Fr. Corapi Responds to Some of His Order's Charges

[catharina]

I dont’ know of any drugs other than cocaine that Fr. Corapi took long term although he might have mentioned it or if he abused alcohol or considered himself an alcoholic, but although he could have damage, most of that is usually with alcohol, heroin and crack, it is speculating that he has brain damage…that I feel isn’t right either when he might not.

“Speculating” about neurological damages caused by
long-term drug abuse is not a condemnatory stance.

It is a possibility that excuses any and all culpability
since drug addictions (including alcoholism) have been
defined as a “mental illness” since the 1950s. Stating
the possibility is a very charitable way of looking at
Father C’s recent actions and statements. An illness
is an illness. It needs treatment, first and foremost.
There is no view of drug abuse as a “moral failing.”

 

[wynnejj]

Fr Corapi apparently had every intention of retiring in Montana, as he amassed a million dollars in real estate there.

One can amass wealth with the intent of using it for a worthwhile charitable purpose. One can’t presume to understand the intentions, no matter how likely, because Christianity is not about doing the most likely thing. Speculation is fraught with danger in that it tends to color one’s spectacles with whatever paint the eye of the beholder uses to filter the light.

 

[Shoshana]

One can amass wealth with the intent of using it for a worthwhile charitable purpose. One can’t presume to understand the intentions, no matter how likely, because Christianity is not about doing the most likely thing. Speculation is fraught with danger in that it tends to color one’s spectacles with whatever paint the eye of the beholder uses to filter the light.

A very fine line indeed…

 

[Shoshana]

“Speculating” about neurological damages caused by
long-term drug abuse is not a condemnatory stance.

It is a possibility that excuses any and all culpability
since drug addictions (including alcoholism) have been
defined as a “mental illness” since the 1950s. Stating
the possibility is a very charitable way of looking at
Father C’s recent actions and statements. An illness
is an illness. It needs treatment, first and foremost.
There is no view of drug abuse as a “moral failing.”

Until one has experienced this (like my dad), one cannot understand this concept. Very well put…

 

[J_Katherine]

One can amass wealth with the intent of using it for a worthwhile charitable purpose. One can’t presume to understand the intentions, no matter how likely, because Christianity is not about doing the most likely thing. Speculation is fraught with danger in that it tends to color one’s spectacles with whatever paint the eye of the beholder uses to filter the light.

I understand that if I were in a perfect state of grace I could probably find a way to believe that a couple of luxury private homes on very expensive land next to a national forest, a couple of boat slips in a luxury yacht club, and high-end condos converted to a state-of-the-art studio for a successful for-profit media business could be purchased for a worthwhile charitable purpose for which there was no other alternative use–say, starting a home for destitute yacht captains? But God gave me a brain, and I do not believe it is speculation to apply Occam’s razor to what is put before me: the public record, his superiors’ statement that he has amassed wealth in a fashion unseemly for a religious (whatever his promises) or a priest (per the canons), and his absolute lack of defense against that claim.

And with regard to the story of being phoned by Cardinal Ratzinger and asked to do the Catechism series as a personal favor, if it is exaggeration it is not mine but his. He told this story, along with the story about being asked to substitute for Mother Teresa at a public May Day pro-life rally in Sacramento in 1996, on one of the Classic Corapi Radio webcasts he was running at the fathercorapi.com website between the announcement of the suspension and the switch to The Black SheepDog identity. I cannot tell you the title of the broadcast, because he has removed those free webcasts as part of discontinuing the old inventory and taking down any sites that use the name “Father,” in preparation for moving to the new identity/websites where no free product will be available. I took notes on the stories, because they contradicted the timeline he had earlier given in an interview with OSV, saying he had first come to Sacramento when he was hired by Bishop Weigand to serve as Faith Formation Director in 1995.

If anyone knows which broadcast contains these stories, I’d be interested in learning the title.

