Defrocked priest confronted-See MSN.com web page

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I am all for forgiveness, but sometimes the results of our sin lives on. Such a one as this deserves to spend every day of his life in prison. Forgiven and incarcerated.
 
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pnewton:
I am all for forgiveness, but sometimes the results of our sin lives on. Such a one as this deserves to spend every day of his life in prison. Forgiven and incarcerated.
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I have no problem with that but that is not how the laws are currently written.

I think it would be better to hound the law makers into changing the laws rather than persecuting this man who, according to the laws as written, has served his time.

For those of you who have issues with what I said here I suggest that you read the following section of the Catechism.

PART THREE: LIFE IN CHRIST, SECTION ONE, MAN’S VOCATION LIFE IN THE SPIRIT, CHAPTER TWO, THE HUMAN COMMUNION, ARTICLE 2, PARTICIPATION IN SOCIAL LIFE, I. AUTHORITY
 
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kyleforu:
I do understand your sentiment of forgiveness Lazer. But yet sexual violation is a crime and perversion of this worst magnitude. If this man was so repentant, then why didn’t he admit his sin BEFORE being found out YEARS later? It was only by the abused people coming forward that this individual was exposed at all. Bear this in mind. More than likely if these abused people would not have come forward and spoke out, this defrocked priest would have continued as a priest and never have changed his perverted ways.

I’m all for forgiving, but forgiving one who comes forward ON THEIR OWN before they are exposed. There is a difference. It also seemed to me that this defrocked priest STILL denied his perversions even when confronted by his abusers.Is that true repentance?
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Genuine repentance does not necessarily have to come before one is discovered. When the adulterous woman was brought before Jesus, it was only after she was caught in the act. Yet Jesus still knew her heart and forgave her for her sincere repentance.

Mike
 
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CollegeCatholic:
Forgiveness needs to be understood as transcending all forms of human limitations. One could say “I can not forgive that person as they do not seek my forgiveness” but we are not called to wait for repentance but to forgive and repent ourselves actively, not reactively. Did Christ not say on the cross “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” Emphasis on the “do” as the trespassers are actually still in the act and he is forgiving them. They have neither repented nor have even stopped committing the grave act and yet he reveals to us the extraordinary forgiveness that is found in the Graces of the Cross of Christ. Also, in the Lord’s Prayer does Christ not tell us to ask forgiveness as we forgive others? Do we not seek God’s forgiveness in spite of ourselves? Why then do we maintain the double standard of limited forgiveness as evidenced by constraints that are placed on our charity/forgiveness?
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Amen! :yup:
 
The part that I don’t understand is why does a priest who is guilty of child abuse does not have to face prison time, while an average citizen on the street who commits the same crime does time? Then on top of this, we as Catholics are expected to just forgive and forget what this individual priest has done as well? As far as I’m concerned ANY priest or evangelical minister who is guilty of child abuse should be immediately prosecuted and LOCKED UP for the safety of other future children in a community.
 
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kyleforu:
The part that I don’t understand is why does a priest who is guilty of child abuse does not have to face prison time, while an average citizen on the street who commits the same crime does time? Then on top of this, we as Catholics are expected to just forgive and forget what this individual priest has done as well? As far as I’m concerned ANY priest or evangelical minister who is guilty of child abuse should be immediately prosecuted and LOCKED UP for the safety of other future children in a community.
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Just one comment. The average person on the street does not always face jail time.

In Rochester, NY, where I lived up until just recently there were a couple of cases where men were found guilty of child sexual abuse and they were only given probation. I think this happens in more cases than the average person on the street is aware of.
 
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ByzCath:
I have a situation in my life with my older brother. I have forgiven him but I will not forget. This means that I will not allow myself to be put into a situation where he can do to me what he has done in the past, the thing I have forgiven him for. Some people tell me that I have not truely forgiven him but they are worng.
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Well I and my family have suffered abuse from an early age, and my family is made up of 7 boys and 7 girls.
Our abuse was alcohol and the violence in the home that came with it, there has been sexual abuse from a cousin who was supposidly looking after us.( this drunken violence went on for almost 30 years with no protection from the authorities)

I was only five at the time this person was looking after us, but I still remember him taking my eldest sister into a side room and well what could a five year old do to protect her, I don’t know what went on in that room and I don’t desire to, but I do know some sort of abuse took place.

