Fr John Corapi has Announced in a Video Message that he is Leaving the Priesthood

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Joe_5859 said:
It doesn’t bother me that he spent only 10% of the time doing things that require one to be ordained. He’s not a diocesan priest. He has no parish. Preaching was his ministry. That’s the way it is for some priests. We are many parts, but one body.

That said, I’m not sure he necessarily said it in the best of ways. It left many with the impression that leaving active ministry is “no big deal” and will not greatly impact him doing what he normally does. I doubt that’s the impression Corapi intended to convey, but many apparently took it that way.
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i agree that perhaps he didn’t state it in the best of ways. i had the impressions that it was “no big deal” not to be able to continue to have an active ministry. it made me wonder if he truly understood his vows of priesthood. he seems like an intelligent man and i guess i am confused by his latest announcements.
 
surf(name removed by moderator)ure said:
Where did you get the idea that his administrative leave is illicit? It isn’t.

What sort of “message” would you like to send to the Bishops, and how?

Which teachings have the bishops violated?

The Church hasn’t gone anywhere. And they’ve asked Fr. Corapi to come back. I pray that he does.
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usccb.org/ocyp/charter.pdf#page=11
  1. When an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest or deacon is received, a preliminary investigation in accordance with canon law will be initiated and conducted promptly and objectively (CIC, c. 1717; CCEO, c. 1468). During the investigation the accused enjoys the presumption of innocence, and all appropriate steps shall be taken to protect his reputation.
  2. a. In every case involving canonical penalties, the processes provided for in canon law must be observed, and the various provisions of canon law must be considered.
  3. At all times, the diocesan bishop/eparch has the executive power of governance, within the parameters of the universal law of the Church, through an administrative act, to remove an offending cleric from office, to remove or restrict his faculties, and to limit his exercise of priestly ministry.6
 
Lujack said:
Whether or not it is against canon law is not for him or for us to say-that’s for the canon lawyers of the hierarchy. He had two options-to contest that through the proper channels and set an example for other Catholics how to behave in such a situation, or to go outside those channels and fight with the hierarchy. He chose to fight with the hierarchy and to indict the bishops as a whole and the seminaries as a whole. That was wrong, and not the proper way for any Catholic, let alone a priest, to behave.
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whm has already beat me to the punch on this. I will go a step further, however, and say that according to Fr. Corapi himself, he had several meetings with them on this very point. Now, exactly what transpired in these meetings. ??? I don’t think he is obligated to give us a blow by blow account.

In regard to him calling out the bishops, he has done so in the past that had nothing to do with this situation. I do remember him saying (again in the past) that most bishops had the welfare of the Church of Christ at heart. That indeed we have many many bishops that are indeed upholding the true teachings of the Church. There are some, however that are leading the flock astray. I would say that he is probably correct in this assessment. I have seen some of this myself and I might add “first hand”. Anyone who blindly follows any clergy, bishop included down a questionable path without prayerful discerning is in danger of being fed to the wolves…“Be gentle as doves but wise as serpents.” I would hope that people would have their eyes open enough to realize this and not follow a priest or bishop that is promoting questionable theology just because they are a priest or a bishop…and I know for a fact the Fr. Corapi is not the first clergy to call attention to such. And aside from all this has he named names? If he has, I have not seen it. He is not shedding light on anything that isn’t already common knowledge…unless you have your head in the sand that is.
 
JM3 said:
usccb.org/ocyp/charter.pdf#page=11
  1. When an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest or deacon is received, a preliminary investigation in accordance with canon law will be initiated and conducted promptly and objectively (CIC, c. 1717; CCEO, c. 1468). During the investigation the accused enjoys the presumption of innocence, and all appropriate steps shall be taken to protect his reputation.
  2. a. In every case involving canonical penalties, the processes provided for in canon law must be observed, and the various provisions of canon law must be considered.
  3. At all times, the diocesan bishop/eparch has the executive power of governance, within the parameters of the universal law of the Church, through an administrative act, to remove an offending cleric from office, to remove or restrict his faculties, and to limit his exercise of priestly ministry.6
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During the investigation the accused enjoys the presumption of innocence, and all appropriate steps shall be taken to protect his reputation.
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Nobody told Fr. Corapi to make a worldwide announcement that he was abandoning the priesthood. He threw his own reputation into the spotlight and left it vulnerable to the inevitable speculation that resulted from his incredibly cryptic statements and actions.

Ironically, individuals, for the most part, presumed his innocence until he turned this situation into an opportunity to market his new persona. This might account for the spike in cyncism among people who now think something’ might be rotten in the state of Denmark.

I don’t know his guilt or his innocence. All I know is what he has done and said in the bright sunshine of the Internet. The truth will out.

Nevertheless, the Church carries on today as it did yesterday and will for all time.
 
7_Sorrows said:
i agree that perhaps he didn’t state it in the best of ways. i had the impressions that it was “no big deal” not to be able to continue to have an active ministry. it made me wonder if he truly understood his vows of priesthood. he seems like an intelligent man and i guess i am confused by his latest announcements.
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Yes, confusion seems to be the common theme throughout this thread and this whole ordeal. :o I guess that’s the nature of these things. We individual Catholics don’t really need to know every intimate detail of how things went down. And yet, we find ourselves in the position of struggling to understand.

