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PUBLIC STATEMENT July 26, 2005 from Bishop Malcolm
L. Broussard, Jr. (Major Superior) Belief, Friendship and Loyalty The purpose of this letter is to defend the good name and reputation of Mr. William Kamm known around the world as the Little Pebble. In view of the recent (July 8, 2005) Jury Verdict labelling him as "guilty" I would like to make the following statement and profession of my belief, friendship and loyalty.
Since August 8, 2002 -- the day a multi-agency Police force raided our Community in a "Waco" style manoeuvre of approximately thirty (30) Police officers -- there has been a concerted attack to destroy the credibility, and good name of his person. The charges brought against him were designed in advance to cast the greatest amount of shadow possible. It has been said that the best way to bring ill-repute to a man of high standing in the community is to level sexual misconduct charges against him. This method guaranteed a "Trial-by-Media" circus. From that day, the Media blitz that followed reached new heights and was well orchestrated and designed to influence public opinion in a very negative way against the Little Pebble. It is clear to me after having been present at most of the proceedings -- as I look back into the events surrounding his Case -- that a multi-layered conspiracy was fabricated against Mr. Kamm to "bring him down". I believe the Police, the News Media and the local Catholic Church -- all collaborated in various ways and times in a collusion and for this purpose. I further believe that as time passes -- this will be exposed to the scandal of many. I believe that some people in high Office and high Authority will come to the aid of the Little Pebble -- as their conscience and conviction will strongly urge them to stand up for the truth and justice! The News Media have much to answer for. During these last three years -- never before has the name "Little Pebble" been so blazoned across the front page of Newspapers and across the airwaves of national Radio, Television and the Internet. The portrayals have been shocking!! Always re-iterating the same alleged charges, time and again, with the "in-your-face" style of journalism. Their method continued to feed "poison" to the public. It was designed to cement a negative stereotype in the minds of gullible people. It would seem that Mr. Kamm's news-worthiness has often been on a par with the biggest headlines around -- including the Prime Minister and political events. I would like to highlight my perspective from principles cited in an address given by Pope John Paul II to Policy makers in the News Media in 1987: "It is a fact that when, as writers and artists, you are able to reveal in the human condition, however lowly or sad it may be, a spark of goodness, at that very instant a glow of beauty pervades your whole work. We are not asking you to play the part of moralist, but we are expressing confidence in your mysterious power of opening up the glorious regions of light that lie behind the mystery of human life. As you do precisely this ... you must ask yourselves if what you communicate is consistent with the full measure of human dignity. How do the weakest and the most defenceless in society appear in your words and images ... whom do you depict as having -- or not having -- human worth? Certainly your profession subjects you to a great measure of accountability -- accountability to God, to the community and before the witness of history. And yet at times it seems that everything is left in your hands. Precisely because your responsibility is so great and your accountability to the community is not easily rendered juridically, society relies so much upon your good will. In a sense the world is at your mercy. Errors in judgement, mistakes in evaluating the propriety and justice of what is transmitted, and wrong criteria in art can offend and wound consciences and human dignity. They can encroach on sacred fundamental rights. The confidence that the community has in you honours you deeply and challenges you mightily. I would encourage you in yet another way: to respect also your own dignity ... Your industry reflects the fast pace of the news and changing tastes. It deals with vast amounts of money that bring with them their own problems. It places you under extreme pressure to be successful, without telling you what "success" really is. Working constantly with images, you face the temptation of seeing them as reality. Seeking to satisfy the dreams of millions, you can become lost in a world of fantasy." (Pope John Paul II, address to 1,600 policy makers in television, radio, motion pictures and the print media, Los Angeles, September 15, 1987) I truly believe that many Media policy makers, editors and journalist have succumbed to that temptation -- they have become lost in the fantasy of their own making through being caught up in their own images and stereotypes. Going back to the early 1980's until this day it has always been the same scenario. Certainly since August 8, 2002, I believe that the Media presentations stand out in bold relief as a terrible verification of the Holy Father's words above! The level of sensationalism increased from that time onwards to saturate the