BishopAccountability.org
	Jamie Allman's Unholy Challenge: Representing Burke and Archdiocese By Don Corrigan St. Louis Journalism Review [St. Louis MO] February 28, 2005 Can a TV newsman, who fancied himself an ace investigator of journalistic truth, suddenly take up a new life as a PR flack for an institution notoriously known for keeping its darkest secrets hidden from public view? That is the perplexing question-and paradoxical drama-playing out in St. Louis, thanks to the unlikely professional path of Jamie Allman, the unusual protagonist of this Arch City plot. In describing his career move from press sleuth to pulpit spokesperson, Allman told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "I feel like I've connected the most important elements of my purpose here on earth." In the new American Century of overblown, faith-based rhetoric, certainly Allman cannot be faulted for engaging in a little religious hyperbole. Even presidents do that. Nevertheless, critics of the St. Louis Catholic Archdiocese, Allman's new employer, contend that the former TV newsman could not have connected all the dots before making his decision to report for duty with Archbishop Raymond Burke. They also contend the marriage of Allman to the archdiocese is an odd arrangement made, well, not exactly in heaven. Burke, who has faced plenty of controversy during his first year in St. Louis, appointed Allman as chief spokesperson and executive director of communications for the St. Louis Archdiocese, with duties that began Jan. 10. In a press statement, Burke emphasized that Allman's "assistance will be invaluable for conveying the truth about our Catholic faith and life to the people of the archdiocese of St. Louis and of our community." It did not take long for Allman to get into some of the same hot water with the media that Burke has "enjoyed" for months since coming to St. Louis to replace Archbishop Justin Rigali, who was moved by the Vatican to head the Philadelphia Archdiocese. One of Allman's first skirmishes was with Post columnist Bill McClellan, even before he was officially on duty. Allman wrote an e-mail to McClellan Jan. 2 wishing him a happy New Year, and he then accused McClellan of engaging in shoddy journalism by writing in his column that Burke had endorsed George W. Bush in the 2004 election. Asked Allman, "... Is it just OK to skate on facts about a religious figure as long as he's Catholic?" McClellan published Allman's pouty e-mail as part of a new Post column and declared that 2005 was a good year for a feud. Citing Burke's pastoral letter aimed at taking any Catholic voters out of the Kerry camp in 2004, McClellan noted: "Maybe Allman wants to pretend that the archbishop was neutral in the last election, but the rest of us don't have to pretend that." While varied degrees of pretending are inherent in most public relations jobs, critics of the archdiocese contend that working for Burke will require an immeasurable break with reality for Allman. Some critics say they are praying for Allman, while others are "casting lots" on how long he can last in a position as Burke's spokesperson. Running for Congress In his Post column feuding with Allman, McClellan noted stories that Allman has, and is, considering a run for Congress. Journalists at both the Post and at Allman's previous place of employment, KMOV (Channel 4), speculate that Allman left a high-paying job in broadcast news to establish a political base with Catholics for the future. Post columnist Deborah Peterson has reported that local Republican leaders urged the TV journalist to enter the GOP primary in Missouri's 3rd District in 2004. Allman told Peterson he was thinking about that political option. "Yes, I did consider a run for Congress," Allman told SJR. "But it was never a real possibility for me because I have family responsibilities here. Those have to come first. "The idea that I am now using this new job for a stepping stone to Congress is just plain wrong-absolutely wrong," Allman added. "I don't see how being a visible Catholic helps a run for Congress in the first place. Among the people who consider that you are Catholic, half will vote for you and half will vote against you because you are Catholic." Allman has been in the eye of several media hurricanes in his first weeks on the job, from the clergy abuse scandals to the tug-of-war between Burke and St. Stanislaus Catholic Church parishioners over the ownership of the city landmark church. "I've enjoyed the job so far," Allman said. "There's a lot going on. It is exciting. I think the toughest parts have been the personal stuff of people going after me. This shouldn't be about me; it should be about the issues that are before us. "I knew when I took this job, it was going to be contentious," Allman added. "But I also know that if you deal in the truth, you cannot go wrong. And that has certainly been the ethic guiding me as I perform this job." Clergy abuse problem With the Missouri Supreme Court's refusal late last year to prevent prosecution of a Catholic priest accused of sodomizing a youngster 25 years ago, the door may now be opened for decades-old clergy sex abuse lawsuit cases that once faded due to the road block of the statute of limitations. Indeed, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) has been sending the news media a steady stream of releases