Monsignor John Urell's bulletin announcement was read at Mass last night.

Monsignor John Urell, the world is outraged at your complacency.

Monsignor John Urell Speaks Via Church Bulletin

Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Ex Cathedra

Whatever happened to Monsignor John Urell, the pastor of St. Norbert's Catholic Church in Orange and the longtime keeper of secrets in the Orange diocese sex-abuse scandal. Today, a St. Norbert's parishioner faxed us an update: Urell spoke to his flock this past weekend through the wonders of a church bulletin*.

In it, Urell thanks his supporters for "the many notes that have come to me, usually just at the right time when encouragement was needed." The Orange County native revealed that he had suffered from "psychological, emotional, physical and spiritual turmoil...the last number of years" and told the faithful to await his return "within the first quarter of the new year." Urell also reveals a spiritual insight: his time at the Southdown Institue for an acute anxiety disorder has reminded the padre to "pray for, in a special way, all those who suffer from anxiety and depression." It's his politically correct way of mentioning what got him sent away in the first place: his role in THE BLOODY SEX ABUSE SCANDAL THAT HE WON'T EVEN MENTION BECAUSE HE'S TOO MUCH OF A *&$#%^ COWARD TO GO AGAINST BISHOP TOD BROWN. Sorry, where were we? Merry Christmas to all, and good night!

*We'd post the bulletin, but Gustavo doesn't know how to link in any .pdf's...

Where is John Urell you ask?

Saint Gustavo of Orange County asks a concerning question, "where for art thou, John Urell"
in his recent blog post in the OC Weekly.

Well, the truth is that he's a televangelist on Channel 40 in Toronto now, broadcasting from a corner of his room at Southdown. Anyone get their Southdown Christmas card yet?

.. touch the screen damn it. TOUCH THE SCREEN!

Attorneys drop request for contempt citation against Bishop Tod Brown, but plaintiffs and diocese disagree on why

“Shock and disbelief”

The Smoking Jesus isn't sure who he should shoot over this. If it is true that Lawyer John Manly decided to not pursue the citation, then I have to pick him as the "WWJS" pick of the week.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys in several sex-abuse cases recently settled out of court by the Diocese of Orange have decided not to pursue a contempt-of-court citation against Bishop Tod Brown, but say the diocese coerced their decision.

Msgr. John Urell, former Orange diocesan chancellor under Bishop Norman McFarland, was deposed in July in one of the cases. He became so upset by questions about his handling of sex-abuse complaints as chancellor that he walked out of his unfinished deposition, crying. Later it was learned that Bishop Brown had agreed to send Urell to the Southdown Institute near Toronto, Canada, for treatment of an emotional condition.

In a Sept. 10 deposition, Brown said that he had decided to send Urell to Southdown at the suggestion of Urell’s doctors and attorney. Brown said he did not know specifically what Urell was being treated for.

The diocese’s lawyer, Peter M. Callahan, has said that even plaintiffs’ lawyers agreed that, after Urell’s breakdown in July, the deposition did not need to continue. Instead, they would rely on what Urell had said thus far and on four days of deposition he had given in an earlier lawsuit. “It was only when a plaintiff’s lawyer learned that Monsignor Urell had gone to Canada for treatment that the priest suddenly became ‘a critical witness,’” Callahan said in the November Orange County Catholic, the diocesan newspaper.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers sought a contempt citation against Brown, alleging that he had sent Urell to Canada to keep him from testifying in the sex-abuse trial. In September, Brown testified that he had no idea Urell would be called as a witness in an upcoming trial.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys had planned to question Urell because, as chancellor, he had handled abuse allegations, said the Nov. 29 Los Angeles Times. Callahan, however, said in the Orange County Catholic that Urell “had no legitimate involvement” in the Mater Dei case at all. In fact, said Callahan, as chancellor, Urell “had very little involvement in claims of wrongdoing involving lay personnel.”

The diocese settled with the four alleged victims for $6.885 million. As part of the settlement, plaintiffs dropped efforts to obtain the contempt-of-court citation against Brown. Proceedings for the citation were to begin last month but had been postponed until Dec. 3.