 

[wynnejj]

God gave me a brain, and I do not believe it is speculation to apply Occam’s razor to what is put before me: the public record, his superiors’ statement that he has amassed wealth in a fashion unseemly for a religious (whatever his promises) or a priest (per the canons), and his absolute lack of defense against that claim.

I’m speaking with rose-colored glasses, but it is quite possible that he amassed the properties for the speculative real estate value, for purposes with ultimate charitable intent. Father Corapi himself says the SOLT was aware of his holdings and never called him on it. Father Corapi himself may have struggles with gathering for self and gathering for others, and all points in between. SOLT may or may not have been OK with his holdings. The bottom line is that it is useless to speculate on his speculative(?) real estate ventures.

The stories are troublesome, but let us not paint Father Corapi the “black sheepdog” that he has adopted, as if a rogue sheepdog has to be put down. The essence of Christianity is to remember that there is a little white in all us until the day we die. I liked Father Corapi’s ministry because he was like a “black and white” sheepdog, who reminded us that there are boundaries and beyond those boundaries are wolves. He represented the black wolf lurking in the domesticated dog that is inclined to be loyal to the Master, but struggling with the wolf inside. He represents to all of us just how easy it is to go rogue.

The “Call of the Wild” must be hardest for targeted sheepdogs. So pray for priests daily.

 

[waterbender]

FYI:

the Society of our Lady is located in Robestown, TX (part of Corpus Christi, TX in South TX),
manta.com/cmap/mm8yd11/society-of-our-lady
a quick, no more than 25 minute drive, to the Cathedral downtown.

societyofourlady.net/about-history.html Explains the order’s 53 years of history, and hope for moving to Rome, and out from under the juristiction of the Bishop of Corpus Christi, who is NOT in charge of the way this religious order runs things.

The 8th bishop of the Corpus Christi Diocese is newly installed (2010), and part of a sucession of fairly sucessful, traditional to the Church line of bishops who have also embraced using more modern methods of evangelization and teaching, such as the Diocese’s radio station, KLUX.

Typical of big changes in admistration, the current bishop, Bishop M. Mulvey had been met with some resistance at having many of the parishes and ministries in the diocese of CC form independently incorporated “businesses” according to TX law, to financially protect the diocese from lawsuits. [Many dioceses in America have done this in the wake of lawsuits against the Church. From what I understand, the D of CC wants SOLT to hand over all financial info. and holdings to them so they can decare correct accounting to the State for tax purposes. This is touchy since SOLT is a world wide Order, and hopes to HQ in Rome one day.]

Then the sexual misconduct accusations of 2010 arose!

With this in mind I share this "Breaking News: From: Rev. Gerard Sheehan, SOLT Regional Priest Servant Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Robstown, Texas.":

abbey-roads.blogspot.com/2011/07/corapi-update-from-rev-gerard-sheehan.html
JULY 5, 2011 release

which is a recap of what has happened from the POV of the SOLT, concerning the sexual misconduct allegations by an anonymus female AND Corapi’s intrution and (can I call it bribery?) to hush up the parties involved in the Church investigation. Sad news.

 

[waterbender]

For those of you who are too lazy to read the above post,

please read soltnews.blogspot.com/2011/07/press-release-concerning-fr-john-corapi.html
and see for yourself the truth of what SOLT has discovered about Corapi.

Sad.
Please read this and you will see that you just can’t defend him as innocent or Godly.

 

[dfp42]

For those of you who are too lazy to read the above post,

please read soltnews.blogspot.com/2011/07/press-release-concerning-fr-john-corapi.html
and see for yourself the truth of what SOLT has discovered about Corapi.

Sad.
Please read this and you will see that you just can’t defend him as innocent or Godly.

This is old news. However it would nice if SOLT would re-clarify what they said*. What do they mean by false statements and characterizations?

“SOLT also recognizes that Fr. Corapi is now misleading these individuals through his false statements and characterizations. It is for these Catholics that SOLT, by means of this announcement, seeks to set the record straight.”

