Agony in Albany - The Roman Catholic Faithful

Roman Catholic Faithful, Inc. / AMDG May 2004 Albany newslettermodel of a very modern bishop. At the same time“Agony In Albany” was reporting the concerns ofpriests and laity that Hubbard had a policy of recruitinghomosexuals to the priesthood, some of whomhad been expelled from other seminaries, he even defendedhis policy of recruiting homosexuals in theTimes Union.After “Agony In Albany” was printed, theCoalition of Concerned Catholics in Albany circulatedmore than 5,000 copies of the assembled tenarticles, and sent copies to all reporters and editorsand priests in the Diocese of Albany, politicians, police,other professionals and diocesan bureaucrats andparish leadership.It had no restorative effect. To the contrary,Hubbard’s persecution of good Catholics, lay andclerical, intensified, and the abuses continued andincreased during the past 13 years.Because an acquiescent media was told toignore The Wanderer, because it was “extremist,”Hubbard was emboldened and empowered.Additionally, Hubbard would never havebeen permitted to conduct his reign of terror againstthe Catholics of Albany if he did not understand implicitlythat he had the protection of the press, thepoliticians, the police and above all, most of his fellowAmerican bishops.Why didn’t Catholic Governor Mario Cuomointercede for the Catholics of Albany and advise Hubbardto step aside?Where is Catholic Governor George Pataki?Why, for the good of the Church, doesn’t he quietlytell Hubbard he has lost all credibility?Where are all the prominent Catholic politiciansand professionals and the influential, wealthyCatholics? Why not speak the truth to Hubbard andtell him he must step aside.Where are the media? Why are they givingHubbard a pass on one of the most notable fleecingsof his flock for his own personal benefit and protection?If an institution cannot correct its corruptionfrom within, it needs to be corrected from outside. Itis time for the politicians, the police, the press and theCatholic people to demand that Howard Hubbard stepaside or be degraded from the office of Bishop of Albanybefore there are any more tragedies like thedeath of good, courageous Fr. John Minkler. # # #http://www.cruxnews.com/rose/rose-27feb04.html27 February 2004Priest's mysterious death complicatesAlbany bishop's quest to clear his nameTwo separate accusations that Bishop HowardHubbard had homosexual relations, includingpaying for sex with a 16-year-old minor, have leftthe leader of the Albany diocese embarrassed andhumiliated. At press conferences, in public statements,and on talk radio he has steadfastly refutedboth allegations, saying that he has "never had sexualrelations with anyone."But it is the death of Fr. John Minkler thathas severely complicated matters for the accusedbishop. Fr. Minkler, 57, was found dead in hishome on Sunday, February 15. Three days before,the deceased priest was identified in a televisionnews report as the author of a 1995 report addressedto New York’s Cardinal John J. O’Connor. Amongother things, the letter detailed "a ring of homosexualAlbany priests" including Bishop Howard Hubbard’salleged long-term homosexual relationshipswith two younger priests.Police won’t say how Fr. Minkler died,only that the circumstances surrounding his deathare not yet clear. The coroner has yet to release hisreport of the autopsy.But that’s only the beginning. Bishop Hubbardappears to be caught in a lie, and according tosources close to the late priest, the bishop may alsohave forced Fr. Minkler to lie.In a Feb. 16 press conference (the day afterFr. Minkler's death), Bishop Hubbard announcedthat Fr. Minkler disavowed authorship of the controversialreport in a written affidavit signed at diocesanheadquarters two days before his death. Thebishop also claimed that Fr. Minkler arrived thereof his own free-will and assured everyone that hewas not summoned there: "Fr. Minkler made anappointment to see me, and he told me that he didnot author the letter, and he wanted to be with meface-to-face and to assure me that he had not writtenanything to Cardinal O’Connor about me…andhe did not know how his name got associated withthe letter."Stephen Brady, head of the Illinois-basedRoman Catholic Faithful, was the first to contradictthat report of events. Brady revealed that Fr. Minklerhad been working with his lay Catholic group21