Bishop David Moyer Plans to Subpoena Msgr Jeffrey Steenson
March 22, 2012 4 Comments
An ever sensational (try to read through that) Dr David Virtue reports: TAC Bishop Moyer Serves Subpoena on Friends and Enemies.
The deposed former priest of the Episcopal Anglo-Catholic parish of the Good Shepherd in Rosemont, PA, David L. Moyer has given notice that he will serve a subpoena on former friends and enemies including one to “Jerry Steenson”, the new Ordinary of the Ordinariate of the Roman Catholic Church for documents relating to a lawsuit brought by his former attorney, John H. Lewis Jr., for fraud and defamation.
The proposed subpoenas, which contain seven pages of instructions, definitions and document requests, bear no obvious relationship to the question of whether Moyer defamed Lewis or filed a frivolous lawsuit against him several years ago. For example, it boggles the mind to think that “Jerry Steenson” might have documents,” an individual who resided and worked outside Pennsylvania for most of the last ten years, to see if they bear on whether Lewis was defamed by Moyer or whether Moyer filed a frivolous lawsuit against him.
Indeed, and ironically, in a suit where Moyer has been accused of defaming someone, the reference to “Jerry” (his name is Jeffrey) seems to be designed to denigrate and insult the former Episcopal Bishop of the Rio Grande who crossed the Tiber several years ago – a move that Moyer himself has sought, but did not obtain the required votum needed for him to join the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter because of serious impediments.
Moyer’s plan to subpoena “Jerry Steenson” seems designed to harass and punish him as the messenger who delivered to Moyer news that Moyer would not receive the required votum from Archbishop Charles Chaput of the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Now Moyer cannot proceed with training he needs for the Catholic priesthood. Perhaps Moyer’s next subpoena will be delivered to Rome itself…
In fact, the subpoena planned for me seeks each and every document I might have relating to Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson.
Some questions come to mind. Why is Moyer trying to uncover information about Steenson? Is he so aggrieved at being rejected by Steenson for the Ordinariate that he intends to launch an investigation into Steenson – an investigation that plainly has no relationship to Lewis’ lawsuit?
At another level, is the planned subpoena to me nothing more then an effort to chill VOL’s news -gathering efforts in connection with a topic of tremendous interest to our readers? Shame on you, Moyer.
VOL will not be bullied into silence and we will not cease our efforts in uncovering the truth about what happened at the Church of the Good Shepherd, the $1.5 million spent on legal fees, and other matters including property issues.
Good grief! Talk about burning bridges…
I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!
The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.
- 1 Cor 6:5-8
About Fr Stephen Smuts
My experience of VOL is similar to my experience of the Daily Mail (UK tabloid newspaper, frequently so far to the political right that it meets itself coming the other way – and I say this as someone whose political outlook is mostly distinctly right of center): the published stories are usually fairly factually accurate, but tend to be spun so heavily to fit the publication’s agenda that they might as well not be.
However, assuming the plain facts of this story are correct, it’s hard to see how this can be anything other than a gravely troubling development. Prayers for all concerned.
Yes, well put.
Seeking obedience to the Word of God and the Lord? That’s an old and foreign concept these days! Shame on us all indeed, for not hearing & following more closely! The questions and answers are always in and before the Lord and His Word! But do we really believe it still? Note it in our preaching! Can we see the apostolic kerygma here?
It would be naive to think that the Catholic church has never ordained anyone who might otherwise have brought legal pressure to bear; but never in a situation where this was SEEN to be the case; that would defeat the entire purpose. No doubt Moyer wishes to demonstrate that he was damaged professionally by defamatory statements made by his lawyer to Mgr Steenson. Even if he were able to make his case it would make no difference to his ordination prospects, just as a successful outcome of Hepworth’s criminal complaint against his alleged rapist would not in any way improve his prospects of re-instatement as a Catholic priest. If these men are merely being punitive, fair enough; if this is a strategy it is seriously misguided.