Free Republic

Some 200 Catholic priests suspected of sexual abuse are living undetected in communities across California, according to an attorney who represents hundreds of plaintiffs who sued the LA Archdiocese for molestation they say was inflicted on them by priests and clergy of the church. Ray Boucher has mapped sixty locations where suspect priests live, in cities and towns from northern to southern California, and provided those locations to NBC4 exclusively. “Many if not all these priests have admitted to sexual abuse,” Boucher said. “They live within a mile of 1,500 playgrounds, schools and daycare centers.” Since none of the priests...

Once again, the sex lives of Catholic clergy are seeing a flurry of media attention. During the first week of 2012, Los Angeles Bishop Gabino Zavala announced his resignation after acknowledging that he had fathered two children with the same woman. Zavala’s announcement trailed just a few days behind the appointment, on January 1, of Jeffrey Steenson as the chief pastor of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. Steenson is a married Catholic priest. His new position as head of the Ordinariate confers upon him all of the duties of a Catholic bishop, with the exception of the...

The Priesthood — A Priceless Gift July 1st, 2009 by Gary Zimak On June 19, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI commemorated the official start of “The Year Of The Priest”. This year is dedicated to increasing “spiritual perfection” in priests, but it is also a time for the both the clergy and laity to reflect on the importance of the priesthood. In order to better appreciate the Catholic priesthood, let’s look at its origin, purpose and impact on our lives.The Catholic priesthood has its roots in the priesthood of the Old Covenant. The great Jesuit theologian, Fr. John Hardon, observed that...

Featured Term (selected at random):CLERICAL COMMUNITY The living and sharing together that the Church has traditionally favored and encouraged for men in the clerical state. All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Featured Term (selected at random):IN SYNODO EPISCOPALI A statement of the Sacred Congregation for Catholic Education, giving the Ratio Fundamentalis (Basic Principles) for the formation of priests. This extensive document deals with vocations, minor and major seminary rectors, professors, spiritual formation, academic training, philosophy, theology, specialized fields, doctrinal teaching, methodology, pastoral preparation, and continuing education (January 6, 1970). All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

eatured Term (selected at random):OPUS DEI An association of the Catholic faithful who dedicate themselves to the apostolate and to Christian perfection in the world. They do not, however, give up their social environment and continue in their secular profession or employment. founded in Madrid on October 2, 1928, by Monsignor José María Escriva de Balaguer, it received its final approval from the Holy See on June 16, 1950 The full canonical name is Societas Sacerdotalis Sanctae Crucis (The Priestly Society of the Holy Cross). Headquarters are in Rome. There are two branches of Opus Dei, of men and of...

Featured Term (selected at random):VINCENTIANS Members of the Congregation of the Mission founded by St. Vincent de Paul in 1625. Also known as Lazarists from the Place de St. Lazare, which was St. Vincent's headquarters in Paris. THe original work of the congregation was the preaching of popular missions and conducting retreats. Later on seminaries were established. Vincentians form a society of common life. They are secular priests living in community under religious vows. Their present apostolate is mission work, conducting seminaries, directing the Daughters and Ladies of Charity, education and spiritual exercises to priests, religious, and the laity. All...

Publicly, he is a religious brother with a Roman Catholic order. Privately, although he took vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, he said, at 23 he was a sex addict, anonymously cruising bars, parks and Cook County Forest Preserves for quick hookups. Six years ago, his superiors found out and encouraged him to seek help. He agreed readily and spent the next six months in intense therapy at a residential treatment clinic north of Toronto for male and female church ministers with psychological and addiction problems. Brother Patrick has been chaste ever since (his real name is being withheld because...

In yet another stunning attack on freedom of religion, President Barack Obama's Justice Department asked the Supreme Court last week to give the federal government the power to tell a church who its ministers will be. The case involves a former teacher at Lutheran school, who along with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is pushing a claim that a Lutheran congregation should be forced to restore her ministry position. Americans United for Separation of Church and State and American Atheists, Inc. have filed briefs siding with the Obama administration against the church. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Church...

