I am working on drafting a letter to Bishop Martino to address the particulars of my “experiences” with Father Gibson when I was 13. This has been a difficult letter to write because it not only addresses the nature of the abuse but because I want to also ask him why no investigation has ever been conducted in the 18+ months since I made my initial report. I have many more questions for him, and I truly believe answers will not be forthcoming.
Obviously the drafting the letter is taking much of my limited down time at night. One of the things I have been asking myself is “why are you bothering in the first place with such low expectations?”. If nothing else, the people wearing blinders on Wyoming Avenue in Scranton will have the information that they should have collected as part of the investigation they should have conducted. I don’t want to be accused of not providing information to the Bishop to inform his decision on what action would be appropriate in dealing with the problem. I suspect that action verbs are not in vogue in Scranton.
If you have advice or recommendations on how I should focus the letter, I would be glad to hear it. Leave a comment or send me an email.
Off My Knees - A Blog by Michael Baumann 
You have to actually ask the bishop in the letter to investigate the issue, and only then after you copy it to at least 10 other priests in the diocese. I usually recommend for people to copy it to the Head of The Curia in the Diocese, the Diocesan Pastoral Board President, and the top five chairs in the Diocesan Priest’s Council. Copy it to the entire Diocsean Review Board; send it to their homes.
Pick the local P.A., a few judges and the Chief of Police, and don’t leave out the local Hospital Chairman, who is probably Catholic, and the local head of Outaptient and Inpatient Services at any local mental health department at the same hospital. Pick the top five shrinks and a random five Social Wrokers in private practice just for “sport.”
Copy it too to the Catholic Charities Director and Board and you will have yourself one hell of an investigation! I even sent roses to the Director of Priest Personell (my own touch).
And if the Bishop’s parent(s) are still alive, send them a copy.
Pick any of these and someone will be calling you.
Don’t forget those nuncio titles and kissy-kissy phrasing and sign everything “In Christ” like the Bishop does.
And, mostly, be nice…cause it is the Christian thing to do.
Be nice is the Christian thing to do? Were all those priests who abused children being nice? By the prevalence of it among priests, you would think sodomy is the Christian thing to do.
I think you should note that Kelly may have had a bit of sarcasm in her reply!