Selection
According to the Catholic Sentinel, Speaker John Boehner had positive memories of Jesuits during his time at Xavier University,and decided he preferred a Jesuit priest as the next House Chaplain. [18]
He consulted House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi,who "also knows and trusts Jesuits via the University of San Francisco and having sent her son to Georgetown." [18] Fr. Daniel Coughlin,the House Chaplain preparing to retire,contacted the Jesuit office in Washington,D.C.,which sent out notices to Jesuit provincials around the country,requesting that each provincial nominate one candidate. After interviews that included a May 4 meeting with Boehner and Pelosi,Conroy was offered the chance to be nominated for the position. When he announced Conroy's selection,Boehner said that Conroy,has shown a "dedication to God's work,commitment to serving others and experience working with people of faith from all traditions." [1]
Conroy said of his nomination:
"One does not aspire to become the Chaplain to a chamber of Congress. This opportunity to serve is an extraordinary gift,and I hope to be worthy of the trust the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader are extending to me. I am also humbled by the confidence my Jesuit superiors are demonstrating in making me available to answer this call to serve the People's House." [19]
Conroy said that Jesuit spirituality focuses on making good decisions,based on the writings of St. Ignatius of Loyola in the 16th century. According to Conroy,that "could fit well in the business of the House of Representatives. I would hope I'd be able to remind everyone what they're about. They are not about winning something so someone else loses,but winning so everyone wins. They are there to serve,not to gain glory." [18] He said that one of his goals would be to "help House members and staff discern which urges are coming from God and which are coming from them ... [because] you need to know the difference." [18]
Conroy says that the understands that counseling will be a large part of his responsibilities as House Chaplain,and his past experiences have prepared him for that role:"As chaplain,I won't be responsible for the religious life of the people working on the Hill,how they practice their faith in their respective congregations. A chaplain is not a cultic figure,but more like a counselor. They know I am capable of that. It's what I did at Georgetown and what I do here (at Jesuit High School)." [17]
Coughlin,who retired April 14,2011,was the first Catholic priest to serve as House Chaplain;Conroy was the second Catholic priest,and the first Jesuit priest,to hold that position. [20]
As a Jesuit,he lives in a Jesuit community in Washington,D.C.,keeping a small amount of the salary he received to pay the amount he is charged to stay with them in addition to other basic needs,but donated the rest to his order. [17]
"Jesuit communities charge a per diem. In Washington,D.C.,it might be $50 a day. I'll pay that. And I'll keep enough for my working budget –something I'll decide with my provincial (supervisor) –and the rest will go to my province. The Jesuits paid for my education. The Jesuits pay for my health care,for my housing,for my transportation when I need it." [17]
Controversy
On May 6,2011,when his selection was announced,it was made clear that his name would be submitted to the full House for confirmation. [21]
On May 11,Pelosi announced she was "reconsidering" support when it was revealed that the group for which Conroy worked had paid $166 million for more than 400 claims of child sexual abuse. [16] Boehner's reaction was to say that Conroy was vetted and that the nomination would stand. [16]
However, The Seattle Times reported that Conroy had written a letter in 1986 to then-Seattle Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen about an accusation of abuse by a priest in Hunthausen's archdiocese,and when Conroy received no reply,he did not follow up on the issue. Fr. Dennis Champagne,the accused priest,remained in the ministry until 2002,when he finally resigned after the boy made his accusations public. [16]
The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus paid the largest sex-abuse settlement of any order in the Roman Catholic Church. [22] A spokesperson for Pelosi's office stated that "new information has arisen" since the initial review of Conroy's candidacy,and would be reviewed "as expeditiously as possible" with no "pre-judgment." [22]
According to Fox News Channel,Pelosi did not have information about the $166 million settlement when she initially supported the nomination. [23]
A number of groups supporting alleged victims of sexual abuse said that appointing any priest from the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus would be inappropriate, [16] and some like the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) opposed the nomination because of what they believed was insufficient action on Conroy's part to follow up to a greater extent on the knowledge of abuse that he had. [24]
Supporters of Conroy insisted he should be judged on the fact that he was never accused of abuse or molestation,not on past problems associated with others within the group. [16] For example,the Very Rev. Patrick Lee,the group's superior,said that "Fr. Conroy is an excellent priest worthy of the nomination made by Speaker Boehner. He has never been the subject of an allegation of child abuse." [16]
The views of many were summed up in the statement made in a May 11 report that,"It would be a shame if the first Jesuit House chaplain is denied confirmation due to guilt by association with events that did not involve him,not even in the most tangential way." [25] Conroy himself described the controversy like being in the middle of "a firestorm ... It's a pretty clear case of guilt by association,but my conscience is clear." [17]
After a flurry of news reports,Drew Hamill,a spokesman for Pelosi,made the statement that "Father Conroy has responded to additional questions" and "the leader sees no obstacle to him being named chaplain." [17]