In the four hundred plus years that passed since Peter Damian delivered his treatise on clerical homosexuality to Pope Leo Councils had been called to deal with the vices enumerated by Damian and others calling for reform. The Council of Constance that ended in the spring of 1418 was called to address these vices including simony, concubinage and, as Lea points out, the sleeves of priestly garb. Writes Lea in chapter 24, "As regards heresy, it did the best it could according to the lights of its age, by burning John Huss and Jerome of Prague." and "The council closed...

Henry Charles Lea was a remarkable historian. Largely self taught and meticulous in his work, he produced a detailed and lavishly footnoted history of the medieval period. Anyone who speaks to the subject of priestly celibacy today should first become familiar with this two volume work, History of Sacerdotal Celibacy in the Christian Church, published in 1907, third ed., revised, and reprinted by BiblioLife. To that end I'll post, in several parts, some excerpts from this work beginning with Vol.2 and unless otherwise noted all quotes are from this volume that begins with chapter 24, The Fifteenth Century. Lea begins...

There have been many movies that have priests as important characters.  There are movies about saints and some of them are awesome.  But my post today is about priests as characters, as men involved in a story.  I was watching the excellent Tom Wilkinson as Father Moore in “The Exorcism of Emily Rose� the other day on cable.  It got me to thinking about some of my favorite priests as characters and also some of my least favorite. So for discussion purposes, I thought I would get into the who’s and whys.  After all, what is a Catholic blog for...

WICHITA, Kansas -- He came to fame as a passionate political activist. For years, Father Roy Bourgeois has tried to shut down the School of the Americas in Columbus, Georgia. He and his thousands of supporters claim it trains Latin American soldiers to defend American backed governments. But in more recent years, Bourgeois has taken on a new target, the Vatican. "Sexism is racism," said Bourgeois on a visit to the Wichita area this week. He is a staunch supporter to have women ordained as Catholic priests. "God created men and women of equal worth and dignity," said Bourgeois. "There's...

Priests and church members in China’s immense underground Catholic Church were arrested this weekend in the community of Tianshui — as the Chinese government continues its persecution of Christians. Among those rounded up were the administrator of the underground diocese, Father John Baptist Wang Ruohan, retired Bishop Casmir Wang Milu, Father John Wang Ruowang, as well as several other priests and dozens of parish lay leaders, according to sources. Bishop Wang and the two Wang priests are all brothers. They are being held in different places and subjected to political indoctrination sessions designed to break their will. The Chinese government...

CNN) - As a young man studying for the priesthood, Patrick Wall imagined life as a professor and football coach at a Catholic university. It didn't work out that way. Two decades later, Wall has not only left the Catholic Church, he has become one of its most tireless opponents. He's an ex-priest, driven from ministry by the feeling that his superiors used him to help cover up sex abuse by other clergymen. And he's using the training he gained as a priest to work with victims of abuse who want to take the church to court. Since 1991, Wall...

This Sunday, June 19, 2011, is both Trinity Sunday on the Catholic liturgical calendar and Fathers’ Day on the secular calendar. It is a day I’ll never forget, and sadly so. It is the twentieth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. For twenty years I was called “father.” I am very thankful for those twenty years. I could have easily died any number of times, any number of ways in my life before that, so I consider it all a bonus, an undeserved bonus. To all of you that have communicated support, ordination anniversary congratulations,...

God Love You, God Bless You, and Good-Bye. Jun 17 Posted by The Black SheepDog This Sunday, June 19, 2011, is both Trinity Sunday on the Catholic liturgical calendar and Fathers’ Day on the secular calendar. It is a day I’ll never forget, and sadly so. It is the twentieth anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic Church. For twenty years I was called “father.” I am very thankful for those twenty years. I could have easily died any number of times, any number of ways in my life before that, so I consider it all a...

