I am writing to express deep concern and frustration over what appears to be a troubling standard within the Diocese of Greensburg under Bishop Larry Kulick’s leadership.
Father John Moineau was publicly scrutinized, humiliated and relentlessly pressured over a clerical matter. In front of about 500 people at Queen of Angels Catholic School, Kulick took Moineau’s duties away from him. The situation became highly public, and many people in the community witnessed the toll it took on him while he was fighting stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Questions remain about why such aggressive public action was taken against Moineau, while in a recent situation involving allegations of serious misconduct by Father Robert Byrnes, the response from the diocesan leadership appeared far less public and urgent.
According to a diocesan statement, Byrnes “was removed from all ministry, and placed on inactive status on Aug. 3, 2018, as the result of a review and a recommendation by the Diocesan Clergy Review Board.” This indicates to me that the diocese was aware of troubling concerns involving Byrnes before criminal charges were filed. Allegations include inappropriate behavior with victims, providing alcohol and coercive sexual conduct. Yet there was no comparable condemnation, no apparent urgency to alert the faithful and media.
Why was Moineau treated with such severity and public humiliation over a clerical issue, while a priest accused of conduct involving victims was seemingly handled with greater discretion? Why was one priest publicly destroyed while another was not?
If church leadership is willing to publicly shame one priest, then surely allegations involving a sexual nature should demand even greater urgency and transparency.
Cheryl Natale
Irwin