public with such a vile and negative image of Mr. Kamm that this stereotype became the accepted media "profile" of the Little Pebble! Read again, what His Holiness says about the worth of human dignity. In many ways, faced with such a monolithic fabrication -- a veritable wall of words and images -- which conjure up "sect", "cult leader", "compound", "charletan" -- Mr. Kamm is like the reference above -- defenceless and poor. He has long ago been tried, convicted and sentenced by the Media!! The last several months have been no different -- serious errors in judgement about Mr. Kamm; serious errors in evaluating the propriety and justice of what was portrayed on television and in print -- has offended and wounded the consciences of the community at large. For this reason, I believe the accountability of these policy makers, editors and journalist is so great!! The Justice system also is not beyond accountability. In the beginning, the Committal Hearings ought to have settled the issue of Mr. Kamm's innocence. After being present at these Hearings -- it is truly upsetting to see how the system of Justice unevenly weighed the "evidence" before the Court. How could it happen that blatant misrepresentation of the truth was forged into a wedge to send the matter to a Jury Trial!! Thus the "powers-that-be" were able to "wash their hands" of Mr. Kamm and send him away to a higher Court! After almost three years -- having gone through these dramas with such heartache -- Mr. Kamm reached the summit of his suffering on July 8, 2005. This day saw a great Media frenzy at the Dowling Centre District Court House in Sydney! Mr. Kamm's Barrister advised the Media of his Appeal against the Jury Verdict -- yet, some Media personnel -- shouted out insults to Mr. Kamm as he left the building in the company of his Lawyers. They were all too happy as they scrambled to their laptops, notepads and cell-phones to blurt out their "joy" across the Networks -- to reach right around the world with their "good news". BELIEF The gift of faith shines so brightly in the soul of a holy person. Faith enables such a person to contemplate the Mysteries of God, while at the same time, the Mysteries remain mysteries of faith. The virtues of faith, hope and charity supernaturally colour Mr. Kamm's life to such extent that everything in life is seen, heard and experienced in the context of God's Loving Providence. I belief William is much like Saint John of the Cross. The similarity is strikingly present in the words of His Holiness Pope John Paul II: "John of the Cross is a man in love with God. He treated familiarly with Him and spoke constantly of Him. He carried God in his heart and on his lips. God was his true treasure, his most real world. Even before opening his mouth to proclaim or sing the Divine Mystery, he is God's witness. That is why he speaks of Him so passionately and so uncommonly convincingly. 'They pondered that which they heard, that he thus spoke of the things of God and of the Mysteries of Faith, as if he had seen them with his bodily eyes'. The gift of faith brings alive for the believer what he knows in mystery. It comes to form his real world. The witness proclaims what he has seen and heard, what he has contemplated, after the fashion of the Prophets and Apostles (1 John 1:1-2)" (Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter on Saint John of the Cross, December 14, 1990) To my mind this writing of the Pope literally describes Mr. William Kamm. You can take every sentence as it is written and apply it to the Little Pebble. That being said, you can probably imagine the sadness one feels when -- the News Media portray such an opposite picture, claiming it is his "fantasy"! Why am I not surprised? It has been the same for Christianity as a whole in every generation -- and for the Saints of God in particular. Why is it that so many people of various Countries, cultures and languages believe in the authenticity of the Little Pebble as God's witness? Why do so very many people around the world believe that he is God's Prophet for these times? Why do the Communities of the Order of Saint Charbel continue to rise up and flourish in different Countries? Why does the Order continue to move forward -- with three (3) Bishops and twenty-six Priests, a Brother and many Religious Sisters in various Countries -- not to mention the many families and singles? In April 2005 I was in Rome at the time of the Conclave which elected Pope Benedict XVI. I visited three (3) of the Sacred Congregations concerned with the status of the Order of Saint Charbel. I received good counsel -- especially from one of the Prefects which encouraged us all greatly. I trust in God's Providence to finally approve the Order at the rightful time through the Church officially. The charism to found this Order -- a "new form of Consecrated Life" (Canon 605) is in itself testimony to the fruitfulness of God's Spirit in the life of the Little Pebble. This is certainly a good fruit that many good people around the world would not argue about! It is testimony to the faith of the Little Pebble, who believes that God can do anything. I have seen with my own eyes, time and time again, the reward of faith -- for one that believes whole heartedly in God's Mighty Power, Goodness