Breaking News: Victim of Father Thomas Euteneuer Files Suit
Posted by William D. Lindsey
6/26/12
bilgrimage.blogspot.com/2012/06/breaking-news-victim-of-father-thomas.html
Breaking news: a woman who alleges sexual abuse by Father Thomas Euteneuer, formerly head of the pro-life organization Human Life International, has sued the Catholic diocese of Arlington, Virginia, its Bishop Paul Loverde, and Human Life International for, as she alleges, covering up sexual abuse she says she endured as Euteneuer performed exorcisms on her.
The suit claims that the defendants knew that the rite of exorcism should not be performed by a priest acting alone and with no observers–and that this did, indeed, happen in her case, as Euteneuer, who told her that her case was “severe,” took her to a bedroom where he lay with her all night, touching her, and “blowing the Holy Spirit” into her with passionate kisses.
She is also alleging that because Euteneuer knew she had kept a journal chronicling her interaction with him, he asked to keep the journal in a safe place for her and then informed her he had burnt it, and searched her house for other journals she might have kept. She also maintains that Euteneuer remained in his position at Human Life International for two months after she described in detail his violation of her to a priest of the Arlington diocese.
Though the article about Jane Doe’s legal complaint against Euteneuer doesn’t say this, back in March 2001, blogger Tom O’Toole reported that the victim alleges that Euteneuer burned her diary after he had visited his spiritual director Father John Corapi, who is also now in disgrace–and that Euteneuer told her Corapi had instructed him to burn the diary.
* * *
Fr. Euteneuer’s efforts being brought to a crashing halt is tragic.
I know it was all within the N.O. — but that’s just it — that was where they desperately needed the key element of what he was working on — raising awareness of the demonic drive behind abortion.
He was absolutely on target in his effort to get people to pray the Prayer to St. Michael after Mass and his effort to encourage those out at the mills to understand that our wrestling is against principalities and power and must be conducted as such.
I believe it was someone here that said though he had been left badly exposed due to the serious lacking of the N.O. exorcism rite. I think that sums it up. The devil won.
I started keeping him in my regular intentions after the blow up. I wish I had started sooner.
It’s sad. It’s human nature combined with the lack of vigilance engendered by the N.O. and overwhelmed by the “rock star” position. I know one of the Mothers’ Watch moms who worked there in the 90′s. She was really put off by the operation but liked Fr. Marx. Fr. E. followed a vicious upheaval, and who knows what burdens that put on him. But he inherited the HLI groupies, too, i.e., the adulation, the celebrity status. Fr. Corapi had the rock-star affliction, too. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.
Victim? She was old enough to know better, not victim but two peas of a pod.
Allegations and lawsuit about Fr. Tom Euteneuer: Can we believe anything this woman says?
By Jenn Giroux
7/1/12
www.renewamerica.com/columns/giroux/120701
Sadly, the saga of Fr. Tom Euteneuer is back in the news. For ten years, Fr. Tom provided fearless and uncompromising leadership as President of Human Life International (HLI), taking the organization and its pro-life mission across the globe. He traveled over a million miles worldwide, distributed over 3 million ‘St Michael the Archangel prayer cards” internationally, wrote two books, a weekly column of inspiration to be matched by few, and boldly proclaimed the immutable teaching of the Roman Catholic Church against birth control and abortion. Along the way, Fr. Tom became involved in exorcisms and answered the call of countless souls in spiritual distress. This is dangerous work that requires unique, selfless courage.
Way too many people today stand silent when the personal risk feels too high to speak up. I was taught from my earliest memories to stand up for the Truth, even at the most difficult times. This is one of these times. It is no coincidence that God allowed me to work at HLI with Fr. Tom Euteneuer just prior to his departure. I write this for those who knew Fr. Tom and experienced his kindness and holy priesthood. They are the ones that sense that there is more than meets the eye here. They are also the ones who fully understand why he would be a prime target for such a severe spiritual attack.
Fr. Tom left HLI in August 2010 for reasons that did not reach the public realm until early 2011. As Fr. Tom explained in his one public statement, which included an apology that was the model of true humility and repentance, he had violated priestly chastity with one woman who was under his spiritual care. He was called back to his diocese (Palm Beach, Florida) by his Bishop in August 2010 and has been out of the public eye ever since.
