Fr. Corapi placed on Administrative Leave Following Accusations

[pnewton]

What is sad is the amount of people on catholic answers who think it’s justified that EWTN and Fr. Corapi’s superiors assume he’s guilty just in case.

Neither EWTN nor his superiors have excercised an assumption of guilt. This is unfounded. The superiors took action based on information you do not have and can not have an informed opinion on. It is possible the suspension is an aid to an unbiased investigation. EWTN took action based solely on the action of the SOLT, not because of any assumed guilt on their part. If you are sad because you see an assumption of guilt, or support of that, from anyone here, you are making the wrong… assumptions.

 

[ChadS]

Ok, can someone here explain what it means by *** priestly faculties removed? ***

What can and can’t he do?

Also, I have to wonder since some in Catholic Church technically don’t trust his word on his innocence at this point, would he be allowed to receive communion? After all…he just might be guilty? Should someone be given communion if the world might possibly be shown a great public scandal? It seem obvious that he just ‘might be guilty’ by the actions being taken on him already. He publicly stated his innocence but it seems words mean very little when it comes down to trusting someone on their word alone.

Priest have to have the permission of the local bishop to function as a priest in a diocese, this also includes priests serving with religious communities in an area. A priest needs this permission to publicly say mass, hear confessions, perform marriages etc. If that permission is withdrawn or denied, that particular priest is forbidden from doing public ministry or being involved with other activities where his primary responsibility would be that of a priest. I imagine in this instance Fr. Corapi is allowed to privately say mass, but he can’t say mass publicly, nor would he be allowed to hear confessions or witness weddings.

I don’t see why Fr. Corapi wouldn’t be allowed to receive communion. Nobody has rendered any verdict on him, least of all his superiors, they are exercising good judgment in the wake of what could be a serious issue and I’m sure they don’t want to be seen as whitewashing something or being accused of sweeping it under the rug.

ChadS

 

[Phemie]

What will let me down moreso if he is found guilty isnt what he did…lets face it, hes a rock star of priests, he knows it and has probbaly strived to stay humble cuz of it but he has changed his appearance, wears french cuff shirts and for whom? Sure some vanity doesnt hurt, but in the wake of the allegations one does tend to add things up.

No, what will bother me if he is found guilty of indulging his rock star status is for all the tuff gruff preaching he has done, would be the fact he DENIED it happened instead of being the tuff take like a man approach he gives off. The sin? Nah…the lying about based on the kind of priest he portrays himself as is what will disturb me.

His protestations of innocence don’t impress me. I’ve seen too many people, priest and lay, protest their innocence and then be proven guilty in court.

I’ve seen my own associate pastor lie about the reason he was returning home, claiming it was about his mother’s illness when in reality the Bishop had removed his faculties and was shipping him home because he’d been having affairs with two women.

I think we should sit back and wait for the appropriate investigations to be done and accept the results.

 

[dfp42]

Priest have to have the permission of the local bishop to function as a priest in a diocese, this also includes priests serving with religious communities in an area. A priest needs this permission to publicly say mass, hear confessions, perform marriages etc. If that permission is withdrawn or denied, that particular priest is forbidden from doing public ministry or being involved with other activities where his primary responsibility would be that of a priest. I imagine in this instance Fr. Corapi is allowed to privately say mass, but he can’t say mass publicly, nor would he be allowed to hear confessions or witness weddings.

I don’t see why Fr. Corapi wouldn’t be allowed to receive communion. Nobody has rendered any verdict on him, least of all his superiors, they are exercising good judgment in the wake of what could be a serious issue and I’m sure they don’t want to be seen as whitewashing something or being accused of sweeping it under the rug.

ChadS

So as of right now Fr. Corapi is no longer a priest? Correct? If he is no longer a priest (in good standing) would it be wise then to take the same approach as EWTN has by removing all my personal collections of Corapi cd’s and dvd’s because I would be causing scandal on myself then by listening to his teachings on the faith going forward? Would it technically be scandal for Santa Cruz Media to keep allowing him to preach the gospel with his web based “our sunday homily” and continue to allow this material to sell until he is proven innocent?

Since this is ‘possibly’ public scandal on his part, if he is receiving communion publicly, he’s stating publicly that he’s clean from sin right? I’m sorry to ask these questions but now a days it seems like you can’t really trust any human being regardless of who he/she is. Talk about a cloud of confusion. We are told we should trust our priests but at the same time we are also told we really can’t. So really I ask good Catholics, are there any priests you can recommend we trust?

 

[CatholicFireman]

I see yet another thread getting ugly based on speculation. Time to move on…

 

[Joseph_L_Varga]

So as of right now Fr. Corapi is no longer a priest? Correct? If he is no longer a priest (in good standing) would it be wise then to take the same approach as EWTN has by removing all my personal collections of Corapi cd’s and dvd’s because I would be causing scandal on myself then by listening to his teachings on the faith going forward? Would it technically be scandal for Santa Cruz Media to keep allowing him to preach the gospel with his web based “our sunday homily” and continue to allow this material to sell until he is proven innocent?