I can’t speak for the victims of abuse, they will have to deal with that cross not on their own, but with the help of friends and family and ultimately God.
I pray for my deceased parents everyday and my long suffering mother a convert to the Catholic faith and an inspiration to my own faith.
I took the words of Jesus to heart years ago and decided there was no middle ground for me at least, look at all the sins God forgives every-day,if God held grudges then no-one would goto Heaven.

About 12 years ago Fr Rookey from Chicago said before his healing Mass that unforgiveness can make us sick, that forgiving is the first step to healing.
I know some of those priests that don’t admit they’re wrong or have indeed refused to apologize don’t make forgiving any easier.
But for me at least even though I never ever discussed this with my Father while he was alive, I do pray for him ,and if I didn’t forgive him I would’nt bother praying for him.
Then again I’ve had to apoligize to other people for various things in my life, the usual every-day things that we fail in.
I do how-ever think that sexual abuse is bad for anyone, but for the little children it is the most henious crime and I will not try and justify it.
I just pray that some of the children are too young to remember these terrible things comitted on them, and for those that do remember that God can help them in ways only known to Him.
It only dawned on me years later what was going on,
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I think we would be stupid to place ourselves in situations where the same “crime” could be done to us over and over.
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Yes for those that are of the age to know what is happening yes, but for little children, well what would they know ?

And even for those that know what is going on, well maybe they’re too frightened or mentally scared to even do anything about it, and for others sadly they probably think this is the norm, this is what life is all about.

And the times the police called to my house nothing was done, they left and we were back to square one, only worse because my father accused us of calling them, but it was some neighbour thinking thy were doing us a good turn, but we ended up worse off.

My long time school friend about 5 years ago had someone do him a bad turn and he said he couldn’t forgive.
My only advice to him was offer it to God and say here God I can’t deal with this so I’m offering it to you.

Anyway I’ve rambled enough, so let go and let God.
 
I think Lazerlike42’s January 31 post on this hit the nail on the head. We are called by Christ to forgive, and there are no limits or conditions on that forgiveness. Some in this thread seem to be confusing forgiveness with condoning the behavior. They are not the same thing. Certainly the priest should be held accountable for his actions, that is, his actions most surely should not be condoned. But that does not mean that he should not be forgiven. Holding that anger will not serve a person well. We cannot love Christ and despise our brother.

Incidentally, the pope does not have “jurisdiction” over the bishops. This is explained in the February 2006 issue of “This Rock” magazine (see “Why Doesn’t the Pope do Something About “Bad” Bishops,” page 6). The bishops are not employees of the pope, and while they are accountable, there are limitations to that accountability.
 
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ByzCath:
No, not in this thread, I was just sharing something.

Seems that here, they are advocating with holding forgiveness from anyone who gets caught without confessing publicly first.
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Either that, or forming their own inquisition…
 
Hi all, A Question why should a victim forgive the priest ,when most abusers never understand what they have done , how can any one atone for their crime ,if they cannot understand what they have done to the victim, yours michaelmac
 
Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Miami to be charged with sexual battery on a child younger than 12.
When a Catholic priest was arrested on charges of raping a Broward County youth, the Archdiocese of Miami extended ‘‘pastoral concern’’ and ‘‘prayers’’ for the alleged victim and his family.
But four days after the Jan. 26 arrest of the Rev. Neil Doherty, the archdiocese took a decidedly less sympathetic position.
Church leaders, in response to the youth’s sexual-abuse lawsuit, said ‘‘his own negligence’’ was to blame for what the priest allegedly did to him as a 10-year-old.
In the suit, Hi all how and who does any one forgive , after this yours michaelmac
 
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kyleforu:
Today MSN.com is showing a live video feed of a defrocked priest confronted by his abusers no less. I think this priest is paying for his purgatory right now by these people. This is really sad, because it hurts the image of longtime, sincere priests who have kept the faith and been a blessing to the members of a particular parish. But I still can understand the anger of these abused people. There is nothing worse then being sexually defiled by someone you trust. Nothing.
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Sure there is.

The actions of someone else that would lead to one ending-up in Hell rather than Heaven.

That would be infinately worse…
 
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