WASHINGTON (DC)
Washington Post
January 8, 2019
By Michelle Boorstein
A day after announcing that the global Catholic community Opus Dei had paid nearly $1 million to settle a 2005 sexual misconduct suit against a big-name D.C. priest, a spokesman for the ultraconservative institution Tuesday expressed regret that the Rev. C. John McCloskey had been allowed to remain in ministry after the allegations came to light.
“It’s an argument that is no longer tenable — this ‘Let’s quiet things over so priests can continue to do good,’ ” said Brian Finnerty, choking back tears as he spoke with unusual frankness.
Catholics in the region were stunned by the news that McCloskey, a high-profile media presence and adviser to Washington’s Catholic elite who prepared Republicans Newt Gingrich and Sam Brownback for conversion, was responsible for the $977,000 payout. An eloquent and intellectual priest, McCloskey for many years ran the Catholic Information Center, a bookstore, chapel and meeting center on K Street NW — a hub of Catholic life in the city.
“The reality is that there are many people out there who felt Father [McCloskey] was instrumental in bringing them closer to God. And whatever he did, that is true,” said Finnerty, adding that McCloskey had introduced him to Opus Dei. “But there is also the reality at the same time that he behaved in a way that was deeply wounding. If we were to handle the situation today, we would likely do it differently. Today is different — there is a deeper recognition that if something like this happens, you can’t keep it quiet.”
Finnerty said among his regrets was that the complaint came to Opus Dei in November 2002 but the community did not remove McCloskey from the Catholic Information Center until December 2003. He said he personally “hated” that decision. “The reality is he was around for a year after we were informed,” Finnerty said. “That’s the reality. It’s not good. But we may as well own it.”
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