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Pedo Bear Seal of Approval

November 2, 2009 by Brandon 10 Comments

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10 Comments so far:

1. Mr.O on November 4, 2009 1:54 am

   I have bookended this story. I remember this story from 2005 when I lived in Monroe County and now it has come full circle. What I find the most amusing is that those two ‘catholic’ churches in York aren’t recognized by the Diocese.

   Ceiling Cat is Great!

2. D. W. Downey on November 8, 2009 8:52 am

   This is the reply to the news article from Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission. It is interesting to see how low the diocesan people can be.
   D. W. Downey

   Persecution for justice’ sake

   The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This proverb explains why the Dioceses of Scranton and Harrisburg have joined Planned Parenthood in attacking the reputation of Fr. Virgil Tetherow. The hierarchy hates Fr. Tetherow because he preaches the Catholic Faith without compromise or equivocation. Planned Parenthood hates him because he defends the sanctity of human life, influencing at least seven women not to destroy their child. Thus like Herod and Pilate, new friendships have blossomed.

   It takes fewer words to damage a reputation than to defend it. Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission did a through background check of Fr. Tetherow before he came to York and we are confident he had no active part in the scandal that occurred at St. Ann’s Church 2005.

   Fr. Tetherow was ordained a traditional Franciscan priest by Bishop Bruskewitz in 2002; his religious name was Gabriel Francis, by which he was known for years as a Franciscan brother. He established a monastery in the diocese of Scranton sponsored by Bishop Timlin. Bishop Martino replaced Timlin November 1, 2003 and in sixteen days suppressed the Franciscan monastery, confiscating property, bank accounts, and forbidding Fr. Tetherow to wear his religious habit.

   Rev. Michael Kloton became pastor of St. Ann’s in Tobyhanna in 1999. I have affidavits from former employees of St. Ann’s parish on the behavior of Kloton and the discovery of images on his computers of homosexual acts, sexual perversions, and pornography . Louise Carbonaro, the Director of Religious Education, the Music Director and the Financial Secretary were all witnesses to the pornography. Letters regarding the pornography and accusations of sexual harassment against Kloton were sent to the Chancellor James Earley who did nothing. The complaint was then taken directly to Bishop Timlin who asked Rev. Joseph R. Kopacz, the Vicar General and Secretary of Clergy, to investigate. The affidavits describe Kopacz’s manner as rude and intimidating. Kopacz found no merit to the accusations. The discovery of pornography occurred in 2000. The diocesan investigation on this matter was long over before November 2003 when Fr. Tetherow’s Franciscan community was suppressed.

   Fr. Tetherow, as a traditional Catholic priest was useless to the diocese and sent to live, of all places, at St. Ann’s parish in the rectory with Kloton. Fr. Tetherow arrived in January 2004. It was Kloton who provided the computer in Fr. Tetherow’s room, it was Kloton who called in the man to clean up the hard drives, and it was Kloton who called in the police in January 2005.

   Fr. Tetherow, who can only be described as exceptionally naïve regarding computer and Internet technology and terminology, was charged with ten criminal counts. All were eventually dropped except “wrongful use of a computer.” This last charge was not dropped because Fr. Tetherow could not cooperate with the district attorney without violating the secrecy of the confessional, which he is bound by solemn oath to uphold. The diocese offered no help in Fr. Tetherow’s defense. Kloton has since spent several months at St. Luke Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation and is currently on “administrative leave,” but remains a priest in “good standing.”

   Fr. Enrique Rueda, a priest who helped with the establishment of our Mission, wrote in 1981, The Homosexual Network, which is a scholarly work on the homosexual agenda in society and within the Catholic Church, their goals and methods of operation. Homosexual networks actively function within most diocesan structures and have been protecting pedophile priests for years. Fr. Tetherow was sent to St. Ann’s to have his reputation destroyed.

   I met Fr. Tetherow when he was a seminarian. I know him to be a man of sterling character, confirmed virtue with a living Catholic Faith. I have over fifty signed testimonials from priests, religious, and laymen who know Fr. Tetherow and all without exception confirm my own observations. There are about 120 members of our small Mission including about 50 children. No parent has any reservations whatsoever with entrusting their children to his direction.

