Arlington Priest Had Front Row Seat in Dallas

By Stephanie Tracy
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the issue of 6/27/02)

While most people, clerics and laity alike, gathered around television sets to watch the proceedings of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference two weeks ago in Dallas, one priest from the Arlington Diocese observed the conference from a front-row seat on the other side of the television camera.

Father James R. Gould (pictured at right), pastor of St. Raymond of Penafort Parish in Fairfax Station, commented on the bishops’ conference for EWTN’s live coverage of the meetings along with EWTN news anchor Raymond Arroyo.

Father Gould, former vocations director, noted the exceptional character of this meeting in comparison to others.

"This was probably the most important meeting of the bishops in the last six years," he said. "This meeting was exceptional for its introspective nature, and the way it focused the bishops’ attention on their role as leaders."

Agendas for past meetings have often dealt with outside needs of the Church, such as pro-life concerns, the needs of the Church in Africa and Latin America or the need for more priests in hospital ministry.

"I think by and large, many of the bishops were angry and frightened," Father Gould said. "This conference drew more bishops, more retired bishops, than in past years. The security was the most rigorous; most of the bishops didn’t leave the hotel."

The bishops began their meeting with three components to consider, Father Gould said. These components included six principles set down by Pope John Paul II in his meeting with cardinals from the United States, the charter published by the USCCB and the set of norms agreed upon by the bishops for the handling of abuse cases.

The conference focused on the first three principles of the pope’s statement to the U.S. cardinals that dealt with children. The fourth principle concerned a renewed recognition of the beauty of celibacy while the last two principles dealt with a return to moral orthodoxy.

"The problem we really have here is one of dissent and homosexuality," Father Gould said.

He noted that the conversation during the seven-hour-long executive session most likely grappled with some of these issues, while the public statements remained true to the stated purpose of the conference.

"The bishops stated that the conference was aimed at protecting the children; the media outside were clamoring that the problem was homosexuality," Father Gould said. "Bishop [Wilton] Gregory [president of the USCCB], and Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua [of Philadelphia] stated that the conference was only about the safety of the children. But I think the media’s agenda really drove the meeting. A prime example would be the story published in the Dallas Morning News the week of the conference regarding the bishops."

Another driving force for the conference may also have been the lawyers involved in prosecuting sex abuse cases against various dioceses.

"The media won’t let this go away, and neither will the lawyers," Father Gould said. "It took $1 billion to 2 billion for us to realize we had a problem, and if we don’t fix it, it will cost us another $1-2 billion. And the people who will suffer in the long run will be those in the Third World."

In dealing with the problem of clerical sexual abuse, Father Gould listed four categories of men: candidates for the priesthood, perpetrators of clerical sexual abuse, priests actively engaged in homosexual or heterosexual behavior and those priests who are living the "proper priestly life."

"The bishops only dealt with the second of those four groups at this meeting," he said. "The next step will be the Vatican’s investigation of the seminaries. The bishops now need to really go after the third group, those actively engaged in homosexual or heterosexual behavior."

Father Gould said the bishops’ action with regard to this third group is essential for spiritual reasons.

"The bishop acts as the spiritual father of all the priests in his care," he said. "Out of concern for the souls of those priests engaged in such activity, they have to hold those priests accountable; and out of concern for the fourth category, those priests who are living out their commitment to celibacy, the bishops must address that third group. I fear if they don’t address it, many members of that fourth group will wobble into the third."

During the conferences, many in the media called for the bishops to take more responsibility for their roles in the recent scandals. Wording in the charter was changed in certain places, most notably replacing the word "cleric" with "priests and deacons," and widening the parameters of allegations by replacing the word "contact" with "interactions."

"I think the media were accurate in their reporting of this aspect," Father Gould said. "The bishops did somewhat recuse themselves with the wording changes. But the insights that came out of this meeting are due to be reviewed again in two years, and I think at that time the wording will change again to include all clerics. The bishops have simply given themselves the flexibility right now."

Father Gould called the conference the first step along the Church’s spiritual journey in the United States.

"This is the first step on the purgative way," he said. "The pope’s set of six principles is a call to the illuminative way, but we have to get through this purgation first. It’s a time for a conversion experience."

Father Gould noted the efforts of many bishops to prepare for the conference on a spiritual level. He cited Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde’s call to all members of the diocese to participate in a novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, June 7-14. Father Gould found it discouraging, however, that a proposal for a nine-month period of restitution was met with some resistance on the part of the bishops. The proposal was eventually reduced to one day of prayer and penance scheduled for later in the year, and that with some trepidation.

Father Gould reflected on future examinations of the issue of clerical sexual abuse and the root causes of dissent.

"I look forward to a further review of the pope’s principles, because principles lead to philosophies and philosophies lead to actions. It is my hope that priests won’t step aside from their duties to children," he said. "And it is my hope that children will find more examples of faithful priests that will inspire them to a vocation."

Father Gould began commenting for EWTN’s coverage of the annual U.S. bishops’ conference six years ago after speaking to an open meeting of the bishops about vocations.

He is currently chaplain to the Catholic Medical Association, which is working on a statement that would support Catholic medical school students who refuse to take part in immoral training programs, such as those concerning contraception and abortion.

Father Gould is also working on a book for new converts and young adults explaining Catholic traditions.

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