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Archdiocese Fires White Supremacist Principal
Date: Wednesday, August 03, 2011, 7:06 am
By: F. Finley McRae, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com
The Catholic Archdicese of New York fired Frank Borzellieri, a white supremacist, early Tuesday morning.
The Catholic Archdicese of New York, hoping to halt intense media probing into Frank Borzellieri serving as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in the Bronx, fired him early Tuesday morning.
Caught between angry, nationwide reactions to the firebrand white supremacist and the urgency to tamp them down among anxious parents, lay and community leaders in New York City, the archdiocese terminated Borzellieri, citing "a review of his opinions and beliefs as expressed in his books and columns and a discussion with Mr. Borzellieri himself."
Opposing the Archdiocesan decision to fire Borzellieri, however, was the pro-Nazi cabal that uses "white power worldwide" as its logo and has openly supported him since he came under withering fire on Sunday when the New York Daily News exposed his life as a white supremacist in a front-page article.
With posts appearing on its Stormfront.org web site, the Nazi-leaning Stormfront alleged that the Archdiocesan action taken against Borzellieri was generated by "media harassment."
Borzellieri's "views and opinions," including the belief that blacks and Latinos are genetically inferior to whites, attracted substantial support in the Queens district he represented on the New York City Council from 1995 to 2003. He was hired as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, which has a majority black and Latino student population, by Father Eric Rapaglia in 2009.
The 49-year-old Borzellieri authored two books alleging white racial superiority and currently contributes to American Renaissance Magazine, another white supremacist vehicle. American Renaissance describes itself as an honest purveyor of "racial realism" which plumbs the depths of crime committed by blacks and other so-called indicators of African-American intellectual inferiority.
In 2006, Anne Marie Zagaglia, then principal of another parochial school in the Bronx, Saint Barnabas, said she warned Rapaglia about Borzellieri's record and writings.
"You can't have someone with those beliefs, or who writes that kind of stuff, working at a Catholic school," she contended.
Rapaglia contacted BlackAmericaWeb.com late Tuesday and referred a writer to his statement to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioners, parents and students, expressing remorse for his decision to hire Borzellieri.
"I realize that many of you are confused and, in some cases, angry with me. Let me begin by stating my fundamental belief that racism is evil. We as Catholics are deeply sorry for the that has been caused among our faith family and beyond."
"As your pastor, I apologize for my mistake in judgement: in hindsight, I should not have hired have hired Mr. Borzellieri," Rapgalia wrote, saying he is trying his best to correct the situation.
The priest said a diverse search committee, comprised of teachers and parents, assisted him in the decision to hire Borzellieri and that neither he, "they nor his staff were then aware" of the white supremacist's views or writings.
Rapaglia claimed that Roy Innis, the controversial chair of the Congress of Racial Equality, had endorsed the now disgraced former principal and said, "I am proud to call Frank Borzellieri my friend."
He also attempted to explain his support for some of Borzellieri's views, which he said were taken out of context.
"Borzellieri's positions cover a very wide range," Rapaglia said, maintaining and that he agrees with the white supremacist "on the need to pledge allegiance to the flag and the merits of Christopher Columbus."
In his screeds, Borzellieri had complained that "liberals treat Martin Luther King
as a saint but Christopher Columbus as a madman." Historians usually agree that the Italian explorer routinely gave his consent to torturinand crimes.
The Archdiocese has indicated that it will not conduct an investigation of Rapaglia's decision to hire Borzellieri. Diocesan officials will, however, play a distinct role in the process to select Borzellieri's successor, if not take complete and public charge of it altogether.
Black Catholic religious leaders and laymen and women in New York maintained their silence on Borzellieri and did not return calls made to them for comment late Tuesday evening. None of them returned calls seeking reaction for BlackAmericaWeb.com's piece posted early Monday.