 

[J_Katherine]

I’m speaking with rose-colored glasses, but it is quite possible that he amassed the properties for the speculative real estate value, for purposes with ultimate charitable intent.

I agree that anything is possible. Including that he lived in one home, with his dogs and guns and his luxury car and Harley Davidson hog and ATV, and housed his longtime goddaughter/manager and her family in the other until he evicted them; used and still uses the condos as the Santa Cruz studios; and keeps his duck hunting and flyfishing boats in the boat slips at the private Eagle Bend Yacht Club, at the ready for his personal enjoyment and relaxation when he is not flying to Alaska or Florida for expensive hunting and fishing vacations. These are all possible interpretations and even likely ones, as he has not only admitted to them but boasted of them.

The assets in question are unlikely to appreciate as investments for some future, speculative, never mentioned charitable purpose. But it’s possible, once you grant that anything is.

 

[waterbender]

This is old news. However it would nice if SOLT would re-clarify what they said*. What do they mean by false statements and characterizations?

dpf42, that link I posted by the JUly 5th statement of the SOLT, and my previous post are FYI to catch the late commers up. Please leave your remark to me in a pm to me if you wish to complain about it, not on a public thread. The title stated that.

As for needing clarification by the SOLT, I don’t think their statement that Corapi has engaged in corruption and bribery to key witnesses in an investigation he should have stayed out of is not necessary. That is a very to the point statement that came out by SOLT on July 5th, hence my post of the link directly to it.

They can’t proceed with the Order’s investigation as to what is going on and the accusations of misconduct due to Corapi’s lawsuit against key witnesses (s) in the secular courts. Corapi has pretty much severed all ties with the Church himself by taking the matter into his own hands. And since when is it okay for a Religious who took a vow of poverty to be able to own so much? Come on people!!! There’s no debating what’s going on here. It’s all very clear.

 

[Shoshana]

dpf42, that link I posted by the JUly 5th statement of the SOLT, and my previous post are FYI to catch the late commers up. Please leave your remark to me in a pm to me if you wish to complain about it, not on a public thread. The title stated that.

As for needing clarification by the SOLT, I don’t think their statement that Corapi has engaged in corruption and bribery to key witnesses in an investigation he should have stayed out of is not necessary. That is a very to the point statement that came out by SOLT on July 5th, hence my post of the link directly to it.

They can’t proceed with the Order’s investigation as to what is going on and the accusations of misconduct due to Corapi’s lawsuit against key witnesses (s) in the secular courts. Corapi has pretty much severed all ties with the Church himself by taking the matter into his own hands. And since when is it okay for a Religious who took a vow of poverty to be able to own so much? Come on people!!! There’s no debating what’s going on here. It’s all very clear.

Please, please read the whole thread. it is so redudant…

 

[wynnejj]

I agree that anything is possible. Including that he lived in one home, with his dogs and guns and his luxury car and Harley Davidson hog and ATV, and housed his longtime goddaughter/manager and her family in the other until he evicted them; used and still uses the condos as the Santa Cruz studios; and keeps his duck hunting and flyfishing boats in the boat slips at the private Eagle Bend Yacht Club, at the ready for his personal enjoyment and relaxation when he is not flying to Alaska or Florida for expensive hunting and fishing vacations. These are all possible interpretations and even likely ones, as he has not only admitted to them but boasted of them.

The assets in question are unlikely to appreciate as investments for some future, speculative, never mentioned charitable purpose. But it’s possible, once you grant that anything is.

I have read the SOLT findings at soltnews.blogspot.com/2011/07/press-release-concerning-fr-john-corapi.html, but I hadn’t heard all the detail as enumerated by you. The facts seem hard to explain, for sure.

As I read all the hullabaloo, it is pretty much the feeling of wolf among sheep.

What I fear for Father Corapi is a sense that he may have been partaking somewhat in the failings of Ananias & Sapphira whose story elements seem similar.

