New Hampshire?s Catholics gathered in Concord last night to hear from their leader.
Priests came from around the state, each invited 3 or 4 lay leaders from their parish. Manchester Bishop John McCormack told them he?s determined to serve as Bishop, despite calls to resign.
NHPR?s Raquel Maria Dillon reports.
From the back pews of St. John the Evangelist Church in Concord, you could hear ?very faintly ? protestors outside in the frigid cold. Their chants called on Bishop John McCormack to step down.
But the 500 invitees inside were there to support the Bishop and hear him out.
MCCORMACK :14 I am not deaf to those who have called me to leave. But I do not see my doing so as consistent with what we are as Church or who I am as a faithful disciple of the Lord.
Next week, the state Attorney General?s Office is scheduled to report back on its extensive criminal investigation. 9000 previously secret church documents will be released to the public. The A-G?s office will also report on how the Manchester Diocese endangered children by shuffling abusive priests from parish to parish. Last night, McCormack seemed to be bracing himself ? and his followers ? for a new round of criticism.
MCCORMACK :11 the publication of this doc, and release of investigative material by state will be another painful moment in the life of our church.
McCormack says the Diocese will release its own report on Monday.
MCCORMACK :19 this companion report will present our own honest analysis of what we have done and failed to do as church leaders in past. It is my hope it will be helpful in restoring your trust in church leaders. A trust that has been fractured and for some sadly broken.
To rebuild that trust, McCormack asked those invited to pray, to include sexual abuse survivors in parish life, and continue the tradition of serving the needy.
McCormack outlined some new initiatives. He promised to think about how parents would feel when he assigns priests. He pledged to release a Diocesan financial statement by the end of March, and to include lay people in running every local parish?
McCORMACK :17 for too long, many priests and bishops didn?t trust in the competence of laity. We tired to protect you rather than entrust matters to you. Some of us have been fearful that we could not trust you to handle bad news.
Many of his proposals have been in the works for several months ? including a special ministry for adult survivors of sexual abuse.
Afterwards, several speakers, hand-picked by the Diocese, talked about why they choose to support McCormack. One priest described how he suffered a crisis of confidence in Church leadership, but now he sees McCormack as a model for how to handle the ongoing crisis.
A survivor of sexual abuse also spoke. She had been victimized by a female babysitter, and found healing through a compassionate Catholic priest.
Each respondent hugged the bishop to a couple of standing ovations. That?s pretty much what Jeff Blanchard expected ? since it was an invitation-only event.
BLANCHARD :11 I didn?t hear anything particularly different than what I expected to hear. I don?t know that anything tremendous happened as result of it. It was basically very orchestrated.
Blanchard is a parishioner at Immaculate Conception in Penacook, but he?s also a member of Voice of the Faithful.
BLANCHARD :19 bishop mccormack did speak tonight of a greater need for involvement of laity. At not only the parish level but also diocesan level. I look at that as being a positive not on his part, and consistent with goals of VOTF, which I am a member.
He was happy to hear that the bishop was committed to openness ? especially about parish and diocesan finances.
Other critics aren?t so generous. Jim Farrell has been calling for the Bishop to resign for over a year. He wasn?t invited last night.
FARRELL :25 bishop did not respond to questions from the press, people were carefully chosen. Access carefully controlled. The so-called respondents were selected by bishop himself. this was merely a stage show for benefit of public relations standing of John McCormack.
Farrell says the Catholic lay leaders who went last night aren?t representative New Hampshire Catholics. According to a recent poll from WMUR Television and the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 72% of Catholics in the state think McCormack should resign.
FARRELL :17 People that showed up went because they think they?re doing their duty, helping pastor. What I have a problem with is those people going into and applauding for John McCormack.
If the last night?s message seems highly focused, that?s no mistake.
HOWELL :16 it sounds like they did a very good job at a tactical level in controlling the message.
Ray Howell runs the Boston public relations firm, Howell Communications. He says controlling the message is the challenge in these situations.
HOWELL :16 question is whether message itself was effective. Whether it resolved or satisfied questions in the minds of key audiences. Catholics, general public, media, law enforcement, public officials.
Lynn Kettleson specializes in crisis management communications with a Boston P-R firm called Clark and Company.
KETTLESON :18 he?s doing what we here at Clark & Co. call leadership communication. You start with key audience, whether it?s your employees, customers, voters, in his case it?s the priests and lay leaders.
Kettleson says those people will chose to get on board, or not. And that?s McCormack best bet for rebuilding his own credibility in leadership and moving forward.
KETTLESON :21 when you deal in these kinds of tough negative situations. It?s a battle between communications and lawyers. We try to sit down right at the beginning with the attorneys so that everyone understands there?s a legal position and a communications position. A court of law and a court of public opinion.
Even though the Diocese settled and avoided criminal indictment las t year, Kettleson says McCormack and the Diocese of Manchester are back in the court of public opinion. And, until the Attorney General releases its report next week, the jury?s still out.
For NHPR News, I?m RMD.