Vatican City, Jun 13, 2011 / 02:56 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The Vatican issued a statement June 6 explaining the Church’s teachings on bishops ordained without the Pope's approval.The statement points out that illicit ordinations cause “scandal and confusion, which must not be underestimated and that require—on the part of the bishops involved—the need to recover their authority through signs of communion and penance that can be observed by all.”The statement was published by the Vatican daily L’Osservatore Romano.The statement does not refer to any specific country, but offers an overview of possible extenuating circumstances that relate to episcopal ordinations carried...

AMSTERDAM – The head of a Catholic religious order in the Netherlands has confirmed one of his subordinate priests served on the board of an organization that promotes pedophilia. Herman Spronck, head of the Dutch arm of the Salesian order, said in a statement Friday the priest served on the board of the "Martijn" organization, which is widely reviled but not illegal. "Of course we reject this and distance ourselves from this personal initiative" on the part of the priest, Spronck's statement said. "Membership in such organizations does not fit with the ethos of the Salesian order." However, RTL Nieuws,...

The American narrative of the Catholic Church’s struggles with the clerical sexual abuse of the young has been dominated by several tropes firmly set in journalistic concrete: that this was and is a “pedophilia” crisis; that the sexual abuse of the young is an ongoing danger in the Church; that the Catholic Church was and remains a uniquely dangerous environment for young people; that a high percentage of priests were abusers; that abusive behavior is more likely from celibates, such that a change in the Church’s discipline of priestly celibacy would be important in protecting the young; that the Church’s...

How to Address Priests and Religious:Titles and Signs of Respect Marian Therese Horvat, Ph.DIn times past every Catholic used to know some of the simple rules that have been set aside from disuse. The general protocol was taught by sisters in grade school, but more often was learned as in osmosis from everyday practice. No one dreamed of calling Father O’Reilly by the nickname “Bill,” or, addressing Sister Margaret Mary as “Maggie.”Everyone knew you rose as a sign of respect when a priest or religious entered the room. Speaking before a gathering that included clergy or religious, a Catholic...

Three Catholic priests are candidates for election to the Vietnamese national assembly, the “highest organ of state power” under the nation’s constitution. The candidacy of the three priests has prompted criticism among Vietnamese Catholics, in light of the clear Church policy against political activity by priests, and also in light of these priests’ clear support for the Communist government. Father Tran Manh Cuong and Father Le Ngoc Hoan, of the dioceses of Ban Me Thout and Bui Chu, respectively, are already members of the current 12th national assembly; they are running now for membership in the 13th assembly, which will...

For my Catholic viewers and friends: The solution to the catholic sex scandal and how to protect novices and altar boys from paedophiles and perverts. As Shown by Father Curtis Staring Emily Mortimer as the Novice Michael Cochrane as Sir Henry Simmerson the disgusting pervert John Kavanagh as Father Curtis From the TV show Sharpe's Sword.

On a blog called Lux Occulta there is posted a pdf of an article in a Catholic newspaper called The Catholic Voice written by a group of seminarians about their experience at Maynooth Seminary in Ireland.As I read it, I had a horrible, sinking feeling. It all sounded like what I experienced 20+ years ago in my US seminary before I went to Rome.It was eerily familiar.The heretical teaching about the Eucharist, the total blurring of priesthood of the priest and of the laity, blatant homosexuality, angry feminist nuns teaching and running our lives, the relentless mix of non-seminary students,...

Chicago Democrats with close ties to Barack Obama have been implicated in a massive cover-up of sexual abuse and human trafficking (1) targeting black children in poor neighborhoods. The allegations have emerged from a series of lawsuits brought by abuse victims and their families. The crimes span a period of at least 40 years, and involve torture, kidnapping, gang rape and sexual enslavement of hundreds of African-American children. Through the years, victims coming forward to report these crimes have faced harassment and threats from private investigators (2) and city police. (3) These abuses unfolded during the long reign of the...

