New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan is a strong champion of Catholic schools and wants families to support them, as he wrote in an exhortation in America magazine. But one of his priests isn't getting the message.The pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in the Bronx, a parish whose 200-student grade school serving mainly black and Latino kids, two years ago hired a noxious right-wing racialist to run the school.borzellieri and batThe principal, Frank Borzellieri, has written for white supremacist organizations, and says "diversity is a weakness" and growing black and Hispanic populations in America will lead to a "New Dark Age." His latest book is titled Lynched: A Conservatives Life on a New York City School Board, and "documents his eleven years as the only conservative and Eurocentrist on this ultra-liberal school board." A 2004 book is titled "Don't Take It Personally: Race, Immigration, Crime and Other Heresies," and pictures Borzellieri with a baseball bat on his shoulder -- a particularly troubling image given the history of baseball bat attacks in New York City. You can explore his writings, if you have a strong stomach.Especially troubling though, is that Mount Carmel's pastor, Father Eric Rapaglia, knew of Borzellieri's views, and was warned against hiring him by other Catholic educators. But Father Rapaglia told the Daily News, which reported the story on Sunday, that he didn't "see any cause for concern" when he hired him."I knew of him from my last parish," Rapaglia told the newspaper. "Do I agree with all of it? No. But I think much of it is valuable and logical and reasonable...A lot of his ideas would actually benefit minorities," he added.Today, Tuesday, the Archdiocese of New York said in a statement that Borzellieri has been dismissed because "his writings were found to be incompatible with the philosophy and practices of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School, and with Catholic schools throughout the Archdiocese."The statement noted that the decision "was reached by Father Eric Rapaglia, pastor of the parish, in consultation with the Office of the Superintendent of Schools of the Archdiocese." Good that Borzellieri is gone -- though I'm sure he'll write a grievance book about it. But what about the pastor who agrees with some of those views, and says "A lot of his ideas would actually benefit minorities." Which ideas?The story already prompted an ugly incident at mass on Sunday, sparked by an angry pewsitter.UPDATE: Some of those questions have been answered by Father Rapaglia in a statement posted on the parish website, in which he says he was quoted out of context and that he was not aware of all of Borzellieri's views. He also apologizes and forthrightly condemns racism.

David Gibson is the director of Fordham’s Center on Religion & Culture.

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