From The Monitor

A Few Posts from The Monitor's Reader's Forum.

The institutional church is in meltdown. The only people who seem to know it are the people in the pews.

Bishop Raymundo Peña is in episcopal denial, evidenced by his remarks that he "has asked Deacon Alvin Gerbermann to undergo additional training before he gives any more homilies."

For God's sake, Deacon Alvin Gerbermann blamed parents for not keeping their children away from predatory priests. Is there any other person in the environs of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville, Texas who is more out of touch with the reality of the continuing sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Church than Deacon Alvin Gerbermann?

Gerbermann published a short apology in Holy Spirit’s Sunday bulletin for words that "may have caused misunderstanding.'” And Alvin addes, “I’m truly sorry if I offended anyone.” How about apologizing for saying something so stupid, so insensitive, so obtuse, so boorish, so idiotic etc., etc., etc., and so forth?

If I were the The Rev. Louis Brum, I would forget the "retraining of Deacon Alvin" and send him on his way. Perhaps he could sell subscriptions to the diocesan newspaper or stand at the doors of the church collecting for the foreign missions. Hopefully, in that way he could keep his feet out of his mouth.

I would strongly suggest that the parishioners of Holy Spirit church, the parents, the members of Call to Action, and everyone else who does not have his or her head in the sand to boycott, picket, call the diocese, ring the phones, send e-mails until this guy is gone!
Catherine Mary Henry - Mar. 01, 2007

I'm glad this story and others like it have been written, I think we all need to know and think about how we can help to better the situation. I was wondering if the reporter or anyone can provide us with information as to who we can address problems to regarding the Diocese when Bishop Pena refuses to address issues and or even acknowledge that a problem has been brought to his attention. I've asked for his chain of command, but he has refused to provide that as well.
R James - Mar. 03, 2007