Three Roman Catholic priests, an ex-priest and a teacher are heading for trial in a sex abuse case after a Philadelphia judge upheld all charges. The judge is denying defense lawyers the chance to fight the evidence at a preliminary hearing. Judge Renee Cardwell Hughes says a 124-page grand jury report demonstrates probable cause, even on newly added conspiracy charges. She is also issuing a gag order. The case is drawing attention because prosecutors for the first time charged a church official with child endangerment for allegedly transferring problem priests to new parishes. Monsignor William Lynn faces up to 28...

COLONIE -- "Treat him like you treat me. Give him God's love," he recalled the priest saying. The bedroom door would close as a second priest would allegedly rape the little boy. When it was over, the victim said, the Rev. Alan Jupin would walk him to a bathroom where a third priest, seated, would make him perform oral sex." Bishop Hubbard announced he had suspended three of the priests: Jupin, Louis Douglas, 82, and Donald Ophals, 77. It's at least the second time since 2003 the three priests have been accused of sexual molestation. "Since 2002 we've removed 24...

The Rising of the Roses: A Reflection on How the Lord is Restoring His ChurchBy: Msgr. Charles Pope It is often a fact that we have had to discuss difficult subjects on this blog. For, it is also a fact that our culture is in serious trouble.  But it is also a notable trend that God is renewing his Church. I am seeing increasing signs of a springtime for the Church, at least here in America.As I walk past the rose bushes out front of the rectory I see the first red shoots emerging from the pruned stumps. Last...

A grand jury on Thursday accused the Archdiocese of Philadelphia of failing to stop the sexual abuse of children more than five years after a grand jury report documented abuse by more than 50 priests. The new report said a senior church official charged with investigating allegations of sexual abuse by priests had in fact allowed some of those accused to remain in posts that gave them continued access to children. It charged him with endangering the welfare of minors and accused three priests and a teacher of raping two boys between 1996 and 1999. “By no means do we...

One of the most memorable experiences that I ever had was with the Miraculous Medal! It changed my life. In the fall of 1948, the year after my ordination, I was in what we call the Tertianship. This is a third year of Novitiate before taking final vows.In October of that year, a Vincentian priest came to speak to us young Jesuit priests. He encouraged us to obtain faculties, as they are called, to enroll people in the Confraternity of the Miraculous Medal. Among other things, he said, "Fathers, the Miraculous Medal works. Miracles have been performed by Our Lady...

The older brother of a man who alleges he was molested has joined a priest-abuse lawsuit, saying that he, too, was sexually abused by two priests at a Huntington Beach parish in the early 1990s. The civil complaint against Gus Krumm, a former Franciscan friar and priest who has admitted to instances of abuse in the 1970s and 1980s while studying and teaching at a seminary, and the Rev. Alexander Manville is set for a jury trial in Orange County Superior Court in July...

This past June, Pope Benedict XVI said the church must promise "to do everything possible" to ensure that the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests "will never occur again." But the president of the Survivor Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) was not satisfied. She said, "Right now, kids are being assaulted by priests and bishops are concealing the crimes. And the pope continues taking no action to stop this." She said that the pope still ignores the main problem: "the ongoing recklessness, deceit, and callousness of bishops who, even now, protect predators instead of children."

If true, this is indeed a bombshell... Dave Pierre, the author of the book, Double Standard: Abuse Scandals and the Attack on the Catholic Church, reports the following on his site, TheMediaReport.com:In a stunning ten-page declaration recently submitted to the Los Angeles County Superior Court, veteran attorney Donald H. Steier stated that his investigations into claims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have uncovered vast fraud and that his probes have revealed that many accusations are completely false.Counselor Steier has played a role in over one hundred investigations involving Catholic clergy in Los Angeles. In his missive Mr. Steier relayed,...