This week we were greeted by new headlines about Fr. Tom Euteneuer when “the woman” filed a lawsuit against HLI and the Diocese of Arlington, VA. The Complaint is unnecessarily salacious but notable for one thing: Neither Fr. Tom Eutenuer nor the Bishop of Palm Beach are named as Defendants. One of the woman’s lawyers was quoted as saying that Fr. Tom had entered into a financial agreement with her — something that I know to be false. (Why does the truth always suffer as soon as a lawyer opens his mouth?) It is easy to surmise what really happened: the Diocese of Palm Beach most likely settled with the woman and included Fr. Tom in the settlement without his knowledge or consent. That’s how these things work. And now the woman and her lawyers (who will likely receive 40% of any settlement) have turned their guns elsewhere, seeking another large payoff.
Reading the many stories in the news, and considering them in conjunction with other statements made by the woman and her family, one must ask the questions: Can we believe anything this woman says? What is her reality? How strong are the demonic influences at any given time? Wherever the lawyers take this one, let us not lose sight of the fact that this woman sought Fr. Tom’s assistance because she was already deeply disturbed. Fr. Tom has already taken full responsibility for his own fall from grace and for his indiscretions in a truly diabolical situation. However, I think it is fair to assume that his apology, written over a year ago, does not mean that he agrees or admits to everything this woman is now claiming in her new lawsuit. That is part of the deception that comes across in the media and statements from other entities involved. It will be interesting to follow the efforts of the woman and her lawyers as they try to blame Fr. Tom and everyone else for the totality of her current state. I will be watching with great skepticism.
I recognize that the following will be controversial. Nonetheless, it needs to be said (especially in this situation). As a society we have grown to believe that a priest is guilty until proven innocent. This is not right. Priests should be entitled to the same rights as anyone else. Who protects our priests from sexually aggressive women? When will there ever be a legal finding of a priest being the victim of a persistent, abusive, and stalking woman? My guess is “Never.” Priests, by their very nature, are expected to help people who come to them. They are sitting ducks for manipulative women.
I accept Fr. Euteneuer’s explanation and apology. One error in judgment cannot wipe away all of the good he has done for the Church and countless souls around the world. The picture that is being painted by this lawsuit and spread across the media is just plain wrong.
I am reminded of the dialogue from the movie The Exorcist, when Fr. Marrin warned the younger Fr. Karras about what they were about to encounter: “It is important to avoid conversations with the demon. He is a liar. The demon is a liar. He will lie to confuse us, but he will mix lies with the truth to attack us. The attack is psychological, Damien, and powerful. So do not listen. Remember that. Do not listen.”
Through it all, Fr. Tom Euteneuer, a good and holy priest who was entrapped by the demon, will continue to suffer in silent obedience to his bishop.
I ask readers to once again pray for Father Euteneuer, this troubled woman and those around her who seek to further harm the Church, Fr.Tom’s priesthood, and reputation. In the age that we live, there is never enough restitution for these people.
St. Michael the Archangel, Defend us in battle!
Jenn Giroux is the former Executive Director of HLI America, a program of Human Life International which she began under the leadership of Fr. Tom Euteneuer.
Before joining Human Life International, Jenn began Women Influencing the Nation (WIN), an organization dedicated to reclaiming traditional morals in our society with special emphasis on encouraging women to have more children once again in America.
Women Influencing the Nation was heavily involved in supporting the efforts of Former Attorney General Phill Kline in his criminal charges against Planned Parenthood and to enforce the Late Term Abortion Law inside Kansas, the abortion capital of the World. Jenn testified before the Kansas Legislative Committee on September 6, 2007 representing over 5500 petitions asking Kansas official to prosecute George Tiller for doing illegal abortions.
Jenn has been a Registered Nurse for 24 years where she has witnessed first hand the devastating physical, mental, and spiritual fall out from the feminist movement, especially in areas of birth control and abortion. This has been the foundation of her inspiration to form this nationwide network connecting women to counteract the negative impact that the feminist influence has had over the past 40+ years in destroying families.
Jenn was a former radio talk show host with Salem Communications and also worked as Assistant to the President for Citizens for Community Values where she led the Catholic outreach for school presentations to parents on how to keep their children away from Internet Pornography. Jenn has been a regular guest on Catholic Radio to discuss women’s issues in the Church and politics. Jenn has also been seen debating many political and religious issues on MSNBC, CNN, FOX, and COMCAST NEWS NETWORKS.
Jenn regards God’s gift of motherhood as her most important and fulfilling work. She and her husband, Dan, have 9 children. They are the owners of The Catholic Shop and currently live in Cincinnati, Ohio.
[Can anyone believe what that (i.e., the above) woman says?]
