FLORIDA
WUWF
[with audio]
By DAVE DUNWOODY
Bishop Gregory Parkes, who has led the Pensacola-Tallahassee Catholic Diocese since 2012, will be installed January 4 as the fifth bishop of the Diocese of St. Petersburg.
Appointed by Pope Benedict the XVI, Parkes became the fifth bishop of the Pensacola-Tallahassee Catholic Diocese. He succeeded Bishop John Ricard, who retired due to health reasons. The decision by Pope Francis to place him downstate, Parkes says, was unexpected. …
“We’ve seen nothing about Bishop Parkes’ record that gives us much hope when it comes to protecting kids, exposing predators, and deterring cover-ups,” said David Clohessy, the Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. In 2013 Bishop Parkes removed Monsignor Michael Cherup as pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Fort Walton Beach, over the alleged abuse in 1993 of a 15-year-old while Cherup was at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Pensacola.
“Bishop Parkes waited months before suspending [Cherup] after the first allegation came in, then let the accused predator-priest claim innocence in a parish bulletin,” Clohessy said. “Which may not sound like a great deal, but what it does, is discourage [sic] other victims, witnesses and whistle-blowers from coming forward.
“The bishops of the United States have made a solid commitment to protect all of our vulnerable populations,” Parkes responded. “Whether they be children our young people; the handicapped, the elderly.”
The question of what would be next in dealing with the scandal hung over the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI earlier that year. At that time, Parkes had been overseeing Pensacola-Tallahassee and its 57 parishes for just over a year.
“I have dealt with it, according to the guidelines of the Charter,” said Parkes. “Whether it was in a manner that was as timely as others would like it, that’s something I can’t answer for.”
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