Father Shanley 

Private message, 15 February 2005

I'm very upset at the moment seeing the utter destruction of one of the most wonderful, kindest, most caring, persons in the world. A man who thought nothing of helping anybody whenever he could.

But when he needed help & support nobody came to his aid. I am talking about a man who the whole community of Boston recommended to gay men who needed counseling help, which he gave without charge and with love & compassion.

Four lying money hungry scum of the earth used the legal system to make him an innocent scapegoat for all the priests who really did kids (girls & boys) wrong. An only because of a legal loop-hole that allowed them to prosecute.

I've kept quiet till now because I stupidly believed that the justice system would not so blatantly send an innocent person to life in jail. But they will. I can't believe this has happened. I know for sure he is innocent. I was confident as he was that he exonerated if not by the media but by the courts. Oh how wrong I was.

When I saw him the last time, about 6 months ago, he said to me, "I'm the most hated man in America." Can you believe such a good man to be made into a hated monster by the media and money hungry lawyers. I thought it was tragic then. I never believed they could convict him on the ranting of 4 money hungry men whose stories where contradicted by all the adults at the time. The Catholic Church is partly to blame for cowardly giving in to them & paying them off to keep them quiet. They were in the news almost every night condemning the Church.

He even used to visit men in jail & he would describe as "rotting in jail." I wonder if anyone will visit him there where he will rot till he dies. I wonder if I will have the courage to visit him.