These revelations throw further shadows on the reputation of a Cardinal who promoted Marxist agendas and was one of the founding members of the USCCB.
Ex-priest Ellis Harsham 'returns'By Matt C. Abbott
Former Catholic priest-turned-Protestant (or so it seems) Ellis Harsham, who was accused of sexual abuse in the 1990s and subsequently left the priesthood, is back in the news. According to a story on WDTN.com, "there are rumors he will be preaching at Living Beatitudes Church in Oakwood [Ohio]."
What the WDTN story doesn't mention is that Harsham was accused of abuse by Steven Cook, who also accused Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of abuse. Harsham was thrown under the bus, so to speak (according to this report, Harsham did admit to having a sexual relationship with an adult seminarian as well as a "close friendship" with Cook — "and had engaged in 'much casual sexual banter' with him" — but denied having sexual contact with Cook) while Cook mysteriously announced that he couldn't trust his memory about Bernardin. Bernardin was subsequently dropped from Cook's lawsuit and, to this day, not a few people believe that he was completely exonerated.
Below is an excerpt from Paul Likoudis' book AmChurch Comes Out regarding the Bernardin saga. (Likoudis is news editor of The Wanderer, a Catholic newspaper.)
From Matt C. Abbott at Renew America...
H/t: AQ
1 comment:
Harsham is gone from Living Beatitudes "Church" thanks to a stink raised by a "bishopess" and former "presider" at that "church":
Ex-priest tied to child sex abuse case resigns post with local church group
Jeremy P. Kelley
04/19/2011
http://m.daytondailynews.com/dayton/db_101691/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=GDFM0hyE&detailindex=0&pn=0&ps=8
DAYTON — A former Catholic priest who was part of a high-profile child sex abuse lawsuit involving the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin in 1994 resigned his role as a “Eucharistic Presider” with a small church community in Dayton on Tuesday amid public complaints.
Ellis Harsham had volunteered for several years at Living Beatitudes Community, a group of mostly gay Catholics who meet weekly in rented space at Christ Episcopal Church downtown. He did not return phone calls seeking comment, but has denied a “substantiated” allegation that he had sexual contact with a minor as a Catholic priest in the early 1970s.
Laura Grimes of Oakwood, who served as a minister with the group last year, recently began pressuring community leaders to suspend Harsham after she learned of his 1994 forced removal from priestly duties by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati and his 2006 voluntary defrocking, or laicization, by Pope Benedict XVI.
Grimes confronted the community about Harsham during its Palm Sunday service, then contacted news media.
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