Vocations Under the Christmas Tree? 2 children’s books help plant seeds...fruition in the priesthood and religious life. KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ 12/20/2010   -snip-Into that breach steps Elizabeth Ficocelli, a New York City-born mother and author (of books like The Imitation of Christ for Children) living in Ohio and convert to Catholicism. This year she has penned the children’s books Where Do Priests Come From? and Where Do Sisters Come From?, the latter of which has just been released by here). Why would you want to encourage girls to be oppressed victims of a patriarchal Church? Haven’t you read any Maureen...

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) called Wednesday for the Greek Orthodox church to remove the Metropolite of Piraeus, Seraphim, after the high-ranking priest sounded an anti-Semitic rant on Greek TV. Speaking on the morning show on Mega-TV, the largest television station in Greece, Seraphim blamed world Jewry for Greece's financial problems. "Mixing Freemasons with Jewish bankers such as Baron Rothschild and world Zionism, the Metropolite said that there is a conspiracy to enslave Greece and Christian Orthodoxy," JTA reported. He also accused "international Zionism" of trying to destroy the family unit by promoting one-parent families and same-sex marriages. Thirteen minutes...

The Roman Catholic Church is looking for a few good men -- to battle Satan. The church in the US has become so short of priests who know how to perform an exorcism that it began an emergency two-day meeting yesterday to teach clerics how to properly cast out demons. A group of 56 bishops and 66 priests -- including an assistant to New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan -- have gathered in Baltimore for the Conference on the Liturgical and Pastoral Practice of Exorcism. The mystical meeting was focused on a lot more than just dodging green vomit and stopping...

From time to time, I present anew some of the prayers that I composed for the Spiritual Mothers of Priests and for all, men and women alike, who pray, suffer, and offer themselves for the sanctification of priests. Here are three of these prayers: Prayer for Vocations Lord Jesus Christ, Who callest to Thy service whomsoever Thou wilt, let the light of Thy Face and the tenderness of Thy Heart rest upon the young men of our own parishes and families. Grant that those whom Thou hast chosen from among us may hear Thy invitation and respond to Thy call...

Featured Term (selected at random):FIRST MASS The first Sacrifice of the Mass offered by a newly ordained priest. In the new grant of indulgences (A plenary indulgence is granted to the priest, who celebrates his first Mass with any solemnity, and to the faithful who devoutly assist at this Mass." All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission

As one who has made a point of actively persuing and personally instructing converts to the Catholic Faith,—rather than simply waiting for them to appear then throwing them into some “program” in which I am minimally involved—I have observed that one of the most attractive aspects of Catholicism drawing Protestant Christians as well as the “unchurched” to the Faith is the certainty and unmitigated intransigence of Catholic dogma. For the most part, the converts—and I am not ashamed of using that word, even for baptized Protestants entering the Church, inasmuch as anyone making such a change in his or her...

Last night at Mass, our enlightened younger priest, who is from India, gave a homily that my teenage daughter referred to as "really good." I asked her what he said (I don't have my hearing), and she said he quoted saints and popes all throughout, adding in that people of great wealth (we live in a wealthy area) have difficulty putting time aside for prayer, that a survey claimed only four minutes per day on average for this group. At the end of Mass, our pastor, whose last day was yesterday, spoke at the lectern to say goodbye and he...

THE Catholic Church in Italy, still reeling from the clerical sex abuse scandal, has lashed out at gay priests who are leading a double life, urging them to come out of the closet and leave the priesthood. The Diocese of Rome issued the strongly worded statement last Friday after the conservative weekly magazine Panorama printed a cover story and accompanying video claiming it had interviewed three gay priests in Rome and accompanied them to gay clubs and bars and to sexual encounters with strangers, including one in a church building. One of the priests, a Frenchman identified only as Paul,...

