Long story short. Urrotigoity was ordained in Winona, thanks to alleged intervention by Bp. Williamson and Bp de Galarreta. In the end, Fr. U. became a priest of the Society, and Fr. Morello was summarily fired.
TIA summarizes the events: “In July 1989, Fr. Morello, accompanied by an associate, travelled to Winona with a copy of the mentioned dossier to prevent the imminent ordination of Urrutigoity. He was confronted and stopped by Bishop Richard Williamson who accused him of lying. A few days later, on July 16, 1989, Morello was expelled from the Society. It is difficult not to say that he was punished for accusing Urrutigoity.”
While I disagree with your wholehearted endorsement of Voris (a ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ himself) and Niles, who have an ax to grind against Traditional Catholicism in general, I must say that the Urrutigoity episode stinks to high heaven.
I started at STAS in the late Summer of 1989, so shortly after Fr. Morello's visit and expulsion. I and several others noticed that Urrutigoity practically ran the place. Not only that, but he maintained some very strong particular friendships with a few close seminarians and had an almost cult-like following among a small clique of them. He tried to recruit me into his inner circle, but I wasn't interested. I wasn't really interested in any particular friendships, being more of an introvert, so I stayed out of it. I was there for God. Maybe I'm even a touch anti-social, but in any case, I had no interest in their group.
Nevertheless, I never understood the appeal of Urrutigoity. He wasn't some kind of great theological genius. I actually considered him somewhat worldly and rather taken with the aesthetics of the Mass, including his promotion of these ankle-length lace surplices. I found them extremely effeminate and wanted nothing to do with them, comparing them in my mind to women's lingerie. I continued wearing the standard-issue solid one that went to my knees.
One time, when most of the priests were away on their mission circuit, Urrutigoity hatched a scheme to implement some liturgical innovations, including having women in the choir area and also introducing "troped" Kyries (which practice was rejected at the time of the Council of Trent). Well, Fr. Bourmaud, a seminary professor (whom I liked very much, a very kind and gentle soul ... we would get into it comparing France and the U.S.) returned earlier than expected from his mission circuit. I complained to him about these things, and he rightly intervened and shut Urrutigoity down.
Urrutigoity also seemed very much into wine. Jumping ahead, after his ordination, he was notorious for using an unusually large amount of wine for the Mass ... to the point that most priests would probably get rather intoxicated from drinking it. And outside of Mass he was known to imbibe generously as well.
There was one hike at the seminary where Urrutigoity showed a film to the seminarians on the bus to the location, the film being of an an opera. Thankfully, I rode up separately because I had some work that I needed to do before I could leave. Some seminarians reported to me that Urrutigoity had caused scandal because the movie he showed contained nudity. Those who complained he made fun of as Jansenists. Can you say "grooming"?
Had I known about the accusations against Urrutigoity, I would immediately have suspected this behavior, his particular friendships (against which, especially, Fr. Morello had warned), his overall effeminacy and worldliness, as linked to ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖity. But this went unnoticed by Bishop Williamson, who had all the facts of the allegations? In fact, I marveled that at times Bishop Williamson sought Urrutigoity's advice about various matters. Again, I saw nothing all that special about the guy. I had much more respect for the likes of Fr. Goettler and Fr. Bourmaud.
So, while I was there, I was inducted into the so-called "St. Pius X" schola, or singing group. They had these "scholas" there so that the work of preparing for and singing the chant at the seminary could be rotated among the groups. St. Pius X schola was considered the top one for the best singers. Now, I have a tenor / baritone voice, but can reach higher pitches in a falsetto. So one Christmas, Urrutigoity wanted us to perform Handel's Messiah. Of course, there are soprano voices in that, so he had an arrangement which rewrote some of those for tenors singing in falsetto. Well, guess what, I and some others were asked to sing those parts. I complied out of a spirit of obedience, but I felt like a fag the entire time. In retrospect, I guess that Urrutigoity found it stimulating.
So, about halfway through my second year, I started to become inclined toward sedevacantism. I spent many hours on walks with Bishop Williamson discussing my concerns. Unfortunately, his answers were mostly personal attacks against The Nine and some stuff about how these theologians I cited could simply not have foreseen the crisis. But, asked him, "But don't the principles still apply?" He didn't have an answer. I really loved it there and didn't want to leave. I was in fact looking for any reason that I could stay, but was given none. So I left. After I left, I corresponded a little with Archbishop Lefebvre (received a hand-written letter in response). I wrote him in Latin, not knowing French, and he responded in French ... which I deciphered with the aid of a dictionary. I also corresponded with Bishop Williamson, who referred me to write to ... you guessed it, Urrutigoity, evidently the resident theological expert there. I honestly didn't think he was all that bright. And, yet, even before he was ordained, he taught these informal evening classes ... acting as if he was a professor there.
So the year I left was the year that Urrutigoity was scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood. I went to his ordination and congratulated him there. He told me then that he would offer his first Mass for me. I was very moved by that. But then I found out later that he said the same thing to someone else as well.
Fr. Urrutigoity then, despite, IMO, not being all that bright, was appointed a professor at STAS. My brother Steve entered the seminary and spent 4 years there (he received all the Minor Orders). But then something happened. He went to Bishop Williamson to complain that Fr. Urrutigoity was a Modernist. Next thing you know, Steve was exiled from STAS and sent to St. Mary's to "think things over" regarding his vocation. Once at St. Mary's he became so discouraged that he simply left. Steve also had information that Fr. Urrutigoity was leaking details from spiritual direction he was giving seminarians to Bishop Williamson. Spiritual Direction, while not strictly under the Confessional seal, was still supposed to be kept confidential by an extension of the seal.
After all that, we now hear that Bishop Williamson is accused of harboring another accused ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ predator in London. What are we to make of that? It's one thing to get fooled once, but to get fooled again? (to quote the immortal George W. Bush).