Events fill week since Bishop's vow to clear his name

BY JAMES BREIG
EDITOR

An historic meeting with priests, expressions of support from Catholics and other Christians, and a media blitz filled the past week as Bishop Howard J. Hubbard carried through on his vow to clear his name after recent allegations that he had engaged in sexual misconduct a quarter of a century ago.

As he said in an interview with The Evangelist, published in the Feb. 12 issue, "I am determined to leave no stone unturned to refute these charges and to restore my reputation."

To that end, these developments occurred in the past week:

MEETING WITH PRIESTS

On Feb. 11, Bishop Hubbard held an historic meeting with more than 170 priests to declare his innocence to them, to answer their questions, and to seek their advice.

"They were very, very supportive," the Bishop said afterwards.

A separate article about the meeting appears on page 15.

SUPPORT

As they did in the first week after the allegations were lodged, Catholics continued to rally to the Bishop's side over the past week.

So did Christians in the form of an open letter of support from ecumenical leaders in the Capital District (see article on page 14).

Displaying purple ribbons by Catholics as a sign of solidary with the Bishop began as a grassroots movement at St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany. It has since spread throughout the Diocese.

At Assumption/St. Paul parish in Mechanicville, for example, Catholics have decorated a large tree near the church with ribbons as a public show of support for Bishop Hubbard. At Catholic Central High School in Troy, students have begun wearing the ribbons to display their belief in his innocence.

As part of its Newspapers in Education project, which brings the diocesan weekly into classrooms in Catholic schools around the Diocese, The Evangelist sent out ideas for how teachers, if they chose to, could discuss the sensitive topic with their classes. (See article on page 16 for more information.)

The diocesan Office of Prayer and Worship responded to requests for assistance by creating a suggested prayer service that parishes could use to support the Bishop. The service includes hymns, Scripture readings, and prayers not only for the Bishop but also for those bringing allegations against him.

Several prayer events related to the Bishop's plight have been scheduled around the Diocese. At St. Helen's Church in Niskayuna, for example, deacons have set up an around-the-clock prayer vigil that will continue as long as necessary. (See the calendar on page 21 for more information.)

MEDIA BLITZ

Bishop Hubbard has said that until investigation resolves the issue, his only recourse to reclaiming his reputation is "in the court of public opinion."

To that end, he met last week with the editorial boards of The Times Union in Albany, the Daily Gazette in Schenectady and The Record in Troy. He also granted interviews to The New York Times, five television stations in the Capital District and to radio stations.

During the TV interviews, the Bishop said that he had a great role model in how to handle false accusations in Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, the archbishop of Chicago. In 1994, he was accused of sexual misconduct and endured four months of scrutiny until his accuser admitted he had not told the truth.

"I was with Cardinal Bernardin the day after he was falsely accused," Bishop Hubbard said. In preparation for a national meeting of the U.S. bishops, "we sat in a room, going over documents [related to family life] for eight hours. He was at peace with himself, and focused on the job at hand and the mission he had to do. He never lost his dignity and grace."

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