Since this is ‘possibly’ public scandal on his part, if he is receiving communion publicly, he’s stating publicly that he’s clean from sin right? I’m sorry to ask these questions but now a days it seems like you can’t really trust any human being regardless of who he/she is. Talk about a cloud of confusion. We are told we should trust our priests but at the same time we are also told we really can’t. So really I ask good Catholics, are there any priests you can recommend we trust?

I have attended a few Masses celebrated by Fr. Alberto Cutie, when he was still a Catholic priest in good standing. I cherish those memories, because he actually had some good homilies. I don’t think that his fall from faithful Catholicity, and his ultimate defection to the Episcopal Church, detracts from the fact that at an earlier period in his life, he served his flock well, he feeded us well, in a spiritual sense, by good sound Catholic teaching.

I think regardless of whether Fr. Corapi will be found innocent (which I hope) or guilty in the end, will not affect the value of the service he rendered through preaching and teaching during the past several years.

 

[Jesus_123]

Father John Corapi has long been following in the . . . holy bloodstained footsteps . . . of . . . Jesus . . . the Blessed Christ . . . our Crucified Lord . . . in full view of the entire world . . . following his God ordained preaching vocation in our wonderful Apostolic Holy Roman Catholic Church . . . remember . . . Our Saviour and Lord . . . Christ Jesus . . . God the Son . . . was betrayed by one near him and falsely accused . . .

Following in **Jesus our ** **Lord’s **holy footsteps is known as the walking along the holy pathway known as the . . . Via Dolorosa . . . the . . . Way of Sorrows . . . which is also known as the . . . Way of the Cross . . . and many of **God’s **children and Saints and Martyrs of our Holy Mother Church have followed this holy pathway . . . some all the way to being crucified for Christ’s sake . . .

St. Padre Pio was also accused in a very like manner as Father Corapi has been . . . and was set aside from his regular mission and ministry within the Church for a time . . . in due season he was vindicated and his miraculous holy ministry continued on in all holiness and great power . . . and he is now a canonized Saint of our Holy Mother Church . . .

We all need to be very careful . . . as dear children of our Holy God . . . that our response to this crisis situation does not further bruise and wound our . . . so Terribly Bruised and Wounded. . . Crucifed Lord Jesus Christ . . . God the Son . . . during this holy season of Lent . . . as our brother priest carries this heavy cross of persecution during his walk . . . day by day . . . following in the . . . bloodstained footsteps . . . of his and our . . . Redeemer . . . to Calvary during this holy Lenten season . . .

Sacred :bible1: Scripture and our Holy Mother Church teach us and warn us as to how respond in such a situation as this . . .

:bible1:
Against a priest receive NOT an accusation,
but under two or three witnesses.
1 Timothy 5:19

We as God’s children are instructed NOT TO EVEN RECEIVE such an accusation against a brother priest under such revealed circumstances as this accusation against Father Corapi . . . which in no way has met the burden of proof required by Sacred Scripture . . . Satanic lies were at the heart of the accusations against . . . Jesus our Blessed Lord . . . we need to be extremely careful that the ghastly sex abuse scandal that has so shocked, sickened, and horrified all the world of late . . . does not mistakenly cause us to paint unfairly . . . or taint . . .** God’s** many many holy priests who have so faithfully . . . by the grace of God . . . fulfilled their holy vocations . . .

Our family very prayerfully went through this with a dear friend much beloved of God . . . who was a national well known public figure . . .* in due season* . . . even as in **Padre Pio’s **case . . . ***now **St. Pio *****. . . he was completely exonerated and proven with irrefutable evidence completely innocent . . . *the wheels of justice . . . in or out of the Church . . . may grind exceedingly slow . . . but they do move . . . *

Father Corapi has personally stated firmly . . . "All of the allegations in the complaint are false, and I ask you to pray for all concerned."

So be it . . . in accordance with the compassionate teaching of . . . **Sacred Scripture **. . . I DO NOT EVEN RECEIVE this accusation aimed at Father Corapi . . . and we are praying even as requested by Father . . . enuf said . . .


PRAYER TO
**SAINT MICHAEL
THE ARCHANGEL **

**St. Michael the Archangel, **
defend us in battle.
Be our defense 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,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.


O blood and Water,
which gushed forth from the
Heart of Jesus
as a fount of mercy for us,
I trust in You.
- St. Faustina’s Diary
Entry #84

A blessed Lent to you all . . .

