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Sent: Thursday, March 11, 2010 2:13 AM

Subject: Fw: Philip Hower WHISTLEBLOWER archbishop@archbalt.org <archbishop@archbalt.org>

The Most Reverend David R. Choby

Bishop of Nashville
The Catholic Center
2400 Twenty-first Avenue South
Nashville, TN. 37212
Bishop@dioceseofnashville.com

Your Excellency,

Your continued long and questionable silence to me regarding other more holy matters
pertaining to the Image and the Song is deafening and has inspired me to investigate and learn
why, and to write other letters as copied below.

Therefore, I thought it would be proper to forward these most important letters addressed to His
Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI and Vatican Ambassador to the U.S. and Apostolic Nuncio,
Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Bishop Kicanas and Cardinal Keeler, et al, which outlines the actions
of four (4) bishops including you, who had a hand in ruining the life of seminarian Philip Hower.

You, sir, are the latest to throw Philip Hower away like garbage in this growing scandal. We
were looking for the happy ending, so to speak, that would bring the eyes of the world on a kind,
benevolent, honest and sincere bishop, Philip's long time friend, who would finally bring a
certain degree of needed credibility back to the Roman Catholic Hierarchy and who would
finally ordain Philip. With only your words and your hands away from priesthood, we hoped that
you would applaud the integrity of an individual, “whistle-blowing” about bad behavior of his
superiors and certain other bishops and priests and a retired cardinal. That didn’t happen. And
this entire outcome radiates to the world of the truth about the questionable motives of Bishop
David Choby and his ill treatment of his longtime friend, Philip Hower.

Back in 2008, when Philip was rendered homeless and jobless by you, after your flimsy promises
and uprooting him from his home 1800 miles away, I talked to some of your staff, and tried to
communicate with you regarding a proposed documentary about Philip. I was amazed at your
callousness. You and your colleagues abandoned Phil Hower totally, with the unbelievable
reasons given that you would be, and I quote, "uncomfortable" with a whistleblower among you.
Afraid, is more likely the term, inasmuch as you and your staff were probably fearful that he
would uncover some secret and/or embarrassing happenings under your command.

The saddest part is that Philip's RICO lawsuit, which you knew about but then claimed you didn't
know about, speaks nothing but truth about the Roman Catholic Church and over sixty certain
named individuals. However, these truths you prefer to deny, hide, cover up, or act as if they do
not exist. The more you deny, the more clearly a picture emerges of the truth entailed that you
and some of your brother bishops would prefer to remain hidden and secret. But it will not
remain hidden. If not corrected, it will be an indelible addition to some of the corrupt and hidious
past of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and your continued part in it.
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We know and you know what is the truth. The events have all been documented. And the
evidence of your wrongdoing toward Philip is substantial. All the information about Philip's
RICO lawsuit was shared with you, so as not to have any misunderstandings whatsoever before
Phil would leave his home in Tucson, sell a major portion of his belongings, load a rental truck
and head for Decherd, TN based on your promise of his ordination. This journey, this life
decision, was all based on the promise of ordination by his good longtime friend, and counselor,
one time Father, and now, Bishop David Choby, and finally to put to good use the wasted years
and $150,000 training Philip for the priesthhood. But Bishop Choby told Philip that he would be
"uncomfortable" should he ordain Philip. Uncomfortable for what? Risking that Philip might
blow the whistle on some of your possible corruption, or those around you? Or, did you act on
orders from above, or those around you, as was strongly hinted by Prentice Dean in a recorded
phone conversation.

This is a very sad example set by one of our leaders, one of our teachers, who obviously thinks
nothing of what he has done, or has not done, or intends to deny it, bury it, hide it, cover it up.
Where is your conscience in all of this? However, continued secrecy and silence merely
confirms your do-nothing attitude that maybe it will go away. It won't, I promise you.

These were the events as documented by Philip and promises that mostly did not occur:

1. You invited him and he came to your Episcopal consecration in Feb, 2006
2. You made lots of personal time for him and you both talked at length.
3. You knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wanted to be a priest in Nashville
4. You both talked via phone for 2 ½ years...saw him through his Mother's final illness and
death.
5. You invited him to visit with you at your house in Oct, 2007 for 2 nights and 3 days, and he
did at his expense. Additionally, you invited him to attend the October Priest Retreat, as well as
to attend the Thanksgiving Dinner with you and your blood relatives in November, 2007.
6. He gave you several references with contact information per your request
7. He emailed you a Request for Orders letter at your request
8. He emailed you a request to be accepted as a Seminarian Candidate for Nashville per your
request- even though he had completed all his Seminarian studies.
9. You told him that you were going to “hand-pick” a good pastor for him. Did not occur.
10. He closed down, and rented his house in Tucson, Arizona; he sold/gave away many personal
items to come to the Diocese of Nashville and the parish of Good Shepherd in Decherd, TN per
your official verbal invitation.
11. You promised him the extra ranch, 3 bedroom house with a sun-room at the parish. Did not
occur.
12. You promised (and temporarily gave him for a few days) a seminarian's stipend, medical,
dental, vision insurance benefits, and gas/car stipend...full support.
13.You promised room, board and food at the parish's expense upon arrival to the parish. Did not
occur.
14.You told him to pack up his whole kitchen and transport what he wanted to due to the size of
the ranch house....”maybe the parish will want to buy some of your furniture”.
15. You and he agreed to the October 1, 2008 arrival date into the parish +/- 1 day.
16. You forbade him to call or contact the pastor. You told him you would have the pastor: Fr.
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Jean Baptiste call him the week before his arrival date. He did not call. You left for Rome on
Sept. 23, 2008 without calling him back....left him to assume you had all arranged for his arrival
with his 26foot U-haul, everything he owned and 2 dogs.
17.You were not there to greet him when he arrived due to your being in Rome.
18. You assured him that the pastor, etc. would already be informed of the details of his arrival,
belongings and 2 dogs. But he was not informed and knew nothing of the plan.
19. You told him not to get too used to parish life because you would have him doing many
things...like hospital, nursing home ministry, teaching, etc.
20. You were excited to have him use his knowledge of Spanish to minister to the people in the
Diocese of Nashville.
Believe me that we have very much evidence to say that Bishop Choby may have been one of the
worst bishops who ever lived, because of the documented evidence of the treatment of Phil
Hower. Perhaps you and your colleagues have always had the thinking that we are all stupid out
here. But we are not. Well, Bishop Choby, you have made a very sticky, thorny, bumpy and
rough bed to lie in. However, you don’t have to lie in it. You can change the sad and terrible
ending of this sad tale and bring us back into us seeing the hero that you set out to be. Keep your
promises, restore your credibility. As for now you have none. Give Philip back his good name.
Respectfully,
Don Meehan