Bransfield spent millions on his lifestyle, but it wasn't his fault...

...His staff made him do it.

Really?

Really?

Is this the evolved version of "The devil made me do it?"  Hey, maybe the staff were devils out to get Bransfield. After all, that's his whining claim these days. "THEY" want to ruin his reputation. HE is completely innocent. 

I can't stop laughing long enough to write. (Taking deep breaths into a paper bag.)

Apostolic Nuncio Releases Communique on Bransfield

Will predator Bishop Bransfield land on four feet like the proverbial cat with nine lives?

Well, the latest is out on former bishop Michael Bransfield. Will it mean anything?

Guest Post: Speaking Truth to Power, the Call to Prophesy by Fr. James Sobus

Old Testament Prophet Elijah: Speaking Truth to Power

When I was in school I spent a great deal of time at the graduate level studying the prophets of the Old Testament. They were people like us all, sinful and weak who, nonetheless, were called by God to preach during troubled times to the king, then to the king’s priests and prophets (who were on the king’s payroll and who, therefore, spent their days tickling the king’s ears with only what the king wanted to hear) and finally, the people, all of whom had turned away from God.

Do You Know Where Your Pastor Is and How He's Spending Your Money?

Pray for your priests through the
intercession of St. Jean Vianney

Well, I'm back from retreat and among the hundreds of emails was the one below. I've deleted the name of the priests and I won't identify the diocese, but I think it behooves folks to ask yourselves how your pastor is running the parish and how he's spending YOUR money (which is given to do God's work!). Is your pastor, on the parish level, doing what men like Bransfield and McCarrick did on the diocesan level? Is he living like a king on the sacrifices of the folks he considers patsies in the pew? Do you recognize your pastor in this description below?

 Dear Mary Ann,

It was well known that [my previous pastor] had a full time cook and housekeeper and that he hosted monthly get together lunches at the rectory for his priest friends. Wine and dine on a weekday when they should have been at work. My parish is unique in that its rectory is [not on the church grounds].  No one sees who is coming and going. If the pastor goes home for lunch and doesn't return nobody at the church knows where he is or what he's doing.

Guest Post: When a Father has Courage, He stands Up to Dragons!

"The wicked witch is dead!"

Editor's note: Fr. Sobus didn't choose the title for this post. I did. He is, indeed, a man of courage. May God give us many more such priests. Remember, you fathers out there, one of the most important things you can do for your children is to give them an example of courage. It isn't easy standing up to a corrupt bishop or a corrupt culture, but like the early Christian martyrs, we face murderous tyrants. Teach your children to be martyrs. It may come to that.

Fathers' Day Post by Fr. James Sobus

One of the most powerful scenes in that great classic movie, The Wizard of Oz, was the castle scene. Do you remember that one? Dorothy and her friends were trapped inside the castle of the Wicked Witch of the West and being chased by her furry castle guards and the flying monkeys. Then the grande encounter occurs: It’s Dorothy and her companions face to face against the Witch and her minions. It seemed the odds were completely against them. The scarecrow’s arm is set on fire by the Witch and Dorothy, in an attempt to save him grabs a bucket of water and tosses it at the burning arm but inadvertently splashes water on the Witch melting her to death. Then comes the moment of truth: what will the Witches’ minions do to Dorothy and her friends for having killed their leader??? To their shock and amazement, the soldiers bow down proclaiming, “Hail to Dorothy, the Wicked Witch is dead!”

Good News from Wheeling: Three Bransfield Enablers Resign from Chancery! Bad News: Two Get Parishes!

Frederick Annie       Anthony Cincinnati        Kevin Quirk

Three "my Lords", Quirk, Annie, and Cincinnati have resigned from their Church leadership positions at the chancery after a Vatican report that found them complicit in enabling harassing and abusive behavior by Bishop Michael Bransfield.

No reason was given for the resignations, but Nabi wrote often about them and the people of Wheeling know they were all enablers (and beneficiaries one presumes) of Bransfield's gratitude for their silence. Annie bought the booze to the tune of tens of thousands of diocesan money. He lived with Bransfield which leads one to wonder whether he was the bishop's drinking buddy. 

Unfortunately, two of these men, Annie and Cincinnati, are getting local parishes. They better have good finance councils in place is all I can say. The poor people of Wheeling have suffered enough. I hope they refuse to bankroll these men.

Money, money...who's got the money?

For Bishop Bransfield

Vatican cardinal, others to return cash gifts from ousted WV bishop Bransfield

I predict that the exposure of the financial disgrace in West Virginia is just the beginning. Is anyone so naive they think Bransfield was the only embezzler in a miter. As a priest warned me recently, "Don't trust anyone in a pointy hat."

Every cleric who accepted money from Bransfield should be investigated along with what they are doing with money in their own dioceses. Open the books! How many other bishops are doing exactly the same thing Bransfield was doing in Wheeling? How many, like Bransfield, look at their diocesan bank accounts and say, "It belongs to me?" 

In view of the mansions and luxury vacation homes of so many, I suspect their number is legion. As Lord Action said, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." These bishops operate in many cases with absolute power. The financial overseers in Wheeling did not do their jobs. How many other financial boards in other dioceses also bow to the perverted will and whims of their bishops and let them squander millions of dollars on their personal lifestyles while they close parishes and schools? 

