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Harvey Silverglate

A Treacherous Descent: Religious Freedom in America Put to the Test

by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on October 19, 2011 · 10 comments

Religious Freedom, Freedom of Religion, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church v. EEOC, Separation of Church and State, Fr. Gordon J. MacRae, These Stone Walls, Stephen Prothero, Pew Research Center, American atheists, culture war, Thomas S. Kidd, Cheryl Perich, EEOC, Department of Justice, Catholic Church in America, Catholic priests, Michael W. McConnell, Bill of Rights, James Madison, Mayflower Pilgrims, Founding Fathers, Joan Biskupic, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Justice Anthony Kennedy, Chief Justice John Roberts, Harvey Silverglate, John S. Baker, Diocese of Manchester, religious freedom, Catholic scandal, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

. . . The case currently before the Supreme Court seems an almost natural result of what I have repeatedly called “the settlement game” that has driven the Catholic scandal. In the Boston College Law Review, Professor John S. Baker summarized the grave implications of this capitulation: “The Church should recognize the New Hampshire settlement for what it potentially is: ‘the camel’s nose inside the tent.’ Over the years, the U.S. Department of Justice has set precedents by bringing and then settling dubious cases against corporations and other business entities. Over time, prosecutors use these unlitigated “precedents” to launch bolder prosecutions, as circumstances permit. This intrusion by a state prosecutor into the jurisdiction of the Church may encourage and be the basis for actions by other state prosecutors.” “The decision by the Diocese [of Manchester] to enter into this agreement represents a dangerous capitulation by one diocese that may have created a serious threat to the other dioceses of the United States.” (44 B.C.L.Rev. 1061, July/Sept. 2003). . .

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When Priests are Falsely Accused Part 2: Why Accusers Should be Named

by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on October 20, 2010 · 13 comments

a thorn in the flesh, Alan Dershowitz, Associated Press, Atlanta Bishop Eddie Long, Bishop Eddie Long, Boston Phoenix, Canadian blog, Catalyst, Catharine Henningsen, Church’s sex abuse scandal, Civil Liberties, claims against Catholic priests, Concord Monitor, David F. Pierre, Diocese of Manchester, double standard, Father Mark Gruber, Fr. Gordon J. MacRae, freedom through truth, Harvey Silverglate, Jr., law suits against the Catholic Church, mediated settlements, Michael Brandon, New Hampshire, priests accused, priests falsely accused, published names of accusers, Rev. Gordon MacRae, Sexual abuse by a teacher, SNAP, statute of limitations, The Boston Globe, The Catholic League, The Media Report, The Wall Street Journal, These Stone Walls, Unjustly accused priests, Valerie Bauerlein, VOTF, “A Priest’s Story, ” Dorothy Rabinowitz

. . . How does a priest accused from ten, twenty, or thirty years ago defend himself or ever restore his name when a diocese simply writes a check with no other evidence of guilt than the claim itself? And unlike the lawsuits filed by the accusers of Bishop Eddie Long, the lawyer who was given a $5.2 million check by my diocese – the first of several rounds of mediated settlements with the same lawyer who proclaimed,

“I’ve never seen anything like it!” – didn’t even file the claims in a court of law. He simply wrote a letter demanding settlement, and got it. Last month, the Concord Monitor reported on another case handled by that same lawyer with amazing result. . . .

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Questions from Readers of These Stone Walls

by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on January 27, 2010 · 9 comments

FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, Gordon MacRae, Falsely Accused Priest, Secular Sabotage, Bill Donohue, Catholic League, Three Felonies a Day, Harvey Silverglate, Prison Rules, National Center for Reason and Justice, False Memory Syndrome Foundation, Truth in Justice, Friends of Justice, Fr Daniel Joseph Kennedy, Mary Undoer of Knots,

. . . On August 26th, I posted “Postcards from the Edges.” It wasn’t exactly a masterpiece of western literature. Nonetheless, I thought it was a good post that addressed a timely topic: news media bias. It was barely noticed, and received few comments. Six weeks later on October 7th, I posted “To the Readers of These Stone Walls.” I didn’t think it was very interesting, but it generated more comments than any post before it, and was linked on a number of other blogs. Readers seemed interested in how These Stone Walls came into being, and in the obstacles we face. . . . A number of readers have posted comments and sent messages with pointed questions about prison, possible appeals, my weekly Mass, etc. I’d like to respond to some of them here. Some are direct questions from readers, and some are composites of questions asked by several readers. . . .

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Postcards From The Edges

by Fr. Gordon J. MacRae on August 26, 2009 · 4 comments

Raymond J. Lawrence, Harvey Silverglate, Fleecing the Shepherd, Richard John Neuhaus, Peter M.J. Stravinskas, The Catholic Response, Bill Donohue, Secular Sabotage, Benedict Groeschel, An Urgent Appeal, Gordon MacRae Falsely Accused Priest,

. . . When The Scandal reached its media apex in January, 2003, a reporter for a local newspaper met with me in the prison visiting room. At the end of our visit, she said – and this is a direct quote – “The news media, and my paper in particular, are so anti-Catholic, editors won’t let us write stories about falsely accused priests.” A week later, the reporter canceled a second scheduled visit. I never heard from her again. . . .

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