Posted on 06/17/2011 6:11:52 PM PDT by Yossarian
This is a very sad day for Catholicism. Still, though, as Father Corapi asked in the beginning, say prayers for everyone involved....
Catholic Ping! (And a sad, angry ping at that...)
I suspect he will not be allowed to do much from here. A lot of his former avenues are not closed.
Sad to see this. I respected the man.
Background? That he’s unhappy with the process by which the hierarchy handled accusations against him is apparent, though no mention was made of the accusations themselves.
Hi Mods-
I posted this article in the “News” section, as it deals with newsworthy accusations made against conservative and orthodox Catholic priest John Corapi.
My hunch was that, since it didn’t deal with theology, that the news section was the better place for it than religion section.
Please feel free to move it if that was not the right place.
Father Corapi owns "Santa Cruz Media", a company that produces and distributes Catholic media. (He was free to have his own private company as part of the avenue of service he chose.)
Here is what is on the website (FatherCorapi.com) about the original allegations:
Father Corapi's Statement Regarding Allegations
"On Ash Wednesday I learned that a former employee sent a three-page letter to several bishops accusing me of everything from drug addiction to multiple sexual exploits with her and several other adult women. There seems to no longer be the need for a complaint to be deemed “credible” in order for Church authorities to pull the trigger on the Church’s procedure, which was in recent years crafted to respond to cases of the sexual abuse of minors. I am not accused of that, but it seems, once again, that they now don’t have to deem the complaint to be credible or not, and it is being applied broadly to respond to all complaints. I have been placed on “administrative leave” as the result of this.
"I’ll certainly cooperate with the process, but personally believe that it is seriously flawed, and is tantamount to treating the priest as guilty “just in case”, then through the process determining if he is innocent. The resultant damage to the accused is immediate, irreparable, and serious, especially for someone like myself, since I am so well known. I am not alone in this assessment, as multiple canon lawyers and civil and criminal attorneys have stated publicly that the procedure does grave damage to the accused from the outset, regardless of rhetoric denying this, and has little regard for any form of meaningful due process.
"All of the allegations in the complaint are false, and I ask you to pray for all concerned."
Interesting to see how this will work out. I think he is innocent, I think he is orthodox, and I think he has been mistreated. But how is he going to deal with this?
Yet another reason to be ashamed of my religious heritage. I promised a priest once that I would return to my church when the church excommunicated that fat, drunken, murdering, liberal POS Ted Kennedy. Instead the church gave him a 21 gun Catholic salute upon the POS’s demise. Screw them!! BTW. . . hope you’re lovin the afterlife Ted!
Palin/Corapi ‘12
Thanks for the information; I had only found what was written briefly in another page related to the link after commenting here. I have to say, not knowing anything prior, that in his story there, his statement here, and what you’ve just posted, there are several red flags immediately up. I wish him well with his new endeavor in any case.
‘You are for all practical purposes assumed guilty until you can prove you are innocent. This one is truly baffling. No civilized society operates that way.’
Bears repeating: No civilized society operates this way.
End of story.
Unfortunately, the further I progress in my process of formation, the more I tend to agree with you.
Unfortunately, the further I progress in my process of formation, the more I tend to agree with you.
A ping to update you on the (Father) John Corapi story.... 8^(
Fr. Corapi is correct in that the system put in place by the bishops is fatally flawed. More innocent, good men have been hurt and maligned to the point of broken hearts than have been proven guilty. The whole reaction to the Scandal and the measures put in place for "justice" have been anything but. This is one case where the wisdom of the Church in carefully and deliberately thinking through the issue and being sure it is done correctly to the point of being glacial was ignored much to everyone's detriment.
Please never be ashamed of your Catholic heritage: The history of corrupt priests in the Church goes all the way back to Judas - and he was picked by Christ!
Despite these bottom dwellers (that we still must pray for), the church moves forward, offering salvation to sinners, so long as we the faithful members of the church DRIVE it forward...
I'm bothered by the fact that Fr. Corapi has made this announcement on his own, without any word from his superiors. That makes me very uneasy.
Has he been done an injustice? Quite possibly. However, the saints were likewise persecuted and calumniated, often by the church hierarchy itself, yet they bore these trials with patience and humility. I'm thinking of Padre Pio's suspension, for instance, for a period of...was it three years, or so? He could have yelled...."I've got the dang stigmata, they can't do this to me!"....but he didn't. He simply prayed and waited.
As for Fr. Corapi, it's not at all clear to me what has happened here. It sounds like he's saying....."I could be suspended and in limbo for a very long time.....therefore, I'm quitting in order to continue my speaking ministry."
I hope I'm wrong in that analysis but if it's true, he's making a very, very big mistake.
Prayers for him and this very difficult situation.
Begging your pardon, Father, but once you leave the priesthood you'll discover that our tax system has always operated like this. In addition, you'll find that the rest of the government is rapidly following suit. It's called Administrative Law, and it's replaced the Common Law you may have heard about.
Once you leave the priesthood, get a copy of the US Code, the CFR, and your State, County and Municipal Codes and Regulations. Stack up the books, and look at all of them, and remind yourself this simple truth: you are guilty, 24 hours a day, of every violation in those books, the moment anyone in government, at any level, wants to accuse you of anything in them. Then you have to pay your own money to prove your innocence, while they use tax money an as many people as they need to come after you. And when you're done, if you win, they can start all over again - forever. And if they win, even once, they can take everything you have away from you and throw you in jail - if they don't kick in your door and shoot you first. And every one of them is completely indemnified and untouchable, even if they murder you.
You thought you understood the world your parishiners live in, but you didn't. Now you will.
Remember how often Saints are made after "silencing." The first one who comes to mind is St. Padre Pio. We are not without weapons or advocates in this battle.
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in the battle. Be our refuge against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May GOD rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Hosts, by the Power of GOD, cast into Hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who wander about the world, seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.