Questions for the new bishop
2011-11-14T18:45:00ZQuestions for the new bishopBy THOMAS HATZENBUHLER BismarckBismarckTribune.com
November 14, 2011 6:45 pm • By THOMAS HATZENBUHLER Bismarck
Prior to his appointment as bishop-elect of our diocese, Monsignor David Kagan served as the misconduct officer for the Diocese of Rockford, Ill.
At the time of his service as misconduct officer, a fellow clergyman, the Rev. Mark Campobello, was accused of sexually abusing two young girls.
In 2004, Campobello pleaded guilty to two counts of sexually abusing minors.
Had the state of Illinois not been so pertinacious in the pursuit of justice for these two young victims, Campobello's misdeeds may have been blurred into obscurity and speculation.
As the diocese's misconduct officer, Monsignor Kagan chose to impede the legal process by asserting that the records of Campobello's reassignments within the church, all investigative conversations between himself and Campobello and the circumstances of Campobello's voluntary institutionalization at a mental health facility fell within the purview of canonical law and were therefore accessible only by the church (Illinois V. Campobello, 2002).
Nevertheless, and despite Monsignor Kagan's efforts, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford settled the lawsuit filed against Campobello by the two known victims of his sexual abuse for the amount of $2.2 million.
This indifference particularly worries me because
I am an alumnus of the Catholic elementary and junior high school that Monsignor Kagan will soon directly oversee, the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Bismarck.
I fully understand that Monsignor Kagan was himself not responsible for the despicable abuse rendered by Campobello; nevertheless, I hold the man, who willingly - with a faithful conscience - protected such an individual, both legally and morally, to be of equal or greater moral ineptitude and offense.
Given his clear history of holding canonical laws above those of the state, I cannot help but conjecture about the authority by which Monsignor Kagan is either able or allowed to be a moral guide for others, much less for children
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The above is taken from the following: Questions for the new bishop
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