RESERVOIR OF GOOD WILL: Support multiplies for Bishop Hubbard

When Bishop Howard J. Hubbard recently received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from Sunnyside Center in Troy, about a dozen people turned out to protest, a paltry showing given the wide publicity their demonstration had received beforehand. The award, they argued, should not be given to a person who has admitted mishandling child abuse by priests and who is himself under suspicion of sexual misconduct.

Offsetting the disgruntled dozen were the hundreds of people who attended the awards ceremony, spoke positively about the Bishop and loudly applauded his being honored. Among those offering salutes were area politicians who praised his years of work on behalf of the poor, the needy, the neglected -- and children.

By speaking out, the government officials joined an ever-expanding list of people and organizations who have publicly supported the Bishop at a time when he has been the subject of vicious rumors, unsubstantiated gossip and even outright lies. For example, the ecumenical officers of several Christian denominations, interfaith leaders and the Labor-Religion Coalition have issued open letters in support of the Bishop. Backing has also flooded in from hundreds of individuals via letters, email and phone calls.

One factor fueling this support is the Bishop's openness in the wake of the accusations made against him more than two months ago. He did not run and hide; on the contrary, he appeared publicly again and again to deny the allegations. He made absolute, unequivocal denials, with none of the word-mincing customary to denials by public officials accused of wrongdoing. He has answered every question -- even the most humiliating ones -- and then answered them again. Some in the media called the Bishop's public approach "risky"; but for an innocent man, this public strategy poses no risk. He has also continued his normal routine, as one would expect an innocent person to do.

Another sign of his openness was his promise to consult advisory bodies in the Diocese to determine if he should consider resignation on the premise that even false allegations can hamstring a leader. The answer has been a resounding "no" from every quarter. For example, after he met with the diocesan priests' organization, they issued the following statement:

"We, the members of the Presbyteral Council of the Diocese of Albany, having worked closely with Bishop Hubbard, and, having had the opportunity to observe the strength of his character and integrity, declare our ongoing support for his leadership and ministry as Bishop of our Diocese. While a declaration of this sort from a body such as ours would be appropriate at any time, we choose to issue it at the present time because of current unsupported and public allegations which attempt to obscure and question his long record of exemplary faith and service both to the Roman Catholic Church at Albany and to the community at large. We have every confidence that the allegations will eventually be shown to be false. We believe it is appropriate that we be public in our support of a man whom we know well and respect."

The Bishop received the same unanimous backing from the heads of diocesan departments and from the Diocesan Pastoral Council, which consists of lay members from each of the Diocese's 17 deaneries.

The Bishop enjoys such a high level of support across a broad spectrum of people not just because of his openness in this particular matter but also because of his years of exemplary service and because of his solid relationships with so many people -- from long-time elected officials to newly confirmed teens. His decades of service to the Church and community have created a deep reservoir of good will, a reservoir that he is drawing on.

The dozen protesters -- many of whom have had political or theological differences with the Bishop over such positive changes in the Church as ecumenical outreach and increasing roles for women -- claimed that someone who had mishandled the abuse crisis did not deserve an award from an agency that works with children. But the naysayers neglected to take into account the Bishop's response to the crisis: his own very public acknowledgement of past mistakes...a willingness to apologize repeatedly...an effort to reach out to victims...and a herculean endeavor to set things right by taking such steps as carrying out background checks on hundreds of employees, training thousands of Catholics to prevent future abuse, providing free counseling to victims and removing abusive priests from ministry. Through all of that diligence, he has created a protective network for children that is unmatched by any other institution.

Such leadership -- self-reflecting, capable of admitting and correcting error, open to change, and quick to respond -- is well worth supporting.

(04/15/04) [[In-content Ad]]