[Bumped from 2007] From Atty Raymond Dague: CNY Church Court Dismisses Case Against Priest

The Question must be:

When is Bishop Skip coning to investigate what went on with the former rector.

The bishop brought the charges against Fr. Bollinger after Bollinger publicly challenged the bishop. Fr. Bollinger had claimed that the bishop was covering up an alleged sex abuse of young boys by a retired priest at Bollinger’s Owego, New York parish. That retired priest, Fr. Ralph Johnson, renounced his orders as an Episcopal priest when later confronted by the allegations of the sexual abuse, but the bishop kept moving forward with the case against Fr. Bollinger despite that development.

Praise and Glory be to God for answering prayers of the faithful on Fr. Bollinger’s behalf and for standing in front of the evil that was being launched at him. God is faithful to protect and defend his believers and followers!

On another note:

Ignoring the orders of Judge Strickland to show their evidence to Fr. Bollinger was the basis of the dismissal,” said Dague. “But I am sure that the challenge to the court by the diocese did not help their case much either.”

“Ignoring” the left and 815 does this well!
“the challenge to the court” again they do this well

It is blatant arrogance and pride and we all know what follows those to characteristics don’t we?

R S Bunker -
Very good question and I would hope that TEC doesn’t fall into the same pit as the RCC with all their millions of dollars that have been paid out to date! Skip Adams is no better than AB Mahoney in the LA diocese.

I know Fr Bollinger is a self-described liberal.  But it’s interesting, isn’t it, when he was persecuted so unfairly, merely for trying to do the right thing—as it was his duty to do—it was the “liberal” Skip Adams who went after him so viciously and unfairly—and it was the orthodox who saw the injustice and came to his defense.  Where was the criticism on the left of the bishop for his vendetta against this priest—or the underlying cover-up that the bishop was so angry about having been exposed?  Where was the outrage and disgust about the crimes that were being covered up?  I contend that when there are no absolutes, and thus no moral compass, there is no imperative to defend Father Bollinger, or for that matter even the victims of abuse.  But when there is the belief in right and wrong, in Biblical standards that are not negotiable—then there is a duty and perhaps even a reflex to come to the aid of the true victims of injustice.  Perhaps through this all Father Bollinger will himself come to understand better that orthodoxy has consequences—as does heterodoxy.  He’s experienced both sets of consequences more than most.

The Living Church story on this is now available on their website.

“[The judge] had previously directed the prosecutor…=to give Fr. Bollinger copies of the evidence against him, but the diocese refused to release it to the priest.”

“For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God” (John 3:20-21)

Time for Gladstone to go!

Not being familiar with church courts myself but if the judge orders the Shafer Report to be disclosed and the diocese says they will never do that,are there any punitive consequences that can happen to the diocese chancellor and or the Bishop?

Should he wish, Fr. Bollinger does have an excellent claim for financial and emotional damage. I for one do not see that Gladstone, or for that matter Bruno, Mathes, Pete Lee, O’Neill and the rest of the HOB should be immune from paying for their abuse of the faithfull. My view (I am no canon lawyer) is that the biblical prohibition of suing persons or institutions that have harmed you is directed at not suing brothers and sisters in Christ. (Christians). IMHO Gladstone et al are therefore subject to being sued, having failed that in that regard.

Central New York had a tough time from 2002 through 2008 with Members down by 25 percent, ASA by 22 percent, and Plate & Pledge by 19 percent when adjusted for inflation. And it is ageing as indicated by 246 Infant Baptisms and 395 Burials in 2008. And in 2008 of its 94 churches there were 64 with less than 70 in ASA. Using the TEC ASA median of 69, one would expect only 47 to be that small. The chances of survival for such small churches is very low so the future for the diocese is sad. Bishop Adams indeed may have had his rewards.  Statmann

For anyone interested, here is the SF thread on the diocesan statement at the time the case was dismissed:
http://www.standfirminfaith.com/index.php/site/article/4446/

For those familiar with the case- at the time the case was dismissed in the ecclesiastic court, there was mention in the Living Church article that civil authorities were “continuing the investigation.”  Would I be correct in assuming that the state never brought any charges against Fr. Bollinger?  Also, was the mysterious Shafer report ever found?

Skip Adams is denying everything: http://tinyurl.com/y8ourpz

The latest on Ralph E. Johnson, spoiled priest. He has finally been arrested and charged. 

By WBNG News
Story Created: Feb 5, 2010 at 5:26 PM EST
Story Updated: Feb 6, 2010 at 12:58 AM EST
Gibson. PA (WBNG Binghamton) Another allegation against a retired priest from Susquehanna county.
This time, he’s accused of molesting a minor at his home in Gibson nearly 20 years ago.
Father Ralph Elwood Johnson was arrested Friday at State Police Barracks in Gibson.
The 82-year old is charged with 15 counts each of Involuntary Deviate Sexual intercourse, Indecent Assault, and Corruption of a Minor.
But this is not the first accusation of molestation.
Over the years, 2 other victims have come forward claiming they too were abused by the Episcopal Priest.
Johnson is accused of having sex with a teenage boy nearly 20 years ago.
He lives on Church Street in Gibson.
The now 29-year old victim says he was 11 when Johnson first forced sexual relations with him at his home in 1992.
And says it continued until 1995.
One of Johnson’s neighbors says he’s shocked at the allegation.
“I’m really surprised. I really am. This is the first time I’ve ever heard anything. Like I said, he’s been a pretty decent neighbor,” said Rudy Testa of Gibson.
In 2006, Johnson resigned from St. Paul’s Church in Owego following a 5 month investigation into an allegation he molested a then 15-year old boy in the 70’s.
A week later, a man from Montrose came forward claiming Johnson sexually abused him in the 80’s when he was the priest at Zion Church in Windsor.
“It has to be known. It has to be known that he used to do these things,” said the now 45 year old.
Action News also spoke with Father Dave Bollinger Friday.
He believes he was removed as Pastor at Saint Paul’s Church in Owego years ago, for blowing the whistle on Johnson’s activities.
The Episcopal Diocese Bishop alleged Bollinger financially mismanaged his parish.
Allegations Bollinger was later cleared of.
As for Johnson, he was arraigned and had his bail set at $50,000.
A hearing is set for February 16th.
Leigh Dana, WBNG TV Action News.

Episcopal Bishop Gladstone “Skip” Adams is the Bishop refered to above. Surely an investigation of criminal witness tampering and intimidation is in order. Instead of the bizarre financial charges against Fr. Bollinger, Adams would have better spent his time seeing to it that this parasite Johnson be barred from contact with little boys.

Seriously, someone should do something in court about Adams. Children may have suffered due to his apparent supression of the evidence of Mr. Johnson’s behaviour.