Car Magnets

I came across this site after a little investigation today. You see, my aunt is one new to Facebook and is a member of the support group you mentioned. I tried to understand what she was supporting from the Info they provided, but it was vague. So I did some research and came across this site. I was saddened to see the very same post circulated on her wall being described here.

I imagine it must be hard to accept that a beloved pastor could have fallen to temptations in his past, however, I could not idly watch as she promoted the sale of these ribbons. Truly, her public support for Rodino is a double-edged sword that condemns his accuser without full knowledge of fact. Please know that I’ve expressed my full support for what you’ve mentioned here and attached the link on her wall.

I pray for all involved in this, that the truth may come to light…

Thank you very much for your kind words and support. Unfortunately, the consequences of my comment to her were far greater than the mild disagreement I expected. Because of my posts on both her wall and the support site, which I’ll attach below, my aunt has deleted everyone in my family including her sister and nephew/godson without any justification. I’m disturbed by the cult-like commitment she is exhibiting by completely isolating herself from the family in this man’s defense. Please pray for her and our family, and I know I will continue to support the victims of your cause wholeheartedly.

The following message has led to my aunt’s complete isolation from me:

“My dearest, most wonderful aunt ___,It is with great trepidation I post here about this, but I MUST speak for those who are in effect being “silenced” by your efforts. Perhaps your beloved pastor is indeed innocent, but a critical eye would take care not to support a potentially guilty man at the expense of his victims. I do not take lightly the subject of child sexual abuse, most especially within our churches, and it is pure folly to think a “man of God” is unsusceptible to the devil’s snares. Please read the following attached article that actually quotes YOU and YOUR recent post about the car magnets. I FULLY agree with what it has to say and hope you’ll reconsider the message you are actually sending to people. What does that say to the victims of today? Why would anyone want to come forward, if a parish is waiting to condemn them and call them liars? 0;(

I couldn’t agree with Ashley more!! It is a shame that all these parishioners immediately rush to his aid. I was not happy to receive a letter from the man thanking the parishioners for their support. First of all, if he is no longer a part of the diocese, why does he have access to parishioner’s addresses? Also, does he really think all the parishioners are behind him?

That is correct. I did throw it away as soon as I realized what it was. I am trying to keep my feelings at bay about these supporters but had to mention it here aftering reading about the car magnets. How far will these ’supporters’ go? It is truly disgusting.

i don’t have a feeling one way or the other about mr. rodino. however, as someone who is objective, this is starting to sound like a witchhunt from everyone. the parishioners are hunting the victim and this website appears to do nothing but criticize everything rodino does. i have to ask, i could not find any websites such as mercurevictims.com or hubbardvictims.com. is this just a hate site for mr. rodino? it seems that this site and the administrators are cowards hiding behind their keyboards. is this the victim? if so, how about telling your side of the story? i believe that the parishioners are so vehement about supporting this guy because they know him, there is a face associated. the victim is nameless and faceless. it’s hard to believe in someone that you don’t even know exists unless you’re a kid who believes in santa claus. i pray for all involved. i am certainly questioning my decision about being catholic and regardless of what the church, i have no desire to support the albany roman catholic diocese. hubbard has mismanaged every aspect of this business and yes, church is a business. a multi-million dollar a year business.

I can not remember what the letter was signed.

To enoughisenough, I myself was raised RC and attended Catholic schools, St Judes and CCHS. I am questioning my religion as well.

Trust your first reaction. There is a reason you weren’t surprised. If you’re a former student of Mr. Rodino’s, that reason is likely that you are aware of (or have seen firsthand) the many examples of irresponsible, inappropriate, and creepy conduct that Mr. Rodino was famous for at LaSalle. (Yes, some people didn’t see it that way).

Thank you for posting a rational defense of Mr. Rodino. There are only a few factual inconsistencies about your argument that we’d like to expose.

First, the accuser has identified himself to the Diocese and to the Albany County District Attorney. He does not have to identify himself to the public. Would you want identify yourself, go on TV or get quoted in the paper along with the details of your abuse. How would you feel if people were pressuring you to “go public” with a story that you had a sexual encounter with a priest when you were younger? Perhaps he has a family, perhaps he is afraid of reprisals from the ill-informed, ignorant lot that thinks Mr. Rodino is a Saint.

Second, the statue of limitations has run out. Neither civil nor criminal charges have been filed. So the victim can’t “get money from the diocese” that way. Also, the Diocese has a policy of disclosing whether a financial settlement has been reached. Falsely claiming to be a victim of abuse for financial gain is deplorable. However, this is not the case here.

And once again, just because you and your family have known Mr. Rodino for years does not mean that he is not capable of harming young people. Just because it didn’t happen to you, doesn’t mean it could not have happened. The Bishop, a private investigator, and a panel of both lay people and clerics chose to believe Mr. Rodino’s accusor. We choose to support him.

Here is a link to the article on the Margaretville case.

http://www.catskillmountainnews.com/content/margaretville-priest-arrested-faces-20-counts-sex-case

When I learned about the accusations of Mr. Rodino, I will admit my first reaction was far from surprise. Since I had been a lifelong parishoner at Sacred Heart as well as a student there when Gary Mercure was pastor, nothing comes as a surprise to me anymore with regards to Catholic priests misbehaving in whatever manner. In all honesty, I haven’t been to a service in years because of the lack of faith I have in church leadership. With that being said, I would like to offer support for Mr. Rodino and will suport him until the accuser decides to come public and identify himself. As far as I know, a nameless person is accusing a man that has known my family for years and had never been anything but supportive and helpful to me during my time at La Salle as well as after. I do not want to say the accuser is lying, because I do not have any evidence that can support that statement. However, there has also not been any solid evidence provided to the public that he isn’t lying. If we don’t know who is accusing Mr. Rodino, how do we know it is not someone who is out to get money off of the Catholic church, which wouldn’t be the first time. In light of my past experience with Gary Mercure, I would not doubt that the allegations are true, but the ‘victim’s’ unwillingness to identify himself to the public seems fishy to me at best and makes the case seem flimsy.