Sex-Abuse Case Hits Church of Pope's Adviser

The latest sex-abuse case to rock the Catholic Church is unfolding in the archdiocese of an influential Italian Cardinal who has been working with Pope Benedict XVI on reforms to respond to prior scandals of pedophile priests.

Father Riccardo Seppia, a 51-year-old parish priest in the village of Sastri Ponente, near Genoa, was arrested last Friday, May 13, on pedophilia and drug charges. Investigators say that in tapped mobile-phone conversations, Seppia asked a Moroccan drug dealer to arrange sexual encounters with young and vulnerable boys. "I do not want 16-year-old boys but younger. Fourteen-year-olds are O.K. Look for needy boys who have family issues," he allegedly said. Genoa Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco, who is the head of the Italian Bishops Conference, had been working with Benedict to establish a tough new worldwide policy, released this week, on how bishops should handle accusations of priestly sex abuse. (Read "Vatican Gets Tough on Child Abuse but Not Tough Enough.)

Bagnasco said that when he met the Pope this weekend, he "asked for a particular blessing for my archdiocese" in light of the alleged crimes, adding that "like every father toward a son [feels] great pain in seeing a priest who is not faithful to his vocation."

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi praised Bagnasco's handling of the Sastri Ponente case, lauding its "timeliness and competence." On Saturday, May 14, the Cardinal visited the Santo Spirito church, where Seppia was the parish priest.

... a former seminarian and barman who is currently under investigation — that the town's malls were the best places to entice minors. In tapped phone conversations the two cursed and swore against God. The priest is charged with having attempted to kiss and touch an underage altar boy and of having exchanged cocaine for sexual intercourse with boys over 18.

Please note also that this is not something embedded in the clergy, despite what our media wants us to believe

Even in the worst dioceses only 2-3% of priests were accused (in the lib hell-holes of Philly and Chicago). Let's assume all were guilty , that still means only 3% of priest.

Do not condemn the rest of the priests for the actions of the few.

This is not endemic -- note the many good priests and bishops, especially those being appointed now. They need our help. Note also that we are Catholics, we are not a personality driven group that rises or falls based on a pastor -- our High Priest is Christ Himself.

If we have a sin filled priest (and hey, they are human after all), that matters not. If they are criminals boot them in prison, that doesn't affect our Church. If they can't preach, that matters not.

Because we look beyond this human vessel and focus on Christ in the Eucharist

During our Holy Prayer to God, what do we have?

We enter in holding aloft the Word of God, singing praises to God
We hear the Word of God, we meditate on this
we sing praises to God, recite glorious psalms, dwell our thoughts on God
and then, my friend, we experience a marvelous, miraculous experience, the Eucharist! Why is it all of this? Because we witness God's sacrifice, His giving of Himself to us, we look on in awe at Jesus Christ, our Lord, God and Savior in the Eucharist, fulfilling His promise to us and giving us the graces in communion
We recite the Nicene Creed acknowledging our Triune God
We pray to the Father as Jesus taught us to pray
We experience the blessings of the Holy Spirit, the grace, the freely given grace granted through the Spirit.
We pray in silence, contemplating this supernatural experience
We greet one another, brothers and sisters, all sharing in this ONE experience along with millions of our brothers and sisters across the world, stretching back to the Apostles and forward to His return
We leave the Church with joy, Christ in our hearts and the Holy Spirit indwelling in us with the grace of the Father.

oh, my friend in Christ, we are blessed to have experienced this -- and where does the minister figure in all of this? He is just a tool, a means. God uses splendid tools or weak ones, but they are just tools

What is at the centre of our Churches? Not like in others, the pulpit, glorifying the preacher, but in Our Church the center-piece is the altar with the Eucharist, the Bible and the Cross, remembering us of Our Risen Lord, His sacrifice and His Word

Arise, let us take back our Church Catholic.

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