The teaching of the Catholic Church regarding homosexual sexual activity as morally disordered, constituting grave sin and against the Natural Law which binds all human beings is unequivocal. Among the clearest summaries was one set forth by then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in the "Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons" promulgated in 1986 by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the faith. Here are a few of the insights: "The Church, obedient to the Lord who founded her and gave to her the sacramental life, celebrates the divine plan of the loving...

1. The Roman collar is a sign of priestly consecration to the Lord. As a wedding ring distinguishes husband and wife and symbolizes the union they enjoy, so the Roman collar identifies bishops and priests (and often deacons and seminarians) and manifests their proximity to the Divine Master by virtue of their free consent to the ordained ministry to which they have been (or may be) called. 2. By wearing clerical clothing and not possessing excess clothes, the priest demonstrates adherence to the Lord’s example of material poverty. The priest does not choose his clothes – the Church has, thanks...

Police investigating claims of child abuse by Belgian clergy have told the BBC they are probing death threats against witnesses and magistrates. Last month police raided a meeting of Belgium's Catholic bishops as part of their investigation, seizing computers and documents. They even searched the tomb of at least one cardinal, prompting an angry response from the Vatican. The country is one of several where the Church has been shaken by abuse claims. The investigation into child abuse allegations in Belgium's Catholic Church has already prompted extraordinary scenes, says the BBC's Dominic Hughes in Brussels. But now the investigation has...

Worcester, Mass., Jun 26, 2010 / 01:14 pm (CNA).- “When I grow up, I want to be like him,” The 5-year-old was talking about the priest. But while still a child the boy fell in love – with the image of Our Lady of Fatima. “If I find a woman who looks like her, and has her characteristics, I’ll marry her,” he decided. “For 34 years I’ve never met that woman,” he says now. “I guess the Blessed Mother wants me. I’m all hers. Like John Paul II said, ‘Totus Tuus Maria.’” This is the story of Deacon Lowe Bretaña...

Vatican City, Jun 13, 2010 / 10:58 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Thousands of pilgrims and faithful gathered at noon Sunday in St. Peter’s Square to pray the Angelus with the Holy Father. Before the prayer, he said that the fruits of the recently ended Year for Priests could never be measured, but are already visible and will continue to be ever more so. “The priest is a gift from the heart of Christ, a gift for the Church and for the world. From the heart of the Son of God, overflowing with love, all the goods of the Church spring forth,”...

Below is the Introduction to Exorcism and the Church Militant, a new book authored by Father Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International. ------- Introduction to Exorcism and the Church Militant:Draw your strength from the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. Our battle is not against human forces but against the principalities and powers, the rulers of this world of darkness, the evil spirits in regions above. You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist...

Mother Potter's Marian MissionAt the end of 1874, Mother Potter received the inner certitude that she and the religious Congregation she was to institute (The Little Company of Mary) were called to foster devotion to the Maternal Heart of Mary. "We are chosen," wrote Mother Potter, . . . to promulgate in God's Church an increase of devotion to the Maternal Heart of Mary. We must increase our love for Our Lady and her sweet Maternal Heart, which makes us desire to propagate that devotion and to lead as many of God's vast family as we can to love and...

“It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong” (Voltaire). Some twenty-five years ago, a discussion arose in the seminary about when a priest should or should not be dressed as such. All manner of examples were thrown out for consideration: restaurants, movie theaters, baseball games (with and without altar boys), etc. One of our professors, Msgr. William B. Smith, STD, whose obituary your M. Div. wrote last year and will post here eventually, had the most lucid comment: “Whenever a priest is in a situation where being known as a priest would...

Tonight, at least, I have no words to express what I perceive to be the significance of this Act of Consecration in the context of The Year of the Priest. I have nothing but joy, and an immense gratitude to the Holy Father. Consecration of Priests to the Immaculate Heart of MaryImmaculate Mother, in this place of grace, called together by the love of your Son Jesus the Eternal High Priest, we, sons in the Son and his priests, consecrate ourselves to your maternal Heart, in order to carry out faithfully the Father's Will. We are mindful that, without Jesus,...