   As to the comments of former district attorney, Rob Saurman, he is firstly a politician. Justice is a convenience to polish his own star and not a necessity of duty. He had the same affidavits that I have and the resources of his office. He also has additional evidence that I have not addressed in this letter which exonerates Fr. Tetherow from any guilt and yet, Kloton remains a “priest in good standing.”

   Chancellor Earley’s comments are shameful. The affidavit link is footnoted. Is he a liar or very stupid, or both? Joe Aponick, the spokesman for Bishop Rhoades, is, as they say, a zero to the left. Planned Parenthood’s “concern for the children” makes you wonder what they mean by “concern.” Yet, why can’t we all get along now, because we have someone to hate.

   David M. Drew, D. O.
   Chairman
   Ss. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Mission

   http://www.saintjustinmartyr.org/news/AffidavitCarbonaro.html

   http://www.saintspeterandpaulrcm.com/

3. StrateArrow on November 19, 2009 6:10 am

   The “rebuttal” by Dr. David Drew on the church’s website says that Tetherow was convicted on a felony child porn charge because he refused to break his “solemn oath” to keep secrets he heard in confession. But, despite that “solemn oath,” Drew’s letter accused another priest by name of allegedly viewing child porn and then strongly implied that it was this priest who allegedly “setup” Tetherow for arrest. Since no evidence was presented that the other priest was actually involved in Tetherow’s crime and the other priest was never charged in the case, Drew’s letter appears to be little more than a libelous attempt to smear an innocent person with the crime for which Tetherow has been convicted.
   While Tetherow bragged in the newspaper article about making enemies, another letter from Edward Snell published on the church’s website agreed that there is no person “who strikes more fear in our enemies at Planned Parenthood and Hillcrest than Fr. Tetherow.” Aren’t fear and intimidation the weapons of the terrorist? Here is powerful testimony that Tetherow’s activities are not about counseling women or saving lives. Tetherow, in an era when clinics are bombed and doctors murdered, is openly praised as the person most feared by clinic workers, who are mostly women.
   There were no “slanderous lies” about Tetherow in the newspaper article. Indeed, we know Tetherow is lying. If Tetherow is guilty of downloading child porn then he is lying now in claiming his innocence, if he is innocent of the porn charges then he lied in court when he entered his guilty plea. Tetherow’s arrest and conviction are on the public record in Monroe County. Now Tetherow’s sleazy dishonesty and acts of abuse and terrorism are on record on the website of his own church.

4. D. W. Downey on November 20, 2009 4:50 pm

   There is a second letter to the YDR in reply to this post that is worth reading. The homosexual networks within the Catholic dioceses are responsible for the pedophile problem and for covering up the perpetrators. They also appear to be very good at destroying the reputation of their enemies.

   D. W. Downey

   Abortion and the Slander Business
   A Second Reply in Defense of Fr. Virgil (Gabriel) Tetherow to the York Daily Record Article, York’s Planned Parenthood protests a protester

   The feature article on the front page of the Sunday York Daily Record (YDR) entitled, Planned Parenthood Protests A Protester, was not exactly a late breaking investigative story. The scandal in the Scranton diocese occurred nearly five years ago. Fr. Virgil (Gabriel) Tetherow has helped at our Mission for over 3 ½ years and on a regular basis for the last 18 months. My statements quoted in this story were given to the reporter last January; that is ten months ago. So why is an old story finding itself as the feature article on the front page of the Sunday paper?

   The answer is that Planned Parenthood is loosing money. Fr. Tetherow was quoted in the YDR article as saying, “abortions are no longer provided” at the York clinic. The YDR is anxious to preserve the abortion business in York. They think they can help Planned Parenthood by damaging the reputation of Fr. Tetherow, the reputation of the Members of our Mission, and myself. It is really that simple.