about clergy abuse cases and new lawsuits since the first of the year. Some members of SNAP speculate that Allman may have been brought on to try to deal with hundreds of credible clergy abuse complaints that once were held in limbo. "Embattled bishops often look for a quick fix," said David Clohessy, a local and national leader for SNAP. "It shows a sad, but all-too-typical concern for image-building rather than healing and prevention. Bringing on another mouthpiece rarely leads to reform." Clohessy made note of Allman's predecessor, Jim Orso, a Fleishman-Hillard public relations professional. Orso was brought on by Rigali two years ago to help the archdiocese navigate the press storm of clergy sex scandals. Orso told the Post he was looking forward to "going out to the real world" as Allman took his post. "Orso was a very savvy media professional," Clohessy said. "Still, during his tenure, more and more horrific stories about the cover-up of sexually abusive clergy finally saw the light of day. The Bible tells us that the truth will set you free, and Martin Luther King said no lie lives forever. So, we in SNAP are confident that this pattern-of more victims and witnesses finding the strength and courage to come forward will continue. "This is especially true as time passes, more cover-ups are uncovered, and more so-called church reforms are exposed as shams-we are being contacted by more church insiders who are sharing once-secret information about abusive clergy," Clohessy noted. "This trend will continue, Orso or no Orso, Allman or no Allman." In his interview with the Post about his archdiocese position, Allman said church officials have just not been "trained to deal with those who come in their midst with already negative attitudes about the church and its approach to things." Clohessy said Allman's statement was "insulting to caring Catholics and brave victims"-to suggest that adverse publicity is due to the negative attitudes of others. "By the church's own flawed self-survey, more than 4,400 priests have been credibly accused of molesting more that 11,000 innocent children," Clohessy noted. "The abuse crisis stems from deeply rooted, long-standing patterns of clerical power, arrogance and secrecy. To suggest it boils down to better employee training and negative attitudes is either deliberately deceitful or terribly naïve." St. Stanislaus battle Another major public relations nightmare for the St. Louis Archdiocese during Burke's first year in St. Louis has been the battle over St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in North St. Louis. Built in the 1890s by Polish immigrants, St. Stanislaus, at 1407 N. 20th St., has always been run by its own parishioners. The archbishop at the time, Archbishop Peter Richard Kenrick, gave the people full right to run the church themselves. According to Richard Bach, a representative of the Concerned Parishioners of St. Stanislaus Kostka, Kenrick signed the church to them, writing that it would be in their possession and under their control forever. Less than a month into his St. Louis appointment, Burke demanded that the Polish Catholic church in north St. Louis and its property be handed over to the archdiocese. Burke stated that the church was in breach of the Catholic Canon Law because it is not run by the archdiocese. In retaliation for the Polish parishioners' refusal to meet his demands, Burke has ordered an end to Masses, practice of the sacraments stopped, removal of the church's priest and has promised harsher actions, including interdiction against the church's board. Bach of Concerned Parishioners said he thinks no amount of public relations, by Allman or anybody else, can salvage the reputation of Burke among the many Catholics he has alienated since coming to St. Louis. Bach said Allman is trying to achieve the impossible with his attempts to portray Burke as a nice guy "with great intentions who has been misunderstood" in the media. "Burke is very methodical and calculated in his moves," Bach said. "They are intended to maintain his control over the situation or events, and he does not allow any slack. I think that Jamie Allman, as with many St. Louis Catholics, is taking much for granted with regard to this bishop's integrity. He is no saint and Jamie will have to paint him as one." St. Stanislaus Church and property are valued at $9.5 million or more, and the parish has almost $2 million in trust funds, stocks and bonds. Bach said he and other parishioners fear Burke will close the church and sell the property to developers, in part, to raise money to pay litigation costs and settlements involved with the clergy sexual abuse cases. He said the archdiocese has not been upfront about clergy abuse or its intentions with St. Stanislaus. "What Jamie will need to learn is that he is not dealing with a child's innocence," Bach said. "Officials in the archdiocese have been trained to deal in deception by the previous administration, in addition to the current one. "Why and how else would the sexual abuse cases exist?" Bach asked. "People had to have known that they existed, yet they knew how to manipulate and prevent information from being released. This is not innocence or lack of understanding. "I think Allman needs to stay away from naïve or flippant comments, like '… the archbishop has promised them the moon, and the stars with