Plaintiffs’ lawyer John Manly, however, claims the diocese pressured his clients to drop the citation. "The diocese insisted that it be done this way or they would have refused to pay our clients," Manly told the Times. But Callahan said the court dropped the contempt case because “it was a totally malicious and non-meritorious claim.” A statement by the diocese said "removal of the citation was not a prerequisite for settlement.”

Manly’s office replied, "This is simply untrue," the Times reported. "The victims wish to express shock and disbelief that Bishop Tod Brown… would attempt to mislead the public once again…"


READER COMMENTS

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Posted Monday, December 03, 2007 5:24 AM By kurt gladsky
This doesn't suprise me a bit. In Baltimore, Cardinal Keeler sent Fr. A. Joseph Maskell to Ireland just minutes before the Baltimore city police were to arrest Maskell for the first degree murder of Joyce Malecki and Sr. Cathy Cesnick. When I asked cardinal Keeler why he thought he could ignore the law and get away with it Keeler said: " We were after him {Maskell} to change his ways,but he just wouldn't." Kurt Gladsky, Baltimore SNAP

Contempt citation against O.C. bishop dropped

By David Haldane, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer



A contempt-of-court citation against the Roman Catholic bishop Tod Brown of Orange County has been dropped as part of a nearly $7-million sexual abuse settlement, attorneys said Wednesday. But the opposing sides disagreed over what led to the action. Lawyers for the four women allegedly molested by Catholic school and parish employees said the diocese forced them to drop their bid for the citation.

"The diocese insisted that it be done this way or they would have refused to pay our clients," said John Manly, a spokesman for the women. But Peter Callahan, an attorney for the diocese, said the contempt case was dismissed by the court because it lacked merit. "I would have welcomed the opportunity to present our case in open court," he said. "It was a totally malicious and non-meritorious claim. "The plaintiffs' lawsuits said they were molested by two Mater Dei High School faculty members, a Santa Margarita Catholic High School teacher and a choir director at St. Timothy's and St. Edward's parishes. The contempt citation had been requested by the accusers' attorneys after Brown sent an associate, Msgr. John Urell, to Canada for medical treatment before he could complete a deposition in one of the cases.

Manly and the other plaintiffs' attorneys had planned to call Urell as a witness because he had handled allegations of abuse against the diocese. Attorneys for the diocese and Urell, on the other hand, maintained that he suffered from an acute anxiety disorder that prevented him from testifying. The judge had begun contempt proceedings against the bishop last month, but then postponed the hearing until Dec. 3.On Nov. 20, meanwhile, the two sides reached a settlement agreement in which the diocese paid the plaintiffs nearly $7 million. It was not until Wednesday that attorneys announced that the contempt citation had been dropped.

"Removal of the citation was not a prerequisite for settlement," the diocese insisted in a statement. "Diocesan legal counsel were fully prepared to respond to [the] attempt to besmirch Bishop Brown's character. . . ."Manly's office shot back a statement of its own. "This is simply untrue," it said. "The victims wish to express shock and disbelief that Bishop Tod Brown . . . would attempt to mislead the public once again. . . ."At least one person, Brown himself, was apparently expressing relief. "Our faith is in large measure founded on the concept of forgiveness," he said in the diocesan statement.

"The recent settlements are but one measure of our sincere regret for the events of the past. "Diocese spokesman Ryan Lilyengren added: "We are pleased that all this is over and behind us. Now the victims can move forward with their healing and the diocese can focus on its pastoral mission."

david.haldane@latimes.com

The Priest Whisperer

At what point does a priest decide it's time to get his own lawyer?
What if what's best for the Catholic Church isn't the best for say, uh... someone like John Urell. I really don't know, I'm just asking.
Something has gone terribly wrong here, and John Urell is in a heap of trouble and needs some help and I don't mean Southdown Institute help.
What we need here folks is a Priest Whisperer so maybe then John Urell could tell us what the problem is. Blink once for yes and twice for no John.