http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/180922

September 22, 2018

 For the second time this year, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich has unceremoniously removed a pastor with a reputation for Catholic orthodoxy. First, it was Father C. Frank Phillips of St. John Cantius Church (click here if you're not already familiar with what transpired in that situation).

 Now it's Father Paul Kalchik of Resurrection Parish.

 From Catholic blogger Oakes Spalding's Sept. 22 post (click here to read his post in its entirety):

Father Kalchik recently announced – click here to read the text of his Sept. 9 homily – that he had been molested by two men, one of them a priest, on two separate occasions in his past. Since the flag-burning incident, he's reportedly been the recipient of threats of rape and death. His parishioners are said to be supportive of him.

 From ChurchMilitant.com (click here to read the article in its entirety):

Catholic attorney and child advocate Elizabeth Yore is another supporter of Father Kalchik. Ms. Yore is the former general counsel at Illinois DCFS, where she investigated the first of many sex abuse allegations against notorious ex-Chicago priest Daniel McCormack. (McCormack subsequently pleaded guilty to molesting five boys, was laicized by the Church, and currently resides in a state facility for sex offenders.)

 "This is how Francis-church handles the explosive clergy sex abuse scandals: They employ gestapo tactics against a good and holy priest who also happens to be a sex abuse victim, both as a child and as a seminarian," Ms. Yore said in an email to me. "Is this the Francis-church of mercy? Rather, this is the action of a tyrannical and callous cardinal who is roundly disliked and scoffed at by Chicago archdiocesan priests for his bully stunts, like this one.

 "Catholics are fed up with good and holy priests being persecuted by the hierarchy. Unfortunately, Cardinal Cupich just opened 'a rabbit hole.'"

 © Matt C. Abbott