Will Huge Church Financial Scandals be Next?

In view of the on-going scandals in Wheeling with disgraced Bishop Michael Bransfield, one can expect the answer is a resounding YES. I was told years ago by a priest friend on the West Coast that a papal financial advisor privy to inside information was predicting the next huge scandal would be over the money. There is too much money and too little accountability. Rod Dreher recently weighed in on the Bransfield scandal here based on the Washington Post's expose. Here's a bit of his commentary:

Latest Travesty in Wheeling: Diocese Uses Statute of Limitations to Avoid Accountability

God save Wheeling from this man!

Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Wants Former Bishop Michael Bransfield Case Dismissed

No surprise really. Protecting the money is what church lawyers get paid for. 

Will the diocese's next move be to try to recall Bransfield and give him back his job (and his private chef, etc.)? Let's face it, many (perhaps most) of the U.S. bishops couldn't care less about right and wrong or the people in the pews. What do they care about? Well, in my opinion, many are good little Church politicians who care about the same thing worldly politicians care about.

MONEY...

POWER...

REPUTATION...

Another Lawsuit Filed against Former Bishop Bransfield: for Sexual Abuse of Adolescents and Young Adults

Wheeling has become a real flash point in the sex abuse saga. The Bransfield scandal shows big time that it ain't over, and that a primary problem is the bishops. Remember that Bransfield was a crony of McCarrick. He is also good buddies with Wuerl. Anyone who thinks this is over without a lot more bishops being exposed (no pun intended) is dreaming.

The latest allegations against Bransfield aren't decades old. They occurred within the past few years. Like McCarrick, Bransfield had a reputation for being an active homosexual who harassed seminarians. When he was the administrator for the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. his lavish parties were the talk of the town. Once he arrived in Wheeling he enjoyed every luxury money could buy spending like a drunken sailor on his own personal comfort.

More Trouble for the Diocese of Wheeling...

Department of Justice Accuses Wheeling Hospital of Violating Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute 

"The lawsuit notes R & V took over management of Wheeling Hospital in 2006 and quickly turned around the hospital’s financial performance. Prior to R & V, from 1998-2005, Wheeling Hospital lost about $55 million, according to the lawsuit. Wheeling Hospital, under R & V’s management, saw profits of nearly $90 million in the first five years of new management. 

Nabi Sends a Link: West Virginia Attorney General Files Lawsuit against Diocese and Bransfield

West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey

We haven't heard much from Nabi in the past few months. But this morning I received an email with a linked article announcing that the West Virginia Attorney General's office has filed suit against the Diocese of Wheeling and former Bishop Michael Bransfield. Here's what's being reported by WOWK TV in Charleston, WV:

The suit alleges the diocese and the bishop knowingly employed pedophiles and failed to conduct adequate background checks for those working at schools and camps operated by the diocese, and without disclosing the inherent danger to parents who used those services for their children.

Nabi Sayeth: Who Didn't Know about FORMER Bishop Michael Bransfield?

That's no halo; it's a big ZERO!

Nabi Asketh: Who didn’t know about the vanity-filled and lustful lifestyle of FORMER bishop Bransfield? The result of a month-long investigation by a reporter with the Philadelphia Inquirer produced the following report:

Even church leaders admit it: One of the glaring gaps in the sex-abuse reforms is the lack of a system to report and investigate allegations against bishops. 

It was obvious in the years between the first reports of Cardinal McCarrick’s misconduct — his sexual relationships with seminarians and younger priests — and his July resignation.

Nabi Sayeth: How Could It Happen? Inquiring Minds Want to Know!

Climbers love photo ops with
powerful men in the Church! 

Nabi Sayeth: Many good and decent people, people who have been faithful to Our Lord and His Holy Church are asking: “How could this be….how could a man such as Michael Bransfield rise to such a powerful position and remain in that position for so long?” In what follows, please find my humble attempt to illustrate how such a thing happened to the good people of West Virginia:

• It is crystal clear that the “Who loves Uncle Teddy” philosophy dominated bishop appointments for many years, especially in the eastern section of the US. Bransfield was rector (manager) of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC at the exact same time that “Cardinal” MCCarrick CONTROLLED Washington, DC. MCCarrick had a major connection to more than one pope and was “friends” with numerous Vatican department heads (the departments are called “congregations). As soon as the diocese in West Virginia became open due to the retirement of bishop Schmitt, Bransfield’s new “home” was ready for occupation.

Nabi Sayeth: How Much Did the Faithful Pay for Bransfield’s Life of Luxurious Debauchery?

Editor's Note: Have you ever noticed how many of the lavender mafia are engaged in all kinds of nefarious activities to finance their lurid lifestyles? How much money gets lifted from the collection basket? Do the parish financial procedures protect the integrity of the flock's donations? Here's just one story about a "my lord" who used his position to defraud and embezzle hundreds of thousands from the Church. MSGR Arsenault (Isn't it interesting how so many of the gay guys get that title?), a top aide to his bishop, . Sound familiar? If you're reading Nabi's posts, it is sickeningly so!