Group petitions Vatican to remove two bishops from N.H.

CONCORD, N.H. -- A Roman Catholic reform group has petitioned the Vatican to remove New Hampshire Bishop John McCormack, calling him unfit to lead the church.

The complaint, filed Oct. 28 by New Hampshire Catholics for Moral Leadership, says McCormack and Auxiliary Bishop Francis Christian lost their moral authority during the clergy sex abuse crisis and that church law requires the resignations of bishops unfit to serve, according to a draft copy of the documents sent to Rome and obtained by The Associated Press.

"The credibility of the church's moral leadership is horribly eroded," the group wrote. "The effectiveness of these bishops as teachers of the faith has been unspeakably compromised by their hypocrisy and bad example."

The complaint also says "a terrible injustice infects our diocese and both bishops remain a source of great scandal." The groups asks the Vatican, "for the good of the church in New Hampshire, to remove these bishops as our pastoral leaders."

The Rev. Ed Arsenault, a spokesman for the Diocese of Manchester -- which encompasses all of New Hampshire -- said Saturday he had not seen the complaint and did not believe McCormack and Christian were aware of it.

Neither bishop plans to step down, Arsenault said.

The Rev. Ciro Benedettini, a Vatican spokesman, would not comment on the matter Saturday.

Jim Farrell, a member of the group, said the Vatican had yet to respond to the complaint, which was written with the help of New Hampshire priests, canon lawyers and lay Catholics. He said 20 people signed the complaint.

The group was formed in March to push for McCormack and Christian's resignations.

Numerous accusations

McCormack, a former top aide to Cardinal Bernard Law when the cardinal was archbishop of Boston, has faced numerous accusations of failing to report abuse claims and helping to cover up molestation cases. The national abuse crisis exploded in Boston early last year and quickly spread to dioceses around the country.

McCormack has acknowledged making mistakes, including being too optimistic that molesters could be rehabilitated. As bishop of New Hampshire since 1998, he has instituted aggressive policies to protect children.

Christian has been accused of misleading civil authorities and victims about abusive priests. He has said he never knowingly misrepresented the facts and tried to deal honestly with priests and victims.

The rules of the church, called canon law, cite specific conditions under which bishops and clergymen should resign or can be removed, including ineffective ministry, illness, abuse of power or other "grave reason."

The petition includes a litany of allegations against the men, including many detailed in a report released last December by the state attorney general's office, which investigated the diocese.

As part of an agreement with prosecutors to avoid criminal charges, the diocese admitted it harmed children and probably committed crimes by not reining in abusive priests. The vast majority of the allegations in the state's report predate McCormack's tenure.

Monsignor Kenneth Lasch, a canon lawyer from Mendham, N.J., said the petition is thorough and makes valid arguments. He said that while canon law doesn't specifically address bishops accused of protecting abusive priests, he thinks a strong case can be made.

But Lasch, who was not involved with the petition, said the standard of proof is high.

"It's not just that they don't like him. It's not just that they don't care for his policies or has done something that offends them," Lasch said. "They have to establish some type of proof that this isn't just one or two instances. They need to prove that it is pervasive."

Lasch said the investigation process could take months or even years.