. . . all for Jesus+
. . . Jesus I trust in You+

​

 

[pnewton]

So as of right now Fr. Corapi is no longer a priest? Correct? If he is no longer a priest (in good standing) …
Since this is ‘possibly’ public scandal on his part, if he is receiving communion publicly, he’s stating publicly that he’s clean from sin right?../quote]
None of these statements are true. He is still a priest and still considered in good standing. There is no scandal from receiving communion. Receiving communion is never a sign that one is free from sin (only mortal sin). Even if one commits a mortal sin, all he needs to do is go to confession to be restored to good standing in the Church and receive communion. This action is not a public action, so we can never judge the state of someone’s soul.

 

[Joseph_L_Varga]

Against a priest receive NOT an accusation,
but under two or three witnesses.
1 Timothy 5:19

We as God’s children are instructed NOT TO EVEN RECEIVE such an accusation against a brother priest under such revealed circumstances as this accusation against Father Corapi . . . which in no way has met the burden of proof required by Sacred Scripture . . .

Wow, good point!

So, was this priest suspended on the basis of one (1) single person accusing him, or are there multiple accusers/witnesses?

Does anyone know what Fr. Corapi’s superiors are telling on this? Are there multiple witnesses against him?

 

[Marie5890]

This from Jimmy Akin:

ncregister.com/blog/thoughts-on-the-fr.-corapi-situation

Thoughtful and well articulated. Thanks for posting the link to his entry.

 

[dfp42]

None of these statements are true. He is still a priest and still considered in good standing. There is no scandal from receiving communion. Receiving communion is never a sign that one is free from sin (only mortal sin). Even if one commits a mortal sin, all he needs to do is go to confession to be restored to good standing in the Church and receive communion. This action is not a public action, so we can never judge the state of someone’s soul.

That doesn’t make sense though as www.ewtn.com states “Fr. Corapi has been placed on administrative leave and has had all of his priestly faculties removed.”
Either they are removed or they are not removed. If they are removed how can he still be considered in good standing? Which is the main reason why ewtn has removed all his work.

How is the action not public if he publicly stated these claims are false?

 

[TMC]

Wow, good point!

So, was this priest suspended on the basis of one (1) single person accusing him, or are there multiple accusers/witnesses?

Does anyone now what Fr. Corapi’s superiors are telling on this? Are there multiple witnesses against him?

We don’t know what investigation Fr. Corapi’s superiors did before putting him on leave, or what their investigation has revealed since. Nor do we know exactly what Fr. Corapi has been accused of or by whom he is accused. His superiors deserve the presumption that they are acting properly until there is reason to think otherwise, just as Fr. Corapi deserves the presumption that he is innocent until there is evidence otherwise.

 

[qui_est_ce]

Do we have any reason to doubt that Father Corapi cooperates with God’s saving grace?

No we do not. I’m discussing your theology that one cannot fall from sanctifying grace. For the benefit of lurkers here who may get a false understanding of Catholic teaching.

Judas was probably never true to Jesus in the first place.

Sounds like OSAS, “they probably were never saved to begin with.”

Peter did not receive the grace of the resurrected Christ until after the resurrection,which is why he denied Jesus.

By your definition Paul had sanctifying grace, yet he continued to work out his salvation with fear and trembling.

It’s possible Father Corapi fell from grace. If he did, I pray for repentance. God can make good from evil, much to Satan’s chagrin.

 

[qui_est_ce]

A person who is continually praying the rosary and adoring the Eucharist (which are the most powerful means for receiving grace) and preaching the gospel cannot be squandering God’s help so as to commit mortal sins. I don’t believe that Father Corapi is strong in holiness by his own power,but by the abundant spiritual help he receives from God. Abundant grace suppresses temptations to sin. It does not take only one sin to remove a person from a state of grace,unless it is a mortal sin. But if a person is in a state of grace,then for that reason he would resist any temptation to commit a mortal sin. Being in a state of grace is a permanent condition.

ByzantineCatho or NewEnglandPries, could you respond to this post?

1. 
   *] anthony022071 is declaring Fr. Corapi of being in the state of sanctifying grace.
   *] anthony022071 is declaring one cannot commit mortal sin when in the state of sanctifying grace
   
   .

 

[Joseph_L_Varga]

We don’t know what investigation Fr. Corapi’s superiors did before putting him on leave, or what their investigation has revealed since. Nor do we know exactly what Fr. Corapi has been accused of or by whom he is accused. His superiors deserve the presumption that they are acting properly until there is reason to think otherwise, just as Fr. Corapi deserves the presumption that he is innocent until there is evidence otherwise.