sugar on top.' He needs to do his research prior to speaking so that he doesn't damage his credibility. We are not interested in fairy tale promises," Bach said. "The parishioners at St. Stanislaus Kostka have done nothing wrong. No violation against doctrine or the Catholic faith has occurred," Bach said. "He needs to understand this is not a battle that people are waging against the religion or faith. It is a preservation of their heritage and faith. They are trying to fend off the wolves from devouring their property, psyche, and spirituality. Making personal attacks against these good Catholics does greater harm to the Catholic church than good." Allman responds "A lot of these groups are used to taking cheap shots at the church and Archbishop Burke with immunity," Allman said. "Bullies don't like someone who fights back. The real problem for them is that the archdiocese finally has someone who will stand up to them. "The people who came before me did the archdiocese a disservice by diving under their desk every time there were any accusations made by bullies against the church," Allman stressed. "That's over." Allman disputed Bach's assertion that he has used divisive and hurtful rhetoric against those in the St. Stanislaus controversy. He said he has merely quoted from a Vatican letter stating Bach's parishioners' organization is errant. "The reason Bach is upset is that his group is no longer able to lead the media around by the nose and tell them what to say," Allman said. "The archdiocese is finally getting its side of the story told, and that doesn't sit well." Allman said he is very upset by the comments made by Clohessy of SNAP regarding his media work for the archdiocese. He said Clohessy issued a negative press release in December about Allman even before he officially took his new job. "David's response is very puzzling to me," Allman said. "I did things with him in my old job in TV news, so I expected that he would welcome me as someone to work with in this job. "It looks like he views me as just another spin guy. I'm not," Allman stressed. "If a priest abuses somebody, and I go on the air about it, I am not going to be namby-pamby about it. We're done with that priest." Catholic school teachers "I was deeply distressed to learn of Allman's appointment," said Mary Chubb of the Association of Catholic Elementary Educators (ACEE). "The disappointment has to do with his reputation as a crack investigative reporter, and the fact that we had hoped to get some coverage on his 'Extra Edition Show' on KMOV-TV. "I don't think Allman has a clue as to what he is getting into," Chubb added. "I have heard about the problems Jim Orso had with Archbishop Burke and his reference to 'returning to the real world' now." Chubb and the ACEE teachers have been battling for 10 years to be recognized by the archdiocese as the union representing area Catholic elementary school teachers in contract negotiations. Chubb said the archdiocese is violating basic church doctrines on social justice in denying teacher employees a right to collective bargaining. She said Allman's credibility is "compromised" any time he upholds Burke's June 2004 decree that prohibits any parish or the church at large in St. Louis to recognize any collective bargaining unit for teachers. "Burke's position is untenable," Chubb said. "The decree is another string of positions we have been given for a decade for not recognizing us: It would require restructuring; it would break the faith community; unions are outmoded; pastors are employees and can't negotiate; the archdiocese is perfectly happy with the present arrangement." In 2004, Chubb's group delivered thousands of letters of support from parishioners for ACEE to archdiocese offices. Ten parishes that have voted on whether to recognize ACEE, voted in favor of the union. Elementary teachers also sent Burke a "report card" this past fall, giving the archbishop 'F' grades on labor and social justice issues. ACEE's Chubb, St. Stanislaus' Bach and SNAP's Clohessy all say they are appalled at how the weekly St. Louis Review refuses to cover their issues in a journalistically balanced manner; refuses to run letters from their members; refuses to run advertising for their positions. They said the Review is more akin to a "propaganda sheet," than to a journalistic forum to inform the St. Louis Catholic community. They said Review policies are more appropriate to General Francisco Franco's Spain, rather than to 21st century America. "The archbishop has made the statement that his word is the only one that should be printed in the St. Louis Catholic Review, because no one else is correct," Bach noted. Chubb said she would like to see the Catholic Review run some of the thousands of letters written in support of the rights of St. Louis Catholic elementary school teachers. "It's too bad that Mary Chubb has never contacted me about this," Allman said. "She has not contacted me once. I don't have anything to do with the Review or its content, but if she would call me, I would help her. "I would facilitate a meeting with the people at the Review," insisted Allman. "We would talk it out, but Chubb has not called me. All these people are so busy looking for 'evil' all over the place, that they don't sit down and call me to see what can be done."
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