and Mercy. As with all works of God -- it will continue to grow and flourish, because of God's Grace that Wills it so. FRIENDSHIP I have been the Confessor and spiritual director of Mr. Kamm since 1987. These eighteen (18) years have taught me much about his personality, history and sense of conscience formation. He is a Catholic -- he thinks like a devout Catholic and values his Catholic Faith above all things. This is his history, much of which is detailed in the three (3) Volumes in Print -- the Book of his life (available from our Office). It does not matter that some people say and think just the opposite. It has always been this way for all of the Saints of years gone by -- they were all persecuted for their faith. Mr. Kamm attends daily Mass and frequently goes to the Sacrament of Confession. His piety and devotion are very simple -- he relies upon the Mother of God as his Refuge, his strength and his consolation. He has long since consecrated himself to Her Immaculate Heart, thus he has entrusted himself completely to Her Maternal care. In my opinion he is a humble man who always has time for his family and the Community members. Not to mention the Pilgrims who from time to time make their visits to the Holy Grounds. He is not lazy, and he has many friends from around the world -- and of this number are many Seers and Privileged Souls. He does not try to hide his faults -- what you see is what you get. He never refuses to forgive. He is truly a Peacemaker and a man who can always see the "bigger picture". He is gifted by God with a good ability at multi-tasking -- he can manage to keep many layers of activity all distinct and functioning in good order. Now, that may seem hard to believe, but for those who truly know him -- all would concur in that statement. He is loyal to his friends, and he is not scrupulous nor legalistic. He does not overvalue himself just because Jesus and Mary speak to him. He does not push himself upon people and always upholds personal freedom and responsibility. He has a lot of common sense. I value highly his friendship and consider myself to be a better person after having known him for so long. I fully realise that some people reading these words from myself might think they are just "sugar coated make-believe". You may think what you want. I have nothing to prove to anyone. God will vindicate His own! LOYALTY Over these many years I have seen various people come and go. Sometimes the departures were inflamed by upset, drama, intrigue and finally betrayal. However, and worst of all -- some of these persons then proceeded to attack Mr. Kamm through Lawsuits and/or Media campaigns in order to bring other people to their way of thinking as well. The sad reality is that in all cases -- Mr. Kamm acted with virtue in their regard -- in a way that truly edifies those who also know the real story behind the departure! The Media, of course have never been interested in anything good coming from Mr. Kamm, so these things were never printed. Every time, Mr. Kamm allowed a Journalist to interview him on various matters -- the final article was always given a "spin" to fit the stereotype of various other articles in vogue against him. So it has been for years! Nevertheless, these dissatisfied persons were always free to follow their chosen path. To the contrary, Mr. Kamm has always been faithful to his Mission and the charism God has given to him. He has always been faithful to what God has asked of him, no matter what obstacles stood in the way. However, he has never been impulsive in order to force the issue to a head. He always waits upon God's Grace and he prays for soul's to be enlightened by God to understand what God asks of them in their own conscience. Many times I have seen him go against his better judgement in order to allow another person's creative thinking to proceed. This is because he trusts the good words of people. He is not naive but he believes in supporting any person with a good-will. Everybody get a chance at least once. He strongly believes in personal freedom and promotes this in the life of the Order of Saint Charbel. He has always valued highly the need for unity among all God's children -- but especially the unity among the Seers. On various occasions when a Seer/Privileged Soul received a faulty Message/Vision -- he would give guidance and correction but always in humility and loyalty to the person. When it happened that his counsel was not accepted -- he just continued to pray for that person in a good way. Hoping for the unity to remain and always forgiving human fault and accusation. He is the first to be loyal to his friends therefore he values the loyalty of friendship from those who love and care for him. CONCLUSION I hope this Statement restores the balance in souls whose consciences have been wounded by the avalanche of Media portrayals of recent weeks and months. Do not become lost in the fantasy "spin" on the News. Keep your peace and continue to pray for the Little Pebble. Remain united in prayer, love and suffering -- together we stand. Divided, we fall. May Jesus Bless all who read these words and may the Mother of God love you tenderly. Sincerely yours in Christ, +Bishop Malcolm Broussard |
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