The Jesuit provincial of the Oregon Province about a year ago came clean on a major cover-up of priestly sexual abuse of boys and young men in Spokane in the 60s by the president of Gonzaga University.  Jesuits had come across papers while preparing court documents for other cases.

Among the admissions by the provincial, Rev. John D. Whitney, was a sort of smoking gun:

In 1969, Spokane authorities raised new allegations against [Rev. John] Leary and gave him 24 hours to leave the city or face arrest, according to the news release. The release said a leader of the Jesuits in the Northwest created a story that Leary was resigning for health reasons, and Leary left the city.

Leary went briefly to New York, then Massachusetts and was later assigned to positions “throughout the western United States,” according to the release.

“I can only surmise that fear of scandal and of harm to Gonzaga University gripped those Jesuits,” Whitney said. He said he knew of no accusations involving Leary after he left Gonzaga.

The cover-up was “uncharacteristic,” Whitney said in a release.

How does he know that?  It was about the time when Fr. Donald McGuire, S.J., was being sent away from Loyola Academy, Wilmette, after being accused, without prejudice to future exposure to boys who caught his eye.

Two odd things in the latest AP story about Rev. Donald McGuire, the convicted Jesuit priest-pederast:

Asked whether he had taken steps to remove McGuire from the priesthood, [Rev. Edward] Schmidt [S.J., provincial] said the priest was under the supervision of Wisconsin authorities and declined to comment further.

What are these Wisconsin authorities?  Civil, we presume, since McGuire is free on appeal of his sentence to a Wisconsin prison.  But what has that to do with Jesuit discipline?

“Apologies are empty if they are not followed by strong actions,” [victims’ advocacy group spokeswoman] Barbara Blaine said. “Father McGuire is free to roam the streets of Chicago and abuse any child. Their actions tell us they are not concerned about children. They are more concerned about their image.”

He is free to do that, living not in a Jesuit house but in a private home.  Why?  It’s not normal for Jesuits to live outside Jesuit houses.  He’s getting special treatment?

What’s more, if Jesuits have authority in the matter, which we presume they do, why do they seem to care more about McGuire than about his victims, some of whom allegedly suffered as recently as four years ago?

Carrying this further, we assume Schmidt speaks for all Chicago Province Jesuits.  We don’t know who’s taking a different approach privately, within the province, but we know that none is taking it publicly.

Rev. Ed Schmidt, the Chicago Province Jesuit provincial superior, is on the hot seat for apparent misfeasance in the Rev. Donald McGuire SJ case.  He won’t say, rather can’t say, if they are trying to expel the convicted, twice-sued pederast McGuire.

Bull, says Rev. Kenneth Lasch, a New Jersey pastor emeritus and canon lawyer outspoken in clergy abuse matters.  “There’s no reason he can’t say, and in fact, it’s an outrage that he doesn’t say,” he told Sun-Times.

Add to that Schmidt’s claim that he does not know how many Chi Prov Jesuits have been accused of child abuse, and you have cause for what in other circles would be called impeachment, unless he’s captive of his consultors and/or someone in Rome.