For the Record

Media accounts concerning on "Holy Love Ministries" located on Butternut Ridge Road in Eaton Township, Lorain County, the site of reported Marian apparitions and devotions has prompted this clarification from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland concerning the operation.

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Diocese and Bishop Emeritus Anthony M. Pilla Respond to Recent Newspaper Stories Concerning Federal Case involving Former Employees.

On February 25^th and February 18^th, The Cleveland Plain Dealer Newspaper published stories concerning motions filed in a Federal court case by two former employees charged with conspiracy money laundering, fraud and tax evasion.  The following statement serves to clarify the diocese position on this matter.

         In the case of the United States of America vs. Joseph H. Smith and Anton Zgoznik, the defendants are facing serious criminal charges in connection with a scheme to defraud the Diocese of Cleveland.   The Diocese wants the defendants to have a fair trial without undue publicity; however, we are compelled to respond to the scurrilous accusations being made publicly by the defendants. It is a common tactic – but nevertheless – an unfortunate one.

          In motions filed in Court, Mr. Smith and Mr. Zgoznik have resorted to false statements, half truths and innuendo against those associated with the Diocese, including Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese, The Most Rev. Anthony M. Pilla and Father John Wright in an apparent attempt by the defendants to explain their conduct.  Neither Bishop Pilla nor Fr. Wright participated in, approved, or was aware of Mr. Smith’s and Mr. Zgoznik’s illegal conduct.

          Bishop Pilla stated, “During my tenure as Bishop of Cleveland, Joseph H. Smith served as Chief Legal Counsel and Diocesan Finance Director and I placed my full trust in him.  My judgments in these matters were based on Mr. Smith’s advice and counsel.  I and the Diocese of Cleveland cooperated fully with the federal authorities who investigated Mr. Smith’s and Mr. Zgoznik’s conduct, as well as their explanations and other allegations made by them.  The diocesan records and all employees were open and available to federal investigators.  The result of that investigation was the charges against Mr. Smith and Mr. Zgoznik only, and to my knowledge no other improprieties were found.”

 WKYC TV3 Story Trivializes Marriage and Priesthood 

        A story aired on WKYC TV3 News on February 16 and 18 was both unbalanced and replete with factual errors in portraying the sacraments of Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders in the Catholic Church. 

         In a special news story entitled “Rent-a-Priest,” WKYC TV3 in Cleveland reported in two newscasts that two former priests of the diocese, now married, are conducting marriages and it is their opinion that their actions are acceptable and proper.  Reporter Michael O’Meara’s story never reported that such a marriage is invalid in the eyes of the Catholic Church.  Under Church laws, while a resigned priest is validly ordained and validly celebrates Eucharist, baptizes and anoints the sick; Church law prohibits such acts aside from danger of death circumstances.  Marriage and the celebration of the sacrament of Penance in ordinary circumstances require proper delegation.  If the priest does not have proper delegation the actions are null and void.   For a “Rent-a- Priest” to represent himself to the public as being connected with the Catholic Church is disingenuous.

        The basis for the story is the projected shortage of ordained priests.  O’Meara reported dramatically inaccurate figures.  He said that “in 1976 the Cleveland Diocese had 406 active parish priests and by last year (2006) that number had dropped to 106 and many are over the age of 60.”

          The proper figures had been given to O’Meara prior to the airing the story.  These figures are contained in the current “Report to the Community from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland 2006.”   The official figures for active clergy in the Diocese of Cleveland are: 291 active diocesan priests, 38 special ministry priests, and 127 religious-order priests amounting to a total of 456 full-time priests serving the Diocese.

        The story also neglected the Church’s teaching and understanding of the sacrament of matrimony and the role of the priest in the sacrament.  It also failed to report that the Diocese has 202 active ordained Deacons who also may preside at the sacrament of matrimony.

        The story failed to balance its anti-celibacy tone with a balanced explanation of why the Church continues the practice.  It also structured its premise around the recent announcement of parish clusters.  The projected decline in the number of priests has been cited as one of the reasons for clustering, however, if TV3 had researched this matter (as it has been widely reported) it would have found that the priest shortage is a concern, but two equally important reasons for clustering parishes is the migration of the Catholic population and strained finances on some parishes.

        It is difficult to determine WKYC’ TV3’s motivation for inaccurately reporting such a story.  Hopefully, attention to accuracy and balanced interpretation will be practiced in the future.

                         For The Record

Plain Dealer Story Trivializes sacraments of Matrimony and Holy Orders

Subtext:  An article in the Sunday, November 13, 2005 edition of the 

               Plain Dealer failed to properly portray the sanctity of the sacraments of

               Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders.

          In the November 13^th section  pdQ, the Plain Dealer entitled its story “Need a priest? Web site offers list of married ones willing to help.”  It is difficult to determine what writer John Campanelli’s motivation was in producing the article, other than to say that it completely neglected the Church’s teaching and understanding of the sacrament of matrimony and the role of the priest in the sacrament.  The article focused on a priest, now resigned from ministry, performing a marriage in a Unitarian Church for a woman who was “raised” Catholic. 

          The Plain Dealer had received a full explanation about this “Rent-a-Priest” concept from the Diocese of Cleveland Vicar for Clergy and Religious, the Rev. Lawrence Jurcak, but included just one quote that such a marriage was invalid in the eyes of the Catholic Church.   Here is the full explanation from Fr. Jurcak:

          “The Church laws cited by “Rent a Priest” are taken out of context.  While a resigned priest is validly ordained and validly celebrates Eucharist, baptizes and anoints the sick; Church law prohibits such acts aside from danger of death circumstances.  Marriage and the celebration of the sacrament of Penance in ordinary circumstances require proper delegation.  If the priest does not have proper delegation the actions are null and void.  For “Rent a Priest” to represent themselves to the public as being connected with the Catholic Church would be disingenuous.

          While respecting whatever reasons of conscience may have moved a priest to resign from active priestly ministry and request a dispensation from the clerical state, the priest knows that, although he remains a priest forever, once the petition is granted he loses both the obligations and the rights pertaining to his ordination. He may no longer exercise any function reserved to the ordained and he is prohibited to present himself as a priest. (see Canon 292) Having been granted a dispensation from the clerical state a resigned priest is able to validly enter into a marriage in the Catholic Church.

          The law of the Church states that any priest who attempts marriage, even civilly, incurs a latae sententiae suspension (a suspension automatically incurred by the commission of a specific action) restricting his exercise of various ministry functions. (see Canon 1333)

          In the case of a person in imminent danger of death, that individual may be baptized, confirmed, absolved and anointed in the sacrament of the sick by any priest whatsoever, no matter what his canonical status.

          A Mass celebrated by a resigned married priest would be a valid but illicit insofar as it is contrary to the will of the Church. A wedding performed by a resigned married priest would be invalid in the eyes of the Catholic Church because the priest would not have proper delegation.

          It is wrong for a resigned married priest to portray himself as someone who is able to continue to offer the sacraments of the Catholic Church aside from danger of death circumstances. If these resigned priests are claiming that they can provide Catholic sacraments to people legitimately, that simply is not true.”

Reverend Lawrence Jurcak

Secretary and Vicar for Clergy and Religious

Diocese of Cleveland

November 8, 2005