The Euteneuer trial: why I believe Doe
By Tom O’Toole
7/8/12
www.renewamerica.com/columns/otoole/120708
[We will] vigorously defend [ourselves] against…the false accusations [of complicity with Euteneuer]…To the extent Father Euteneuer has already admitted to engaging in highly inappropriate and gravely sinful conduct with a young adult woman, we can only emphasize that such behavior was never within the scope of his employment with HLI. -Stephen Phelan, spokesman for HLI
Can we believe anything this woman says? -Jenn Giroux, former HLI employee and current columnist for RenewAmerica
Victim Jane Doe:
[in the chapel, and about to be touched inappropriately by Fr. Euteneuer]
Are you sure this is alright?
Fr. Euteneuer:
[impatient; looking at the tabernacle and then back at Jane]
Well, He would stop me if it wasn’t!
As if the legal gymnastics and character assassination against Jane Doe wasn’t bad enough the first time around, with the Euteneuer sexual abuse case finally going to trial, the various legal counsels and (still!) pro-Euteneuer damsels (including a Catholic “Renew” columnist) are once again ramping up to damage Doe’s reputation big time. And readers wonder why more rape victims don’t come forward…
Of the two defendants in the suit, the defense waged by Human Life International, the pro-life organization Euteneuer presided over for ten years, is the most curious and comical, if you count black humor as comedy. True, the above statement by Stephen Phelan, is a far cry from Euteneuer’s phony I’d love to stay in Arlington and be a big cheese at HLI, but I’m now sailing off into the Florida sunset, to do menial parish work due to my humble obedience to my bishop crap that they originally let Euteneuer (who was already under investigation) get away with. Still, their now seemingly tough talk comes with a “marvelous” (HLI chaplain Frank Pappa called Euteneuer “very gifted….a marvelous man to work for” when he left) lack of responsibility. To declare that his “highly inappropriate and gravely sinful conduct…was never within the scope of his employment with HLI” is all well and good, but it’s just like saying since the Catholic Church doesn’t approve of rogue priests raping altar boys, it shouldn’t have to pay for the boys’ or men’s (they are often older by the time they can talk about it) physical or psychological treatment either. From what I’ve gathered, Catholic pro-life organizations aren’t supposed to let their priests personally hire women who they are currently performing exorcisms on, especially when the priest is constantly taking the employee alone behind closed doors and then locking the door behind them. Someone at HLI must have been in charge of Euteneuer (not to mention his unconventional hiring practices) but if they all keep claiming he answered to no one and maintain their innocence (or ignorance) that’s all the more reason to find the organization negligent.
Doe’s suit against the other defendant, the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, seems on the surface a little more problematic. After all, Euteneuer’s “home” diocese, that of Palm Springs, Florida, fairly quickly saw the writing on the wall and not only recalled Euteneuer (and eventually stripped him of his priestly faculties) but settled out of court with Doe for a relatively paltry sum before she had the time or temperament to consider her other legal options. Meanwhile, Arlington, like HLI, claim they cannot be held accountable for Euteneuer’s actions since he was not officially a priest of their diocese. But to maintain you have absolutely no responsibility for an international Catholic pro-life organization within your diocese (not to mention a world-renown priest who, despite his original affiliation, has worked within your borders for a decade) is like the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend saying it bears no responsibility for the University of Notre Dame, or any Holy Cross priest-professor who comes to teach at Notre Dame from another part of the country. In addition, the Arlington Diocese does admit to subjecting the victim to a series of psychological and physical tests after Euteneuer left to determine if she was (still) a legitimate candidate for exorcism services (she was) and this seems tantamount to admitting that at least some of Doe’s problems occurred while on their watch.
Which brings us back to the Jenn Giroux dilemma. While I have no doubt Jenn is a sincere pro-life activist (if not an impartial judge; her job at HLI, much like that of the victim, was obtained largely through Euteneuer’s influence) she, like many of the women Euteneuer got close to, refuse to see the case for what it is: a spiritual caretaker ruthlessly abusing someone entrusted to his care. She calls her continued trust and confidence in the “fearless and uncompromising” Euteneuer “controversial,” but in reality her attempt to discredit the testimony of the victim is the same tried (if not true) strategy that Jerry Sandusky’s lawyer (and just about every abuser’s lawyer) used (unsuccessfully) to get his sick client free. Of course, few but the blindest members of Euteneuer’s army would agree with Giroux’s assessment that Euteneuer’s abuse apology, in which he derided the bloggers who broke his scandal as “sinful…crackpots” was “the model of true humility and repentance,” but many seem willing to accept Euteneuer’s testimony (contrary to what Doe says) that there was really only one victim. Here’s two huge reasons why I do not.