I wish the best to both Fr. Corapi and his superiors, but there’s an apparent conflict here. Fr. Corapi’s statement says that he was suspended on the basis of one accuser’s three-page letter. Either there’s more evidence than Fr. Corapi is letting the public know through his statement, or his superiors departed from St. Paul’s instruction. More evidence could mean more witnesses, or perhaps some incriminating material such as audio recording, photos, video recording, phone logs, etc. If there’s more evidence, that would be inconsistent with Fr. Corapi’s statement that there’s a single person’s letter against him. If there’s no more evidence than the single person’s accusatory letter, and yet Fr. Corapi was suspended, that’s in apparent conflict with St. Paul’s instruction that “Against a priest receive NOT an accusation, but under two or three witnesses.” (1 Timothy 5:19)

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

In Regard to Fr. Corapi making it public… sometimes the best defense is a good offensive. When a priest in my area, was falsely accused, he got a lawyer and went straight to a press conference to deny the charges.

The final investigation did clear him of any wrong-doing, but his press conference and upfront approach in dealing with it helped him when he was re-instated. An accusation, even if it is completely false and proven so, can really damage a person long term.

Exactly. Satan and his many allies know this and use it to good effect.

It’s no coincidence that Father Corapi spoke about waging WAR. We’re in one. And you have to know both your weapons and those of the enemy.

 

[Jesus_123]

+Below is Father Corapi’s statement posted on his website and it speaks of only one accuser . . . *the link to the website is included . . . *perhaps this will clear up some of the confusion . . . also . . . when a priest is ordained they are forever indelibly marked in the depths of their soul as a priest through the ordination . . .

** A CALL TO PRAYER **
by Father John Corapi

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.​

_____________________

:compcoff: Link to Father Corapi’s Call to Prayer: fathercorapi.com/default.aspx


"For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven,
it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."

• Saint Therese of Lisieux
  
  . . . all for Jesus+
  . . . St. Therese of the Holy Face of Jesus+
  . . . Little Flower+
  . . . we seek thy holy prayers to join with ours+
  . . . Jesus I Trust In You+​

 

[TMC]

+Below is Father Corapi’s statement posted on his website and it speaks of only one accuser . . . *the link to the website is included . . . *perhaps this will clear up some of the confusion . . . also . . . when a priest is ordained they are forever indelibly marked in the depths of their soul as a priest through the ordination . . .

** A CALL TO PRAYER **
by Father John Corapi

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.​

_____________________

:compcoff: Link to Father Corapi’s Call to Prayer: fathercorapi.com/default.aspx


"For me prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look towards Heaven,
it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."

• Saint Therese of Lisieux
  
  . . . all for Jesus+
  . . . St. Thesese of the Holy Face of Jesus+
  . . . Little Flower+
  . . . we seek thy holy prayers to join with our+
  . . . Jesus I Trust In You+​

This statement has been posted multiple times, but it tells us little about the accusations or the accuser(s). Fr. Corapi does not say there is only one accuser, does not say there is no other evidence and does not tell us what other investigation his superiors did before making their decision. He may or may not even know the extent of the investigation that was conducted.

Being ordained does not insulate priests from wrongdoing - they face the same temptations as any man. I am surprised at how many people seem to think they can judge a man’s soul by the quality of his preaching. Remember that several Cardinals and Pope John Paul II himself declared Father Maciel to be a holy man, and we now know they were all fooled and Father Maciel lived a life of deceipt and depravity. I am not saying that Fr. Corapi is the same–we don’t know. But if the Pope and other bishops can be deceived by the apparent holiness of a priest they actually know, how can we say that we know anything about a person we do not know?

 

[pnewton]

Either they are removed or they are not removed. If they are removed how can he still be considered in good standing? Which is the main reason why ewtn has removed all his work.

The two things are different. Being in good standing with the Church is not the equivalent of having faculties removed. It is the removal of faculties that prompted EWTN’s actions. The faculties are what is passed on through the authority of the bishop or a superior of an order to exercise ministry in his behalf. That is all. It has nothing to do with the state of the soul or whether one is in good standing with the Church.

 

[ChadS]

So as of right now Fr. Corapi is no longer a priest? Correct? If he is no longer a priest (in good standing) would it be wise then to take the same approach as EWTN has by removing all my personal collections of Corapi cd’s and dvd’s because I would be causing scandal on myself then by listening to his teachings on the faith going forward? Would it technically be scandal for Santa Cruz Media to keep allowing him to preach the gospel with his web based “our sunday homily” and continue to allow this material to sell until he is proven innocent?

Since this is ‘possibly’ public scandal on his part, if he is receiving communion publicly, he’s stating publicly that he’s clean from sin right? I’m sorry to ask these questions but now a days it seems like you can’t really trust any human being regardless of who he/she is. Talk about a cloud of confusion. We are told we should trust our priests but at the same time we are also told we really can’t. So really I ask good Catholics, are there any priests you can recommend we trust?

You are incorrect in your statement, Fr. Corapi is still a priest, it’s just that his superiors are not permitting him to act as one at this time. Don’t forget that when a priest is ordained an ontological change occurs that marks him forever as a priest. Removing his faculties is more of an administrative thing.

ChadS