By Gretchen Keiser

In an interview Aug. 11, Bishop James P. Lyke, OFM, the new apostolic administrator of the Atlanta archdiocese, answered a series of questions that have been raised by the public disclosure of improper relationships between Archbishop Eugene Marino, SSJ, and Vicki Long, and between Ms. Long and Father Michael Woods. Those questions and his answers are given here:

Q - Most recent information is that Archbishop Marino has been admitted to the psychiatric wing of a hospital and is under observation for his mental and physical well-being. Do you have any information on his state of health?

Bishop Lyke: I don't have any information on his physical condition beyond that he has been placed in the psychiatric unit of the hospital. I have never spoken to his doctors personally. I can't reveal more details. People can write to him care of the Catholic Center and we will see to it that their sentiments are shared with him.

Q - Is there any way to know when or if Archbishop Marino will be able to return to active service in the Church?

Bishop Lyke: I honestly believe that until he feels that he is ready to return to ministry, that that question is premature. I long for the day when he can return to ministry as a bishop. Obviously his doctors have to clear him as a healthy person before he could entertain that.

Q - It has been about 10 or 11 days since the news broke and you have been speaking about it since then. Is there anything you would say to the people of the archdiocese at this point in time?

Bishop Lyke: From a personal and a pastoral point of view, I think we have put enough energy into this. All the important facts are on the table. There's a claim against the archdiocese and from here on out, as far as I'm concerned, it needs to go its legal route. I've met with the entire staff, all the priests, sisters, deacons and this Sunday (Aug. 12), I will have met with representative lay people. I don't want to hide anything or snuff anything out. We can't put all our energies into this. All of our people have dealt with it for a good month, and have dealt with it intensely for the last days. Apart from the commitment we've already made to prayer, to compassion, to forgiveness and to faith, there is not much we can do.

Q - Have you met with Vicki Long?

Bishop Lyke: No. I would never meet with her without her lawyer and my lawyer present.

Q - Why did the Church not reveal the existence of the relationship when Archbishop Marino's resignation was made public in July?

Bishop Lyke: Principally because he did not want to. His relationship with Vicki was the property of Vicki and Archbishop Marino. It was their privileged information. It would be tantamount to me or the archdiocese making a public confession for someone else without their permission. We were in conscience bound ... Any professional has periodically found himself or herself in a similar situation and it would be a worse situation for society and for the Church if people could not entrust their deepest matters of conscience to another without the fear of that being revealed.

Q - Did anyone in the diocese know about the relationship before it was reveled to church officials this spring?

Bishop Lyke: I have asked Father Dillon and he has said that he did not know. No one has come to me and said that they knew before this. I have learned that in retrospect people have recognized them together and have asked questions.

Q - The public allegation has been made through Ms. Long's attorney that she was told confidential diocesan matters and that she was told matters revealed to the archbishop in confession. Is there any way you can respond to these allegations?

Bishop Lyke: I have no information that can respond to that allegation. It would seem to me that only the archbishop could respond. I can't conceive that the archbishop would say to her or to anyone what was told to him in a confessional way. Priests don't share that with anybody. I can't believe that. It's unfortunate that his health is such that he can't address this.

Q - People have asked whether the reception of sacraments from the priests involved was valid at the time?

Bishop Lyke: The validity of the sacraments is never affected by the personal state of the soul of the one administering the sacraments. If I baptize you and I am the greatest sinner in the world, you are baptized as effectively as by the greatest saint in the world.

Q - In trying to understand the events, some people have said they see an element of evil at work. Do you have any comment on this?

Bishop Lyke: Only God knows. I just don't think we can speak for God. I think (this explanation) is an expression of human wonderment about unexplainable phenomena. To assert that this is the devil at work, I don't think I can do that.

Q - Can you offer any explanation to try to help people?

Bishop Lyke: I think that traditionally people have had great expectations of their clergypersons, whether Catholic or Protestant or Jewish ... There is an expectation on the part of the people that the priest or the minister or the rabbi must epitomize the very best of humanity. Because we are a liturgical community, there are expectations of a type of ritual purity that is associated with leaders of the Old Testament. There is no room for the imperfection of a priest as a member of the human family.

We have to realize that despite the high ideals that a priest may have, it is not only a question of being a human being, and imperfect and in need of constant conversion, but it is also a question that he is both a member of contemporary society and a product of contemporary society. We are in a society that has become increasingly obsessed with human sexuality, sexual freedom and accustomed to displays of sexual promiscuity in, for example, the entertainment media. Thirdly, we have to recognize that priests and future priests are also products of the families from which they come. All we have to do is reflect on the condition of family life today, separation and divorce, single parenthood, tremendous pressure on family life, economic instability, etc., to realize that the current breakdown in family life is bound to affect the children of those families, no matter what vocation or career they enter ... I say all this not to excuse or condone the sins or faults of myself or my brother priests. I say it simply to note that if we want to understand, we have to be aware of the broader social context, and until we do something about this broader social context these problems will continue at all levels in our society.

Q - What attitude do you think we should take towards these three people, Archbishop Marino, Father Woods, and Ms. Long, who have been publicly criticized and discussed for so many days and who may continue to be?

Bishop Lyke: The first attitude we must take is to acknowledge the truth of the matter. That is, that what was done, whether by Archbishop Marino or Father Woods was, obviously, a sinful deed. I say objectively because only God knows a person's state of conscience and only God can judge that person's state of conscience. Further, only God knows what human factors may have limited their own exercise of freedom. The biblical exhortation 'Judge not, lest you be judged,' applies here.

The second posture I would say has to be one of mercy, the same type of mercy that God constantly has towards us every moment of our lives. From such mercy comes a spirit of forgiveness and compassion. I will never forget the front page of Time magazine when there was a picture of Pope John Paul II and his attempted assassin showing the Holy Father forgiving the man who attempted to take his life and making every effort to reconcile that man with himself and with the human community.

Third would be the posture of peace. It is obvious that these situations have caused great personal anxiety to Catholics and people of other faiths and have caused a great discomfort and even disturbance within the community, the Catholic community in particular. When we recognize the truth and when we show mercy we have laid the foundation to actively pursue reconciliation and peace.

What I have said about these different attitudes applies equally to Archbishop Marino, to Father Woods and to Vicki Long and to anyone else who would be involved in any kind of moral dilemma. There is a way in which our Christian faith is tested and proven in situations such as these.

Q - I have received some letters from people who say they are leaving the Catholic Church because of this scandal.

Bishop Lyke: I heard about a woman who was so moved by the spirit of understanding and compassion on the part of Catholics of the archbishop and for Father Woods that she decided to return to the Church and her whole family came with her.

This has been by far the overwhelming response within the Catholic community. Secondly, I have never believed that one responds to situations of difficulty or scandal within the Church by leaving the Church and depriving the Church of the unique Christian witness that person can give. For example, for years people have told me that as a black man I should not be a part of what is perceived to be a white and racist Church. African-American Catholics decided long ago that the Catholic Church is their home and that we must work to make this Church of ours 'like a bride without stain or wrinkle.' If black Catholics were to leave the Catholic Church it would be a great disservice to the Church and would rob the Church of our gifts. Similarly I would exhort Catholics who may be tempted to leave this home of their faith to resolve to enrich the Church in an even more determined way with the goodness of their moral life. Thirdly, there may be a subtle expression of the sin of pride in leaving the Catholic Church. There is a rare person who can say that God has not forgiven her or him for serious sins. Our forgiveness and our compassion and our understanding should be modeled on the forgiveness of God.