 

[catharina]

dpf42, that link I posted by the JUly 5th statement of the SOLT, and my previous post are FYI to catch the late commers up. Please leave your remark to me in a pm to me if you wish to complain about it, not on a public thread. The title stated that.

As for needing clarification by the SOLT, I don’t think their statement that **Corapi has engaged in corruption and bribery to key witnesses in an investigation ** he should have stayed out of is not necessary. That is a very to the point statement that came out by SOLT on July 5th, hence my post of the link directly to it.

They can’t proceed with the Order’s investigation as to what is going on and the accusations of misconduct due to Corapi’s lawsuit against key witnesses (s) in the secular courts. Corapi has pretty much severed all ties with the Church himself by taking the matter into his own hands. And since when is it okay for a Religious who took a vow of poverty to be able to own so much? Come on people!!! There’s no debating what’s going on here. It’s all very clear.

Really, I can’t recall SOLT ever using the words “corruption” and “bribery.”
I see that you are using those words but SOLT? I don’t recall that.

 

[waterbender]

Really, I can’t recall SOLT ever using the words “corruption” and “bribery.”
I see that you are using those words but SOLT? I don’t recall that.

You have used my two words in summation of what they said concerning Corapi’s intrution into their investigation. Allow me to clarify those two words, since I think you are asking me to:

corruption:
"SOLT also recognizes that Fr. Corapi is now misleading these individuals through his false statements and characterizations. It is for these Catholics that SOLT, by means of this announcement, seeks to set the record straight…

Bribery:
As the Society was engaging this team, Fr. Corapi filed a civil lawsuit against his principal accuser. …Corapi’s lawsuit, contained a provision binding the woman to silence about him. He offered the woman $100,000 to enter this agreement…"

 

[7_Sorrows]

This part is understandable. It is very hard to leave a place that you have called home, where people know you and you know them for so long. Some people can actually go into a state of depression.

I remember being assigned to a mission up in the Andes Mountains. I did not want to go. However, we have a policy. Unless the superior asks for your opinion, you never express it. I had never lived in such a remote area. I was a diplomat’s son. Even though I’m originally from central VA, I lived in such cities as Rome, Hong Kong, Bogotá, Quito and Washington DC.

Within a week I was very depressed. Within two weeks I was having asthma attacks. I had not been asthmatic in my life. I grew up with cats, dogs and a sister who had very long hair. She shed more than they did. All you had to do was look at the kids’ bathroom in my home.

At that time, we had a policy in our constitutions that said that we were never to speak about our life before we entered… You couldn’t think about it and reminisce about the things that made you smile.

I finally ended up being rushed to a major city to be hospitalized for my asthma. They couldn’t find allegies or respiratory disease. The superior asked me to stay in the city for a month, to recover. Within a wee, I was happy, laughing and energetic. It became clear to my doctor that my asthma was psychologically induced. It was real. I could have asphyxiated. The point is that tearing a person away from what is familiar to him and what makes him feel safe is easier said than done. That’s why many communities have a rotation schedule where people are moved every three to six years. Even then, the local superior keeps a close watch to ensure that everything is OK. If it’s not, he communicates it to the Major Superior.

I don’t hold this against anyone who has been living in a place for such a long time. Such a change can take a toll on the person. Some people are more resilient than others. With the help of an understanding superior, the support of a fraternity that loves you and a lot of prayer, you can gradually adapt. I adapted to my mountain mission by starting a school of theology for the local seminarians. This way, they didn’t have to go to the big city for school. Since I loved teaching, it kept me busy and happy.

On the other hand, the one assignment that I could never sink my teeth into was parish work. I was assigned to two parishes. When I was finally pulled out of the second one I told my spiritual director that I now knew what a soul feels like when being liberated from purgatory. To this day, I volunteer to help at the local parish a few hours a week. I travel to parishes to give talks and run seminars. However, I am very happy with my homeless, my expectant fathers, and my novices… I can’t ask not to go to a parish. I can’t even pray that it won’t happen. I just thank God that it has not happened.

