Harrisburg Diocese Vows Transparency, but Uses Political Strategist to Control Its Message
By Candy Woodall
Since releasing a long list of priests accused of child sexual abuse, the Diocese of Harrisburg has repeatedly vowed to be open and transparent. Bishop Ronald Gainer has said his church’s darkest days are sins of the past. But the Harrisburg diocese doesn’t have to look beyond last week to find evidence that it's breaking its own promises of transparency to the public. On multiple days in late October, the diocese wouldn't answer when or why it hired a Republican strategist, lobbyist and crisis communicator to protect its image while claiming to put survivors first. A York Daily Record analysis shows the Diocese of Harrisburg continues to put a high priority on protecting its image while not answering questions that are a matter of public safety. A church in crisis Bishop Gainer stood at a podium on Aug. 1 and shared the Diocese of Harrisburg’s biggest confession: more than 70 priests had been accused of child sexual abuse. The admission was such a big turning point in the history of the diocese and Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania that nobody paid much attention to the man who introduced the bishop. Before Gainer said a word, a man in a navy suit spoke to reporters and clerical staff who were packed into a back room at the diocese. He smiled over his left shoulder at Gainer as he walked toward the microphone. “Good morning, everyone. My name is Mike Barley. I am the spokesman for the Harrisburg diocese,” he said. He wasn’t listed as a spokesman for the diocese on its website or in its directory on Aug. 1, though he's been quoted since at least June as spokesman. Three months later, he still isn’t found in the staff directory. Rachel Bryson, who was hired on Aug. 27, is listed as the executive director of communications, and Joe Aponick, who has worked at the diocese for years, is listed as the director of communications. Bryson was added to the communications staff two weeks after a statewide grand jury report revealed more than 301 predator priests in six dioceses in Pennsylvania, including the Diocese of Pennsylvania.
But all public media inquiries on priest abuse ultimately go through Barley. Many questions on priest abuse and more are left unanswered. Those unanswered questions include the locations of accused priests, whose abusive backgrounds are unknown to the children and neighbors around them, and how much money the church is spending to help priest abuse survivors in its victims assistance office. Despite not answering those questions, the diocese has remained steadfast in its claims of transparency. At least twice in October, the diocese made public statements that reflect that. The Harrisburg diocese on Oct. 1 said, "As we all strive to find healing, our commitment to transparency remains firm. On Oct. 18, the diocese said, "The Diocese has worked to be open and transparent regarding the issue of child sexual abuse and its past." But the diocese will not even say when Barley was hired. By his own public statements, Barley is the spokesman for the diocese. An analysis of state and public records shows Barley is a Republican strategist, lobbyist and crisis communicator. And his work for the Harrisburg diocese began before the bishop uttered a word about the dozens of its priests accused of child sex abuse.
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