   Fr. Tetherow and the members of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission have been at Planned Parenthood every week in every kind of weather for years. Just in the last few months, at least seven women have left the abortuary without ending the life of their child and, for every one that leaves after entering there are several that never enter in the first place. The preaching of Fr. Tetherow, the prayers of the faithful, and the graphic pictures depicting the mutilated remains of aborted children present to a woman a stark depiction of what exactly it is that she is intending to do to her child. By the grace of God, this has produced wonderful results in awakening the consciences of many. Planned Parenthood wants this stopped and YDR wants to help.

   YDR would like everyone to believe that Fr. Tetherow is a danger to the York community and a danger to us. The implication is that I and the other members of our Mission have failed to exercise due diligence to examine Fr. Tetherow’s background. The implication is libelous. Not only did we look thoroughly into Fr. Tetherow’s background with regard to the charges and the criminal disposition, we look thoroughly enough to come to the conclusion that he is not morally guilty of anything and his involvement in this scandal was a form of entrapment. A serious charge indeed. Something an investigative article might want to follow up with a question or two, like, “What evidence do you have”? A question like that is only useful if finding the truth has anything to do with the investigation. But, in this case, it only muddles the YDR agenda.

   A previous letter, Persecution for Justice’ Sake, which documented some of that evidence, was submitted to the YDR. It was rejected for publication by editors on the grounds that, even though it was supported by verifiable facts and sworn testimony from eyewitnesses, it was far too inflammatory for the YDR investigative work. And although the article accused no one of criminal activity, by citing specific people, places and times it substantiates findings of fact that compel certain conclusions of law that the YDR is uncomfortable with. In my opinion, if you open a question on the front page of the Sunday paper as an “investigative” work you should have enough integrity to follow the evidence wherever it may lead. The letter is now available on our Mission web page.

   Fr. Tetherow is open to answer any personal inquiries on these questions but sees little merit in speaking with reporters. He thinks his contribution will have no bearing on their determined ends and only serve to legitimize their work with the appearance of objectivity. That opinion is supported by this current article. The daily newspaper will soon be an historical footnote. The Internet has exposed it as hopelessly biased and ideologically driven in its efforts to form community opinion in its own image. It makes this bias transparent, and once it is recognized, it is deeply resented.

   David M. Drew
   Chairman
   Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Mission
   http://www.saintspeterandpaulrcm.com/index.htm

5. Mr.O on November 22, 2009 3:29 pm

   Dear Mr. Downey/Mr. Drew,

   I was going to let your first post go without a reply, then you decided to try to use this site as a soapbox. So let me begin.

   As a Catholic and a former member of the Diocese of Scranton your spineless attack on Fr. Kloton is nothing short of liable and lacks Christian values. It is sad that professed Christian men as yourselves would defame a man’s character in order to cover your own asses. If this was the only failure you showed in the post I would stop there, but it isn’t.

   Homosexuals are not the cause of the problems the Church has with pedophiles, and by you reinforcing that stereotype you are doing nothing to stop these terrible crimes. In fact your scapegoating of the problem ensures that it will continue long into the future. Gay men are attracted to men, not children, and your ignorance on the subject only shows your homophobia to the world.

   Finally, I take offense with something I did not find on your mission’s website, community service. We Catholics are not saved by faith alone, good works must be done, and standing outside of a Planned Parenthood insulting your neighbors is NOT good works. In fact the majority of the content I found on your website were anger-filled rants about the modern catholic church and the U.S. diocese. I would suggest using your mission to do good works in the community if you really want to join the Diocese of Harrisburg. Showing only hate will get you only hate.

   sincerely,

   Mr.O

   P.S. Fr. Tetherow plead guilty to criminal use of a communication tool. That criminal act was downloading child porn. An innocent man would never plead guilty to such a terrible crime.

6. D. W. Downey on November 23, 2009 7:16 am

   Mr. O,

   “Spineless attack on Fr. Kloton” ? Hardly, my name is signed to my post and the letter I have reference from Dr. Drew is also signed. It is “spineless” to do what you are doing “Mr. O.”

