The Whistleblower as Pariah: Father Paul Mankowski, SJ

The sobering effects of sexual abusers like Cardinal McCarrick still linger, but an Orwellian episode where a prominent congressman-priest advocates child murder seems unthinkable.

Birmingham Diocesan Watch has noted a recent article in the National Catholic Register. We can only picture St. Ignatius of Loyola with his head in his hands, mourning for the sins of Congressman Fr. Robert J. Drinan, SJ. Each of his runs for office was (apparently) forbidden by his superior, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, to no avail. Finally, Pope John Paul II issued an ultimatum; but the damage was already done, and a mini-me version of Fr. Drinan, Fr. Patrick Conroy, SJ, acted as House Chaplain through January 2021. When Pelosi, Biden, and Kennedy were getting their feet wet supporting abortion legislatively, their shepherd was a carefully placed pro-abortion priest, absolving them of sin. And Pelosi’s week-long celebration of becoming Speaker began with Fr. Drinan’s opening mass. More recently, we saw President Biden meeting Pope Francis for approval to continue to receive the precious Body of Christ while encouraging taxpayer-funded abortion; he claimed that he got it, with no denial from the Vatican. During the Octave of Christmas we read 1 JN 2:3-4: “The way we make sure we know Him is to keep His commandments. Whoever says, “I know him”, but does not keep Him commandments is a liar.” The Jesuits have a storied history, but unless they rally behind men like Fr. Paul Mankowski, SJ, silenced for bringing these evils to light, darkness will prevail. We can only say to the jesuitical, whether clergy or laity, that “for evil to succeed, all that must be done is for good men to do nothing”.

Although we will sometimes look at abuses elsewhere, this website focuses specifically upon our own diocesan clergy, and particularly upon the silencing of whistleblowers: that silencing can take many forms, rewarding the bad and punishing the good. If you wish to bring such abuses to our attention, you may reach us at BirminghamFaithful@gmail.com.