PUBLIC APOLOGY OF REVEREND FATHER FLORENT GRASSIGLI
IN DEFENSE OF THE MOST REVEREND BISHOP PAUL PETKO
“But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more&: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.” St. Matt., xviii, 15-17.
Dear Faithful,
If I am writing this public apology, it is in order to repair the tremendous harm done against a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church, His Excellency Bishop Paul Petko, as well as against the Ritter Family and all those related to them, whether family, friends or clergy.
As I have been ordained a Priest by His Excellency Bishop Robert Dymek (himself ordained and consecrated by Bishop Francis Slupski), I am hence free to speak my mind and repair the offended justice, as much as my capacities allow me.
It has been indeed a long and winding path to the priesthood along which I made many mistakes. After having appeared as an accuser against Bishop Petko, as some may remember, I have to make this public statement —since the offence against him was also made public— to try to restore Bishop Paul Petko’s reputation, and of all those connected to him.
Over a year ago, an article published by Doctor Thomas Droleskey on his website Christ or Chaos provoked an immense controversy, and brought into question Bishop Paul Petko’s moral integrity. Although reluctantly, I had to respond to an interview concerning Bishop Petko’s visit to England and what happened there during my own visit at the same time to receive the two last Minor Orders. The article published by Dr. Droleskey sought to depict His Excellency as a sɛҳuąƖ predator, rashly throwing together all sorts of different information, without any discernment, and provoking much confusion and scandal among many Traditional Catholics.
The Ritter Family was attacked as well in the most unjust way, and each and every fact related about them was either false, misconstrued, twisted or even forged, as I recently realized by speaking with them.
Although I was closely involved with Dr. Droleskey and Father Markus Ramolla, then Pastor of Saint Albert the Great, and despite actively partaking in the public campaign against Bishop Petko by publicly recounting what happened in England, I never believed that Bishop Petko was what he was accused to be.
I recently contacted Bishop Paul Petko in order to speak about what happened over a year ago and seek forgiveness for my past involvement with those who tried to destroy his reputation, for I had always known, ever since the beginning, that ulterior motives had motivated the main characters in the campaign against Bishop Petko. Our conversation about these events also provided me with an opportunity to clarify certain doubts and dispel all of the apprehensions that I had had, as well as to discuss at length the chain of events set in motion by these fears and how they were used to the advantage of certain others.
It might be a surprise to some of those who will read this public apology and have known me, that I now withdraw my statements concerning Bishop Petko. But with the passage of time it has become clearer and clearer to me that a major mistake was made, and hence that I have to do my part in order to repair the harm that has been done to Bishop Petko’s reputation.
More than a year and a half ago I stayed for about a week at Bishop Petko’s home along with a friend of mine. We had a wonderful time, together with the Ritters, who own the house and property where the chapel is located. We did not have the opportunity to meet the whole family, but the atmosphere of their household was that of a devoted, pious and honest traditional Catholic family. Nothing strange nor odd struck me, no doubts whatsoever clouded my mind concerning Bishop Petko’s moral integrity.
Bishop Petko was fatherly and kind to all of us, and wanted to help us in any way he could. He knew all we had to endure as seminarians, how hard it had been for all of us, and wanted to give us a different image of a bishop: that of a true spiritual father.
Bishop Petko has lived under the same roof as the Ritter family for more than a decade. I have met them and could not reconcile the excellent impression I had of their household, with the monstrous image given of them by Dr. Droleskey’s article. But sadly I placed my trust in Droleskey as well as Fr. Ramolla, and in their judgment. They were my elders, and I thought they must be seeing things which I could not see. Therefore, I remained silent and thus gave my tacit approval —at least to some extent— to their actions.
But now that time has passed, and I can calmly look back and acknowledge that the reaction against Bishop Petko was irrational, rash, and impulsive. No chance was ever given to Bishop Petko to defend himself against the many accusations made against him, or against the insults of all sorts thrown against him, the Ritters and those supporting them. As soon as anyone tried to defend him or to disagree with how the affair was being handled, Fr. Ramolla would immediately cut off all ties with that person.
Now that I am a priest, in justice, before God and before every honest traditional Catholic, I would like to express my deep and sincere regrets in having been part in the castigation of Bishop Petko, and with the benefit of the distance now separating us from these past events, it is indeed easy to see clearly what happened and why it all happened.
None of these things should have been an issue. If Bishop Petko may have been overly affectionate (for many of the accusations have been exaggerated or put outside of context, hence giving a completely false impression), there is nothing, absolutely nothing worth provoking such rage and such accusations, that even included the openly expressed desire to “kill” Bishop Petko.
On the other hand, how could a family accept under the same roof a sɛҳuąƖ predator living along with their children? The only way to rationalize such an absurdity was for certain individuals to demonize the Ritters and Bishop Petko, and this they did deliberately and openly in order to promote their own agenda.
I am now ready to admit that by entrusting my vocation to my former spiritual director and superior, Fr. Ramolla, I have been responsible in the false castigation of a Catholic bishop. I did not act properly in these circuмstances, and should have distanced myself from these accusations, or made a clear stance against these accusations earlier.
As I am now a priest, and therefore free from that former pressure, I have the opportunity here to try to repair and make up for the immense damage done against the reputation of a prince of the Church, as is due in justice.
Nolite tangere Christos meos, says the Psalmist, “don’t touch my anointed ones”, this is the cry of my priestly heart, that no one should ever again condemn innocent blood —for it is nothing else than to crucify Christ all over again; neither shall the promise of ordination or the threat of its withdrawal be used any more as a means of control and power over seminarians.
With my priestly blessing,
Father Florent Grassigli +
PS: This post will be the first and the last I will write concerning this matter.
Topic: PUBLIC APOLOGY TO BISHOP PAUL PETKO (Read 13211 times)