal is a faithful Catholic, one of our best examples of an Hispanic Catholic in public office who is not afraid to live out his Catholic life with pride."

At the "trial," Roybal defended his pro-abortion positions, saying "I don’t believe everything the Catholic Church teaches."

During the years, the Archdiocesan paper has carried a number of articles and photos of pro-abortion legislators. In 1990 [April 6] a front page, color photo showed Cardinal Mahony walking arm-in-arm with pro-abortion Zev Yaroslavsky. Yaroslavsky personally supervised the arrest and rough handling of 900 Catholic and Protestant rescuers during a 1989 Holy Saturday demonstration.

b. Supporting abortionists: Dr. McMahon, an abortionist who admitted to performing 1,200 abortions annually, and who specialized in partial-birth abortions, was given last rites and a Catholic burial at Los Angeles’ Holy Cross Cemetery. Shortly before his death, in 1995, McMahon established the James McMahon Fund at the National Abortion Federation to "support access to safe and legal abortion." Cardinal Mahony defended the abortionist’s burial in a Catholic cemetery: "Do you think we should start judging everyone who is buried in the cemetery?"

c. Supporting the "culture of death:" In the spring of 1997, California held hearings for a statewide bill [SB 102] to ban partial-birth abortions. The bill had to be passed through the Senate Health Committee and onto consideration by the full senate before it could become law. Senator Haynes, who introduced SB 102, attributed its quashing to the three Catholic legislators who voted against it, and to Cardinal Mahony’s failure to attend the hearings, despite every effort having been made to arrange the hearings around Cardinal Mahony’s schedule.

Abortion:

a. Supporting pro-abortion politicians: The Declaration on Procured Abortion [1974] states that no Christian can vote for "a law which would admit in principle the liceity [sic] abortion.…Moreover, he may not collaborate in its application."

2. Birth Control: The Los Angeles Catholic Lay Mission weekly [September 1997] noted that the San Miguel Medical Center, the major advertiser in the Los Angeles Archdiocese’s official Spanish language newspaper, offers sterilization services and a wide range of birth control methods at its six sites, all of which target the Latino population the city. The editor of the archdiocesan paper, on being informed of the lay-Catholic investigation of the clinic and its findings has stated that "Clinica Medica San Miguel has signed the required statement swearing that they do not perform abortions or sterilizations and that is all the newspaper requires of them." The paper continues to run the clinic’s advertisements.

According to the National Catholic Reporter ["Mahony is a Big Man in Church," NCR, November 12, 1993, interview with an unnamed priest], "On condoms [Mahony] said at first it was okay to use a condom or to teach about condoms in AIDS prevention programs as long as you put the emphasis on abstinence. Then Washington [the Vatican Embassy] got on to him."