   As to your charge that the letters about Rev. Kloton unjustifiably “defame a man’s character,” I can only reply that it was not the letters but Rev. Kloton himself who has done that. There is a sworn affidavit linked to the post of Dr. Drew that affirms that homosexual pornography and other sexually perverse material was on the Rev. Kloton’s computers, and that Rev. Kloton is alleged to have sexually harassed parish employees. It is affirmed that Rev. Kloton has been an inpatient in an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center, and that he is currently on “administrative leave.” He has also been assigned to two parishes that have refused to have him as their pastor. It does not accuse him of being a homosexual but he has a generally accepted reputation in the Scranton diocese for being one. If you find that pointing this out “lacks Christian values,” it only calls into question your “values.”

   The problem that seems to have set you off is the assertion that homosexuals in the clergy are responsible for the pedophilia. That is a fact whether you like to hear it or not. It may be true that most homosexuals are not pedophiles but it is also true that there organized opposition to pedophilia was more than twenty years in coming. In the annual “gay pride” parade in New York City, the North American Man/Boy Love Association has marched along with everyone else on many occasions. Their slogan, “sex by eight or else it’s too late,” is public knowledge.

   The positive correlation between homosexuals and pedophilia in the Catholic Church is well documented by Randy Engel’s book, The Rite of Sodomy. Even the USCCB investigative data collected by independent sources supports this conclusion.

   Your last objection, “Finally, I take offense with something I did not find on your mission’s website, community service” is a problem. It is Dr. Drew who would have to answer for this “offense” since I am not writing as a member of this community. But I will comment in their defense that your claim that “standing outside of a Planned Parenthood” is not a “good work” can only be the opinion of someone who doesn’t understand the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.
   Fr. Tetherow and the members of this Mission have induced many women not to kill their children and to save the life of another is an eminently “good work” for both the child and his mother. They also seem to have forced Planned Parenthood for the time being to move their abortions away from York. When Jesus Christ was asked, “Master, which is the greatest commandment of the law?” he replied, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like to this: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments dependeth the whole law and the prophets.” These people have demonstrated by their devotion to the lives of these children and the spiritual welfare of their mothers a true love for their “neighbour.”

   D. W. Downey

7. Brandon on November 23, 2009 8:48 am

   Father Gabriel, and his congregation of religious trolls, have been verbally assaulting the volunteers and clients of York’s Planned Parenthood, yelling such things as “coward,” “moronic idiot,” and “the personification of the face of evil” at them.

   [...]

   “Here’s this guy yelling and screaming at us, telling us we’re going to hell,” said Liz Burcin , a Planned Parenthood volunteer. “He’s trying to dictate morality to us when he has this in his past.”

   Yes, Tetherow certainly does seem to be loving his neighbors by shouting and calling names and condemning them to Hell.

   I’m sorry, but if you think that’s how Jesus would have gone about things, you’re sadly mistaken.

   Furthermore, Jesus also said “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

   Abortion, to you and Tetherow, is a sin. And sin is sin. It is not your job or Tetherow’s to condemn anyone for their sin, according to your religion. That is the job of your God. And according to your religion, you are all equal sinners, so for anyone to point out the sin of another, especially in such hateful and vulgar manners, is simply hypocritical and it is not at all a good act.

   If that’s how you think good works are done, you must think Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church is a saint for how he condemns homosexuality and war.

8. D. W. Downey on November 24, 2009 3:31 pm

   This is a real clever post Brandon. “Fr. Gabriel and his congregation of religious trolls” is quite an accusation to conclude from the evidence of a newspaper article quoting people who make their living killing infants in their mothers’ wombs. If you are trying to defend the indefensible simply say so and knock off the pretensions of moral rectitude.

   Since you refer to the Catholic religion as “your religion,” it apparently is not your religion. So why would you bother telling me or anyone else what that religion teaches? How would Jesus have acted? It’s a good question but for the answer, you haven’t a clue. Jesus was quite brutal to the hypocritical and unrepentant such as “when He had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew.”

