President Ronald Reagan named Ritter one of America’s “unsung heroes” in his 1984 State of the Union Address. The cause of death was respiratory failure. Now Italian Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò charges that Pope Francis has known since June 2013 that former Washington, DC, Archbishop Theodore McCarrick was a “serial predator” but covered for him until an investigation forced McCarrick out in June. Three weeks later, fearing that the DA would send the case to a grand jury, Ritter gave up and skulked off to his upstate home. “Cotter said to me, ‘What made you think it would be easy, pal? Sennott, who founded and runs the Boston-based journalism advocacy and educational GroundTruth Project, said, “The story didn’t get at the deeper truth of coverups going on in one diocese after another” — because Covenant House belonged not to a diocese, but to the Franciscan order, a worldwide community of Roman Catholic priests founded by St. Francis of Assisi in the 13th century. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively donate $500,000 to Covenant House in Vancouver and Toronto to support homeless and at-risk youth ... as part of plea deal in college admissions bribery scandal In exchange for sex, Ritter had paid him off with a nice apartment, a computer, a college scholarship and money to buy good clothes and restaurant dinners — an illegal use of nonprofit Covenant House’s funds. In September, 1990, McGeady replaced Covenant House founder the Rev. Published: Sunday, February 14, 1988, 7:58 am | Author: Frank Kennedy. Millions of kids suffer on the streets every day. Morgenthau’s famed sex-case prosecutor, Linda Fairstein, gave him a tape recorder to catch Ritter discussing sex and money with him. “It wasn’t easy for me,” Sennott recalled this week. The average compensation — including bonuses and deferred pay when it is paid out — topped $650,000. Overall, Covenant House International is founded upon worthy principles that really seek to make a difference in the lives of those it serves. I know that someday you will stand before the one who judges all of us and at that time there will be no more denial, just the truth.”. On Dec. 6, a nervous but determined Sennott reached Ritter by phone. Terms of Use It turned out that Ritter had sex with at least 15 young men at Covenant House, one of whom was 14 at the time. Kite’s next stop was the office of Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. Covenant House explains below how they invite a pro-LGBT organization, called “True Colors”, to audit their practices to ensure they are creating “safe spaces” for the LGBTQ+ homeless. Her performance of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” blew the entire audience away and brought everyone to …. By the 1980s, it had grown to an $87 million agency, operating numerous large centers in New York and six other major United States cities, as well as locations in Toronto, Canada, and Latin America. There was anger that he escaped prosecution. TV’s “Inside Edition” did a story titled “Anatomy of a Smear.” John Cardinal O’Connor, the powerful head of the New York Archdiocese, said, “I have held Father Ritter’s work in the highest esteem.”. Covenant House did manage to overcome the scandal, though the process proved to be a long and painful one. Ritter’s team put Kevin Kite’s estranged father on TV to state that his son had a “history of lying.” When the investigation seemed stalled, The New York Times editorialized that Morgenthau was subjecting Ritter to a “slow bleed” that could be “ruinous” to Covenant House and its good works. Covenant House Opening Doors For Homeless & Trafficked Youth. To look at pay for executives of big nonprofits nationwide, The Chronicle examined Internal Revenue Service data for more than 500 organizations that raised $35 million or more from individuals, foundations, and corporations in 2014. Published: Sunday, February 14, 1988, 7:58 am | Author: Frank Kennedy. So, too, will the question of accountability. The church has paid out billions of dollars in settlements — including $60 million by the New York Archdiocese in the past two years, The Post reported this month. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively donate $500,000 to Covenant House in Vancouver and Toronto to support homeless and at-risk youth ... as part of plea deal in college admissions bribery scandal Ritter’s war machine swung into action when it learned The Post was ready to go with the story. Mario Cuomo, Rep. Geraldine Ferraro, and pressmen’s union President Jack Kennedy, who was the brother of Ritter’s physician and Covenant House board member, Dr. Jim Kennedy. Florida puts New York to shame in rational pandemic policies, Army probing psychological warfare officer who led group to DC riots, Kyrie Irving remains absent in Capitol riot aftermath, Prince Harry, Markle to reportedly reunite with royals since 'Megxit', How lone Capitol cop averted disaster, luring rioters away from open Senate door. Notably, when Ritter’s activities at Covenant House were exposed in 1989 by the New York Post, Charles M. Sennott, the Post reporter who wrote the story, would later state that “the secular powers more than the archdiocese or the Franciscans protected him [Ritter].” The cause of death was respiratory failure. … Kevin Kite standing in front of Covenant House. In early February 1990, four of them told their stories to The Village Voice and the Times. Morgenthau wouldn’t charge him, but he had to quit Covenant House and never work with young people again. Mahaney was a Takoma Park pot smoker when he found God and opened a church. Soon, other young men who’d shared Ritter’s bed found their voices. Covenant House is a Youth Development, Shelter, and Crisis Services charity located in New York, NY. Covenant House is rated 3 out of 4 stars by Charity Navigator. An “LGBTQ” Inclusion Test was implemented in every Covenant House location in 2017. Bruce Ritter, after reports surfaced of his sexual impropriety with the charity’s male clients. Bruce Ritter, the Covenant House founder who resigned amid allegations of sexual and financial misconduct, has died of cancer at the age of 72. In the tumultuous weeks following, The Post was accused of trying to destroy an iconic, beloved priest in order to sell papers. But Ritter enjoyed a similar coverup for the same reasons that other charismatic clerics with cult-like followings do: unwillingness to blow the whistle on deviant priests who reel in money and garner political prestige under a veil of saintliness. Your California Privacy Rights Since Covenant House was shaken by allegations of sexual and financial impropriety four months ago, the charity has been cutting back some programs … The ministry’s revenue declined by 46 percent between 2012 and 2014, and its assets dropped from $6.2 million to $2.8 million. The charity is still a dues-paying member of Catholic Charities and Catholic Charities of New York. As a leader in the sector, we advocate so that all youth can have lives free from homelessness and trafficking. Ritter was later embroiled in an abuse-scandal in which he was accused of molesting the young men coming in for shelter off the street. Sign Up for FREE ‘The Insurgency’ Email List to Get BANNED News in Your Inbox, We have Moved. While I believe wholeheartedly in this organization's mission, It is a shame that Covenant House Illinois cannot seem to abide by those same principles. , Covenant House ’ s who of financial and media clout an air of infallibility! 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