Parish priests at churches called for both articles include ministers at Saint Charles of Borromeo in Harlem and Holy Cross in the Bronx. g and slaying Native Americans, among other human rights abuses
Date: Wednesday, August 03, 2011, 7:06 am
By: F. Finley McRae, Special to BlackAmericaWeb.com
The Catholic Archdicese of New York fired Frank Borzellieri, a white supremacist, early Tuesday morning.
The Catholic Archdicese of New York, hoping to halt intense media probing into Frank Borzellieri serving as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in the Bronx, fired him early Tuesday morning.
Caught between angry, nationwide reactions to the firebrand white supremacist and the urgency to tamp them down among anxious parents, lay and community leaders in New York City, the archdiocese terminated Borzellieri, citing "a review of his opinions and beliefs as expressed in his books and columns and a discussion with Mr. Borzellieri himself."
Opposing the Archdiocesan decision to fire Borzellieri, however, was the pro-Nazi cabal that uses "white power worldwide" as its logo and has openly supported him since he came under withering fire on Sunday when the New York Daily News exposed his life as a white supremacist in a front-page article.
With posts appearing on its Stormfront.org web site, the Nazi-leaning Stormfront alleged that the Archdiocesan action taken against Borzellieri was generated by "media harassment."
Borzellieri's "views and opinions," including the belief that blacks and Latinos are genetically inferior to whites, attracted substantial support in the Queens district he represented on the New York City Council from 1995 to 2003. He was hired as principal of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, which has a majority black and Latino student population, by Father Eric Rapaglia in 2009.
The 49-year-old Borzellieri authored two books alleging white racial superiority and currently contributes to American Renaissance Magazine, another white supremacist vehicle. American Renaissance describes itself as an honest purveyor of "racial realism" which plumbs the depths of crime committed by blacks and other so-called indicators of African-American intellectual inferiority.
In 2006, Anne Marie Zagaglia, then principal of another parochial school in the Bronx, Saint Barnabas, said she warned Rapaglia about Borzellieri's record and writings.
"You can't have someone with those beliefs, or who writes that kind of stuff, working at a Catholic school," she contended.
Rapaglia contacted BlackAmericaWeb.com late Tuesday and referred a writer to his statement to Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishioners, parents and students, expressing remorse for his decision to hire Borzellieri.
"I realize that many of you are confused and, in some cases, angry with me. Let me begin by stating my fundamental belief that racism is evil. We as Catholics are deeply sorry for the that has been caused among our faith family and beyond."
"As your pastor, I apologize for my mistake in judgement: in hindsight, I should not have hired have hired Mr. Borzellieri," Rapgalia wrote, saying he is trying his best to correct the situation.
The priest said a diverse search committee, comprised of teachers and parents, assisted him in the decision to hire Borzellieri and that neither he, "they nor his staff were then aware" of the white supremacist's views or writings.
Rapaglia claimed that Roy Innis, the controversial chair of the Congress of Racial Equality, had endorsed the now disgraced former principal and said, "I am proud to call Frank Borzellieri my friend."
He also attempted to explain his support for some of Borzellieri's views, which he said were taken out of context.
"Borzellieri's positions cover a very wide range," Rapaglia said, maintaining and that he agrees with the white supremacist "on the need to pledge allegiance to the flag and the merits of Christopher Columbus."
In his screeds, Borzellieri had complained that "liberals treat Martin Luther King
as a saint but Christopher Columbus as a madman." Historians usually agree that the Italian explorer routinely gave his consent to torturinand crimes.
The Archdiocese has indicated that it will not conduct an investigation of Rapaglia's decision to hire Borzellieri. Diocesan officials will, however, play a distinct role in the process to select Borzellieri's successor, if not take complete and public charge of it altogether.
Black Catholic religious leaders and laymen and women in New York maintained their silence on Borzellieri and did not return calls made to them for comment late Tuesday evening. None of them returned calls seeking reaction for BlackAmericaWeb.com's piece posted early Monday.
Parish priests at churches called for both articles include ministers at Saint Charles of Borromeo in Harlem and Holy Cross in the Bronx. g and slaying Native Americans, among other human rights abuses
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