First, although “Jane” was the only woman who asked me to write her story (albeit without her name) there were several others who, after reading my blogs on Jane, contacted me and told me similar tales of how Euteneuer also abused them while they were under his care. Due to the fact these women had caring family close by (and thus Euteneuer was not as successful in getting them alone, although not from lack of trying) Jane’s sexual abuse by Euteneuer was (to my knowledge) the worst, but the psychological damage he inflicted on them should not be underestimated. Certainly, the opposition will claim that their anonymity is proof that their stories cannot be trusted, but both the similarity and the different details of their claims (plus the fact they felt they had to tell me) make their stories hard to dismiss. To me, their refusal to go public is more due to the fact they fear for their jobs and family, not to mention the wrath of pro-life big shots like Giroux, or even Euteneuer himself. To me the latter cannot be underestimated: while Euteneuer is allegedly back in Florida under the watch of the Palm Beach Diocese, a friend of Doe’s told me an acquaintance recently spotted Fr. Tom lurking around Arlington again. Maybe I’ve read too many Fr. Dowling mysteries, but in a case where it appears everybody and nobody is in charge of Euteneuer’s care and whereabouts, even if this was just another Elvis sighting, if I was a victim I wouldn’t want to take that chance and give him a (further) reason to come after me. Being a crackpot blogger Father is mad at is bad enough…
Which brings me to the other reason I trust the “victims’” stories over Euteneuer’s; the conversation I had with Euteneuer himself. When another Catholic blogger close to Father Euteneuer told him I was about to spill at least some of the beans concerning his exorcism sex-capades, Father e-mailed me and asked if we could discuss the situation first. I agreed to call him, and when he saw awe or his legendary charm alone was not enough to convince me to can the story, he quickly switched his tactics. He claimed the story (even if true) would damage the victims, but when I replied the victim felt it was important to healing to no longer remain silent, he reversed fields and said the publicity would hurt his parents, and later reasoned it would cause scandal within the Church. Finally, when Father began to beg me to remain mum, I started to get the feeling he was mostly concerned with saving his own butt, but just to be sure I played devil’s advocate and asked him if he believed there were ever any circumstances that justified a victim’s story being made public.
“No,” Father said definitively.
“But what about in the case of the Legion of Christ?” I was trying to think of their defrocked founder’s name, but in the end Euteneuer supplied it for me.
“Are YOU comparing ME to Marcial Maciel?!#” Euteneuer was instantly and utterly enraged, so much so that I was glad I was speaking with him over the phone and not in person. Eventually he calmed down, gave me his priestly blessing (something I surely did not solicit, and, under the circumstances felt pretty creepy receiving) and signed off. Indeed, although it was not my intent to compare him to Maciel (after all, Marcial was an equal opportunity molester, abusing women, young boys and seminarians, while Tom stuck with the ladies), Euteneuer’s reaction showed me that he too would do anything to not be outed, and therefore I must do the little I could to see that he was.
Chances are HLI and Arlington will see the light and settle out of court. But if the case is brought to trial and Euteneuer is called to testify, I hope the last quote I began this story with is the one they question him with first. Actually, since Euteneuer’s eerie Jesus is not stopping me comment — which echoes all the way back to the Crucifixion — (“Save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from that Cross!” -Mt 27:40) would be his word against hers, the attorney should ask both Father Tom and victim Jane about it, hopefully with Jenn Giroux in the first row looking on. For something tells me that their reactions to this single damning statement will do much to ascertain who is telling the truth. And while it still may not convince Jenn to believe anything Jane says, I have the feeling if she looks Father in the eye while he testifies, Ms. Giroux will no longer believe everything Euteneuer says either.
Heroic priest brought low by demonic temptress.
That doesn’t explain it at all. Fr. E. let himself fall and wallow in it, and got to blaming others and mind-gaming. Reread O’Toole, or better, reread Fr.’s non-apology apology from 2011. The guy is a lowlife creep and any woman would be well advised to keep a good distance away.
I suspect that HLI is targeted and infiltrated. The heroic Fr. Paul Marx, founder of HLI, was also forced out of leadership under strange circumstances.
HLI always had one foot in the wrong camp. Fr. Marx was a birth-controller. I called him on it, as did a friend. My friend got chewed out by Fr. Marx for opposing “natural” birth control back in the 60′s! I got chewed out in the 90′s. A friend of my wife’s got chewed out by Fr. Marx’s cohort, Fr. Habiger, again for opposing NFP. (The NFP sex cult basically rules “pro-life”, but that’s a rant for another thread.)
Yes, there were clearly some nasty power plays going on, as happens with money-making organizations. They should have just let HLI die a happy death. Clearly, the demon stayed around. They propped up another rock star, and look what happened.