Archbishop Gregory Aymond of New Orleans finds himself at the center of swirling controversy this week, with his archdiocese confronting fallout on two major fronts – hundreds of explosive emails showing the NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans aided the church in spinning the clergy abuse scandal, and a bitter feud with fired leaders of the church’s affiliated food bank over demands to fund abuse settlements.
‘Why are we here?’: Concerns mount over archbishop’s moves
The tumultuous developments have left some food bank board members questioning the archbishop’s motives. “Why are we here?” one director reportedly asked after Aymond unilaterally replaced ousted board leaders and gave himself expansive new powers over the non-profit.
Aymond has made statements seeking to justify his actions, asserting the food bank resisted bankruptcy-related legal protections for the church. But former board leaders strongly dispute this, saying they supported the measures and planned to sign well before an alleged deadline.
Saints, Pelicans execs’ emails fan flames
Compounding the controversy are hundreds of emails, reported this week by the AP, revealing the Saints’ and Pelicans’ communications teams advised the archdiocese on messaging and media strategy around the abuse crisis. While Aymond has tried to downplay the emails’ significance, many view them as a damning indictment of the teams’ entanglement in the scandal.
The characterizations of the archdiocese as stealing money from the hungry are completely false.
Archbishop Gregory Aymond
Bankruptcy case hangs in balance
As pressure mounts, observers question what the dual scandals mean for the church’s bankruptcy proceedings, with hundreds of clergy abuse claims pending. Aymond’s handling of the Second Harvest situation has spurred doubts about his leadership and judgment at a critical juncture for the archdiocese.
With emotions running high and trust eroding, the path forward for the embattled archbishop – and the archdiocese’s bid to resolve a painful, costly legacy of abuse – remains uncertain. For now, the twin firestorms show no signs of abating, leaving New Orleans’ Catholic faithful anxiously awaiting the next “tumultuous” development.
