Catholic bishop of Phoenix arrested

FOXNEWS | 6/16/2003 | John Gibson

[sinkspur]

Roman Catholic bishop John O'Brien was arrested for leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident, and his car impounded.

[marajade]

"He can't run a diocese from a prison cell can he?"

He will probably be given bail... During the scandal the Bishop stated that even if arrested for obstruction of justice, the Pope wouldn't of accepted his resignation...

It will be interesting to see if the Pope does now...

[marajade]

He was coming home from giving a mass...

What's sad is... if he had just pulled over and called the police he wouldn't be in trouble...

[RobRoy]

...unless there is more to it...

[marajade]

"O'Brien may not have known he'd hit a pedestrian."

There's a picture of the car windshield... he had to have hit something... Even leaving the scene after hitting an animal is against the law...

[B-Chan]

Look, I don't know what your problem is - I don't see the Catholic Church as infallible. You do. You've made your point.

Thanks. My "problem" is that the FRoundheads think they can come out and snipe at the Catholic Church and get away with it. My job is to reach out to them in a spirit of Christian fraternity and destroy that misapprehension.

You aren't going to change my mind.

I don't have to. God will do that -- in His own sweet time. My job is to defend the truth, not to sell it.

Your behavior certainly doesn't entice me to be interested in your point of view...

What "behavior"? I never insulted you. I never called you a name. I attacked ideas, not people. That's the "behavior" that FR requires from us. I'm sorry you feel that I'm badly behaved.

...and I doubt that many others find your points salient, or even clever.

Salient? I think so. Clever? Unlikely. I don't think I've had a clever moment in my life.

Your theological view is not the point of this thread.

Tell it to those who see the "point" of this thread as an opportunity to castigate the Roman Catholic Church as an institution. Denigrating me is fine; I refuse to sit back and let them denigrate my faith.

[Antoninus]

My working theory: someone else was driving the car.... A good, close, male friend of the bishop.... Perhaps even a "partner" in crime ...

[Catspaw]

The Shape of the impact in the glass and the bloody splotch on the roof above look like the guy was flipped head first into the windshield and then over the car.

The forensics team will be all over the car.

However, if he had been drinking, it's been too long from the time of the accident until the arrest. Any alcohol he may have had in his body is long gone--no DUI.

I figure leaving the scene of the accident is the first of the charges, though. Depending on how the law is written in AZ, he could be looking at vehicular homicide.

[BlazingArizona]

Just speculating here why a bishop would hide."

There's a lot of backgroud behind this story.

o'Brien has been under suspicion for a year of covering up a huge child molesting scandal in the Phoenix diocese, with numerous priests accused of molesting. Most of those accused fled with Church help, including being reassigned to places like Mexico. O'Brien, on the thin edge of being indicted for all of this, just plea-bargained last week, agreeing to finger the renegade priests.< P> So when he was driving home that night he was obviously in no mental condition to drive, whether or not any 'substances' were involved.

[B-Chan]

Look, I don't know what your problem is - I don't see the Catholic Church as infallible. You do. You've made your point.

Thanks. My "problem" is that the FRoundheads think they can come out and snipe at the Catholic Church and get away with it. My job is to reach out to them in a spirit of Christian fraternity and destroy that misapprehension.

You aren't going to change my mind.

I don't have to. God will do that -- in His own sweet time. My job is to defend the truth, not to sell it.

Your behavior certainly doesn't entice me to be interested in your point of view...

What "behavior"? I never insulted you. I never called you a name. I attacked ideas, not people. That's the "behavior" that FR requires from us. I'm sorry you feel that I'm badly behaved.

...and I doubt that many others find your points salient, or even clever.

Salient? I think so. Clever? Unlikely. I don't think I've had a clever moment in my life.

Your theological view is not the point of this thread.

Tell it to those who see the "point" of this thread as an opportunity to castigate the Roman Catholic Church as an institution. Denigrating me is fine; I refuse to sit back and let them denigrate my faith.

[rmvh]

Re your # 1...

It is time that all Catholics should be given a choice: either leave the country now or face public trial for public perversion!!!.

As any sane person knows, only the Catholic religion has perveted leaders, ignorant followers, and in turn has never contributed military or political heroes or made other significant contributions to America as all other major religions have in this country.....and in much greater abundance!!

Lets pillage this ill begotten faith and all of it's followers.

In the meantime, Please have a nice evening

[rmvh]

Re your # 1...

It is time that all Catholics should be given a choice: either leave the country now or face public trial for public perversion!!!.

As any sane person knows, only the Catholic religion has perveted leaders, ignorant followers, and in turn has never contributed military or political heroes or made other significant contributions to America as all other major religions have in this country.....and in much greater abundance!!

Lets pillage this ill begotten faith and all of it's followers.

In the meantime, Please have a nice evening

[B-Chan]

Look, I don't know what your problem is - I don't see the Catholic Church as infallible. You do. You've made your point.

