Archabbey’s Statement Regarding Allegations

The Archabbot of Saint Vincent, Right Reverend Douglas Nowicki, has been informed that you recently received a mailing [ View ] from an individual identifying himself as James Carr containing untrue, slanderous, defamatory allegations.

James Carr’s mailing is directly related to the case of Rev. Mark Gruber, a former faculty member at Saint Vincent College. Carr, a resident of England and a surrogate of Rev. Mark Gruber, has been sending similar untrue communications against the Archabbot, Bishop Brandt, Cardinal Wuerl, and other Church officials to various groups of people over the past two years. These communications, like the one you received, contain defamatory comments, false accusations and threats.

In July 2009, when child pornography images were discovered on the computer assigned to Rev. Gruber, the Archabbot, as required by law, reported the matter to civil and Church authorities. On June 30, 2012, after a thorough investigation, the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the approval of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, issued a decree indicating that Rev. Gruber was guilty of the grave crime of possession of child pornography, production of materials which gravely injure good morals, the abuse of the Sacrament of Confession with the aggravating factor of manipulation of conscience, and defamation of a legitimate superior. The Congregation ordered that Rev. Gruber must live the remainder of his life in prayer and penance in a religious community to be determined by the Vatican.

Numerous slanderous, defamatory allegations against the Archabbot, Bishop Brandt and others by surrogates of Rev. Gruber began immediately after evidence against him was presented to civil and church officials in 2009. Despite the decision of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and the serious penalties it involves, Rev. Gruber has continued to collaborate with Carr to in an attempt to divert attention from his own misconduct. The stated purpose of this relentless and destructive campaign is to “bring down” the Archabbey and Archabbot.

The allegations referred to in the documents attached to the Carr email have been completely dismissed as untrue after an independent investigation by two veteran law enforcement officers (a former Special Agent of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and a former investigator for the Pennsylvania State Police). Their investigation concluded that the allegations were untrue and that there was evidence to suggest that the allegations were made as part of a conspiracy by the complainant (a person who was, at the time of the allegation, a close associate of Rev. Gruber) and others to cause personal harm to the Archabbot. The determination by these investigators that the allegations were untrue was confirmed after careful review by the Vatican Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in July, 2012. This matter has been dismissed and is no longer under dispute.

Unfortunately, Rev. Gruber and Mr. Carr continue to disseminate these allegations knowing that they are untrue in an effort to retaliate against the Archabbot and Archabbey for bringing Rev. Gruber’s misconduct to light.

Archabbot’s Statement Regarding Mailing from James Carr
April 9, 2013

Kim Metzgar
Director of Archabbey and Seminary Public Relations
Saint Vincent Archabbey and Saint Vincent Seminary
Editor, Saint Vincent Magazine, Saint Vincent College
300 Fraser Purchase Road
Latrobe, PA 15650
724-805-2601
kim.metzgar@email.stvincent.edu