   But for the record, the Catholic Church teaches that every Catholic has the moral duty when presented to perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The corporal works of mercy include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, etc. The Church is famous for its works of corporal charity for which it is historically unmatched by all others in the world combined. The Church is equally famous for the spiritual works of mercy which include instructing the ignorant, counseling the doubtful, comforting the sorrowful, forgiving all injuries, praying for the living and the dead, admonish sinners, and bear wrongs patiently.

   To “admonish the sinner” is a work of preeminent charity. If it bothers you to hear it, you probably need to hear it. Jesus did not say to leave the mote in your brothers eye, he said remove the beam from your own first and then remove the mote from your brother eye. What would you have Fr. Tetherow do? Leave his brother in blindness?

   Downey

9. Brandon on November 25, 2009 10:30 am

   Who make their living killing infants? Sorry, you can twist the words all you want to, but they don’t kill infants. And using such language makes you a religious troll, just like the religious trolls in this guy’s congregation who are interferring with a woman’s legal right.

   An infant is a child that’s aged from birth to one year of age. That isn’t symantics.

   Since you refer to the Catholic religion as “your religion,” it apparently is not your religion. So why would you bother telling me or anyone else what that religion teaches? How would Jesus have acted?

   How astute of you. What gave it away? Was it my atheist blog?

   I attended a Catholic school during my childhood. I minored in Religious Studies in college (which is misleading, I had enough credits for a full major in the subject, however, I was already dual majoring and the college wouldn’t grant me a triple major without paying extra).

   Frankly, you and I can both throw out all the quotes we want from Jesus to support our side. Because that’s the cool thing about the Bible, you can twist and interpret it to validate just about anything you want to, from genocide, to rape, to slavery. You can twist that story of the money changers into evidence that Jesus would want you to do that sort of thing because he hated hypocrites, and I can point out that Jesus would call you the hypocrite:

   Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

   Like I said before, you’re all sinners thanks to Paul. Sin is equal. So it is hypocritical for you or anyone else to call out the sins of another person when you yourself are guilty of sin.

   John 8:7 If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.

   To “admonish the sinner” is a work of preeminent charity. If it bothers you to hear it, you probably need to hear it. Jesus did not say to leave the mote in your brothers eye, he said remove the beam from your own first and then remove the mote from your brother eye. What would you have Fr. Tetherow do? Leave his brother in blindness?

   I assume you’re referring to Matthew 18:15?

   Matthew 18:15 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.

   Interesting. It seems to me like the instruction was to go tell them privately. Not to stand out on a street yelling hateful words. Correct me if I’m wrong there. And correct me if I’m wrong, but I was always under the impression that you are supposed to tell a person about their sinful way in a kind and charitable manner, and if they do not listen, that is their choice. You don’t keep hounding them until you get your way; your duty is done if you’ve informed them of their error.

10. D. W. Downey on November 25, 2009 3:45 pm

    Brandon,

    This again is a real clever post. You apparently think killing a child in the womb perfectly acceptable but draw the line at birth. Partial birth abortions I suppose you’re a little ambiguous about. After all we are then dealing with only a ¾ infant and a ¼ fetus, which I suppose you might regard as a freak that is expendable. So you have made the accident of location the primary criteria of whose life has value.

    “Legal rights” are your criteria? Then slavery was all right since it was “legal.” And the slave was only ¾ a person and thus like the partial birth abortion a little less than human. How about the Holocaust? That should be doubly alright since it was not only “legal” under Nazi law but it also met the supreme criteria of worth based on location; wrong place at the wrong time.

    Of course this is just semantics, (not symantics) which deals with the meaning of words. Words have meanings and meanings have consequences. The value of a human life is not determined by the accident of location nor can it be arbitrarily determined by force of human law.

    Since you confess to being an atheist, who is not so much a person who believes in nothing as a person who will believe absolutely anything, you might want to avoid quoting scripture. You haven’t the competency by you own admission. You have already accepted the absolute accuracy of a reporter quoting the words of an abortionist that they were “yelling hateful words.” But then why would an atheist, who doesn’t wince at mutilated baby parts, have any moral qualms about objective judgments of what is hateful and what is not? The most you can talk about is your own personal, limited and selfish likes and dislikes. And who is the world is interested in that.

    Downey