Thanks. My "problem" is that the FRoundheads think they can come out and snipe at the Catholic Church and get away with it. My job is to reach out to them in a spirit of Christian fraternity and destroy that misapprehension.

You aren't going to change my mind.

I don't have to. God will do that -- in His own sweet time. My job is to defend the truth, not to sell it.

Your behavior certainly doesn't entice me to be interested in your point of view...

What "behavior"? I never insulted you. I never called you a name. I attacked ideas, not people. That's the "behavior" that FR requires from us. I'm sorry you feel that I'm badly behaved.

...and I doubt that many others find your points salient, or even clever.

Salient? I think so. Clever? Unlikely. I don't think I've had a clever moment in my life.

Your theological view is not the point of this thread.

Tell it to those who see the "point" of this thread as an opportunity to castigate the Roman Catholic Church as an institution. Denigrating me is fine; I refuse to sit back and let them denigrate my faith.

[marajade]

I doubt there is... if he had just pulled over and called the police...

[marajade]

If he wasn't the one behind the wheel they wouldn't have arrested him...

[B-Chan]

That said, there was nothing priestlike in this bishop's behavior.

Agreed. I hope they throw the book at him.

Why is this so often the case?

It isn't really. Catholics just get more press. Don't forget, the Enemy owns the media and will use it as a stick to beat the Church with whenever God allows him to. It is precisely because the Church is God's real address that we get taken seriously. When a comical clown like Swaggart gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, it's an occasion for humor; when one of Our Guys gets busted, it's news. Why? Because the Enemy knows we're For Real, that's why; we rate the deluxe treatment.

What's the sickness behind these symptoms?

Rebellion. Americans will not tolerate being told what to do by anybody. That goes triple for most of the members of the USCCB. Who is that Pope guy to tell them that sexing the kinder is a sin, anyway?

If I were Pope, I'd send bishops like this to the Abbey of Tierra del Fuego where they'd spend the rest of their lives under a vow of silence cleaning out the filthiest toilets I could find. Better harsh penance today than a millstone around the neck in the Hereafter!

[marajade]

If he wasn't the one behind the wheel they wouldn't of arrested him.

[wideminded]

Here's something I wondered about after seeing a picture of Father O'Brien that accompanied another article last week: Isn't he an unusual-looking individual? I'm not referring to the dyed hair, but to the shape of his face and his expression. Does this particular facial structure have any further meaning? Or am I just making too many connections? Not that his physiognomy should convict him of anything, but it is probably true that you can read a lot into a person's expression. The picture below is the best one I could link to, although it doesn't really convey the full effect.

[B-Chan]

That said, there was nothing priestlike in this bishop's behavior.

Agreed. I hope they throw the book at him.

Why is this so often the case?

It isn't really. Catholics just get more press. Don't forget, the Enemy owns the media and will use it as a stick to beat the Church with whenever God allows him to. It is precisely because the Church is God's real address that we get taken seriously. When a comical clown like Swaggart gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, it's an occasion for humor; when one of Our Guys gets busted, it's news. Why? Because the Enemy knows we're For Real, that's why; we rate the deluxe treatment.

What's the sickness behind these symptoms?

Rebellion. Americans will not tolerate being told what to do by anybody. That goes triple for most of the members of the USCCB. Who is that Pope guy to tell them that sexing the kinder is a sin, anyway?

If I were Pope, I'd send bishops like this to the Abbey of Tierra del Fuego where they'd spend the rest of their lives under a vow of silence cleaning out the filthiest toilets I could find. Better harsh penance today than a millstone around the neck in the Hereafter!

[Desdemona]

If I were Pope, I'd send bishops like this to the Abbey of Tierra del Fuego where they'd spend the rest of their lives under a vow of silence cleaning out the filthiest toilets I could find. Better harsh penance today than a millstone around the neck in the Hereafter!

If they're in Tierra del Fuego take away their shoes, too.

Maybe that's too cruel?

[B-Chan]

That said, there was nothing priestlike in this bishop's behavior.

Agreed. I hope they throw the book at him.

Why is this so often the case?

It isn't really. Catholics just get more press. Don't forget, the Enemy owns the media and will use it as a stick to beat the Church with whenever God allows him to. It is precisely because the Church is God's real address that we get taken seriously. When a comical clown like Swaggart gets caught with his hand in the cookie jar, it's an occasion for humor; when one of Our Guys gets busted, it's news. Why? Because the Enemy knows we're For Real, that's why; we rate the deluxe treatment.

What's the sickness behind these symptoms?

Rebellion. Americans will not tolerate being told what to do by anybody. That goes triple for most of the members of the USCCB. Who is that Pope guy to tell them that sexing the kinder is a sin, anyway?

If I were Pope, I'd send bishops like this to the Abbey of Tierra del Fuego where they'd spend the rest of their lives under a vow of silence cleaning out the filthiest toilets I could find. Better harsh penance today than a millstone around the neck in the Hereafter!