I love Bishop Miege, but church leaders let us down with its unhirable new president | Opinion

I recently graduated from Bishop Miege High School, and when scrolling on Instagram, the last thing I expected to see was my school headlining a post from The Kansas City Star. Although, after reading the headline, my shock dissipated for I am well aware of the controversy. To any who haven’t heard the news, the discussion stems from Miege’s hiring of its new president, Phil Baniewicz — a man accused of sexually assaulting a young boy in Arizona, almost four decades ago.

Seeing this post gave me a twang of sadness. I spent four years of my life attending that school, and I loved every minute of it. Although I am not even Catholic, and neither were a lot of my classmates, I never felt ostracized. It was a level of community unparalleled by anything else in my life. Many of its staff members are caring, phenomenal people who truly want the best for all who come through that school. They work hard to create an enjoyable and safe environment for students to learn and connect. I would say they have succeeded, and it’s a big reason why I am proud of who I am today.

As I read the comments on Instagram, I saw a lot of the same. People were justifiably disgusted by the continual tolerance of sexual assault by the Catholic Church. They blamed the schools; they blamed the diocese. None were surprised; all were disappointed. This, I completely understood. But this was my school. I did not want this to be the only story told about Bishop Miege. So, in an attempt to show a brighter side, I chose to comment under the Instagram post.

I wrote about how the situation pained me. I wrote about how extremely grateful I am for that school and the goodness it fostered. But I was not writing this just to try and defend Miege. This was a decision that was actively made by the school and allowed by the church. This is something that I, among many others, cannot accept.

I am not terribly well versed in the specifics of Baniewicz’s past and I am unable to say whether I think he is guilty or not — but I don’t believe that matters. There are plenty of willing and qualified candidates who don’t bring a clear and present risk of this magnitude. Children attend this school, and even if this accusation was from 1985, it still matters today.

Some whom I have talked to do not feel uncomfortable around him, but likability far from guarantees innocence, especially in cases such as these. Upon considering the possibility of him being wrongly accused, there is a part of me that would feel for Baniewicz. But in situations like these, you cannot act on possibilities. And I would hope that even he, in the event he is not guilty, would understand that he is unhirable to schools.

And to most schools, he is. But not to Bishop Miege. These decisions, along with many smaller offenses, are sad to see. It pains me to see the quality and reputation of Miege diminished by its leaders’ own choices, because it truly is a great place for a lot of people.

Grant Nicely is pursuing dual degrees in strategic communications and economics at the University of Missouri. He is from Kansas City.