My point is that there is discomfort and suffering involved in leaving what one has adopted as home. It takes time and patience to adapt to the change. This is neither an unusual experience nor an unreasonable one.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

wow, you are so lucky to have been able to live in so many cities around the world. that is an education in itself!!! to experience so many different cultures, etc.
in 2008, i made the move from a city, where i had lived approx. 30 years, to a small town in the mountains. i DID get depressed. i am not afraid to admit it. it was a loss so big i felt like i was on a roller coaster everyday. i am still trying to get myself grounded.
you have the loss of friendships and familiar places. i think it also depends at what stage of life you are at. finally, you have to accept the circumstances that caused you to make the move - perhaps it was financial, or for family, or job. i agree with you, it takes much time and patience to adapt. perhaps he realizes that and prefers to stay where he is at, although i am sure he would have the support he needs were he to move to the SOLT community.

 

[debraran]

This is old news. However it would nice if SOLT would re-clarify what they said*. What do they mean by false statements and characterizations?

“SOLT also recognizes that Fr. Corapi is now misleading these individuals through his false statements and characterizations. It is for these Catholics that SOLT, by means of this announcement, seeks to set the record straight.”

They mean that he lied about things and/or himself and gave others an idea of something that wasn’t true, a false characterizataion. They didn’t give exact details, a laundry list, but I doubt they would unless he brought it to court.
I felt when they came out with that statement it was going to be a blow-up, they lied and were going to be immediately sued for slander or it was “checkmate” and he would back down. It seems like he decided not to answer all their claims and just go on with his life, he had enough support for now I suppose.
I don’t know if they only gave a few crumbs and had more, in a way, I hope so, because that would explain having to say something to not have the admirers led astray. If they did it to for other reasons, that would be very wrong. If they published more, what could they do that would not seem like the National Star? Are they to put the “sexting” messages in the paper like with Tiger Woods…good Lord, that would be a huge sin, put photos, emails or records of questioning they have out for public view? What is the middle road if any? I know it’s hard to not know every detail (for some) because we live in a world where everyone who is someone is in the paper and their trials are played out in the papers and Internet. No matter how many times things happen to others, everyone always thinks emails, texts etc are private and they aren’t, there is always a receiver and I feel nothing is really private anymore. I’m afraid to use my CC sometimes. He doesn’t need anyone to really know more.
I think as long as Father C doesn’t act in the role of a priest, it will die down. He looked so sad at the end of his last video, he knows he lost quite a deal.

 

[utah_rose]

Another notable point is that he has announced all future broadcasts/CDs will be in audio form. It’s possible that this will allow him to recycle earlier tapes, editing out the specifically Catholic references and not being seen in clerical garb. The “author” of these broadcasts/CDs is The Black SheepDog–no Corapi name anywhere.

I watched a rerun of Bishop Sheen’s “Life is worth Living” last Saturday and he was speaking about Jesus’ obedience to his parents. I sure wish Fr. Corapi would have been watching this. Bishop Sheen emphasized his obedience to them when he was a teenager until his public ministry and stressed that Jesus obeyed even though He himself created them!!! Perhaps Fr. John may have pondered on this and decided to rejoin his community.

Instead of buying the abortion series he’s selling, a good organization to donate this money to would be “Priests for Life”. By the way, I can’t ever remember Fr. Corapi in any March for Life either, or speaking at any of their rallies.

 

[debraran]

That’s a great one and I have a soft spot for Good Counsel Homes. Money used to help women and their babies is what is needed, let your money go there, help if you can at a Birthright, but watching DVD’s that tell you what you know or can find out at those sites isn’t really needed unless you just want to hear or see him.

 

[kitkatty]

I just want to second Good Counsel and Priests for Life. Have donated to both, some of the best pro-life Catholic charities we have.