I’m not sure there’s any way around the confusion.
 
tm30 said:
Nobody told Fr. Corapi to make a worldwide announcement that he was abandoning the priesthood. He threw his own reputation into the spotlight and left it vulnerable to the inevitable speculation that resulted from his incredibly cryptic statements and actions.

Ironically, individuals, for the most part, presumed his innocence until he turned this situation into an opportunity to market his new persona. This might account for the spike in cyncism among people who now think something’ might be rotten in the state of Denmark.

I don’t know his guilt or his innocence. All I know is what he has done and said in the bright sunshine of the Internet. The truth will out.

Nevertheless, the Church carries on today as it did yesterday and will for all time.
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How is placing Fr. Corapi on administrative leave and removing his faculties during, or possibly before, the investigation a ‘presumption of innocence’?
 
JM3 said:
It means he is obeying his Superior.

Judging by one’s feelings is what is causing the confusion.
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The proper title for a priest is “Father” not theBlacksheepdog. He is still a priest.
 
tm30 said:
Nobody told Fr. Corapi to make a worldwide announcement that he was abandoning the priesthood. He threw his own reputation into the spotlight and left it vulnerable to the inevitable speculation that resulted from his incredibly cryptic statements and actions.

Ironically, individuals, for the most part, presumed his innocence until he turned this situation into an opportunity to market his new persona. This might account for the spike in cyncism among people who now think something’ might be rotten in the state of Denmark.

I don’t know his guilt or his innocence. All I know is what he has done and said in the bright sunshine of the Internet. The truth will out.

Nevertheless, the Church carries on today as it did yesterday and will for all time.
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You are right. Fr. Corapi did not handle this well at all, beginning with the original statement. I’m not saying his decision was sinful, merely imprudent. There seems to be an eagerness to try this in the court of public opinion, which is odd.

And you’re absolutely right. I didn’t care about the original allegations of drugs and sexual liasons. (Been there, heard that.) Now that his resignation has put an end to the investigation, it does seem as though he is hiding something. But now those allegations are completely irrelevent.

Quitting his priestly ministry and religious community was truly shocking, and upset me very much. I thought, “Why take vows if they mean nothing?” I also remembered how he talked about the vow of obedience in one of his talks, how liberating it was. Fr. Corapi said that he never had to fret about what God’s will was for him, because he knew that whatever his superiors wanted was the will of God.

Then I remembered how I begged my mom to file for divorce, so I realized I’m not in a position to lecture anyone about the sanctity of vows.

At the end of the day though, Fr. Corapi is not the only orthdox priest in the Church, and even if he was, God will provide another one. No reason to worry. All the same, I won’t be following the teachings of the BlackSheep Dog. I’ll wait and see how this plays out, and, as I said before, I’ll stick with my Shepherd, the bishop.
 
JM3 said:
How is placing Fr. Corapi on administrative leave and removing his faculties during, or possibly before, the investigation a ‘presumption of innocence’?
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This is the standard procedure in every allegation of abuse against a priest. Fr. Corapi’s response is what is unusual. They are also provided legal aid at Church expense.
 
valient_Lucy said:
At the end of the day though, Fr. Corapi is not the only orthdox priest in the Church, and even if he was, God will provide another one. No reason to worry. All the same, I won’t be following the teachings of the BlackSheep Dog. I’ll wait and see how this plays out, and, as I said before, I’ll stick with my Shepherd, the bishop.
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This sums it up for me. 👍
 
qui_est_ce said:
This is the standard procedure in every allegation of abuse against a priest. Fr. Corapi’s response is what is unusual. They are also provided legal aid at Church expense.
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As a matter of fact, SOLT went out of their way to make sure everyone understood that this was not a presumption of guilt.
 
surf(name removed by moderator)ure said:
As a matter of fact, SOLT went out of their way to make sure everyone understood that this was not a presumption of guilt.
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It should also be pointed out that, as far as I remember, SOLT did not make a public statement about Fr. Corapi’s original suspension. The only reason that most of us heard about the allegations against Fr. Corapi was because Fr. Corapi chose to reveal them on the internet. This was within his right, of course, but if he hadn’t said anything, most of us wouldn’t have heard about them.
 
Marie5890 said:
JM3 your comment brings up a question that I am confused over. I dont know if you or someone else would know the answer to.

Who exactly is his Superior. Is it still Fr Flanagan, founder of SOLT (is he retired?) or is it the present day Superior Fr Sheehan?

Im not clear to be honest on this point.

It’s obvious that Fr Corapi sees it as being Fr Flanagan. (Does anyone know if Fr Flanagan has made any public statements on Fr Corapi’s situation? I know Fr Sheehan has. As well as Bishop Gracida.)

Thanks in advance for anyone who may have solid answers to these question. 👍
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Thanks Marie. This is exactly where my main sticking point is. It’s confusing, reading the official statement from Father’s superior at SOLT and then hearing that Father Flanagan (founder of SOLT) directly advised Father on his current course of action.
 
I took everyone’s advice and… instead of waiting and discussing facts we don’t have… I did some productive reading. I want to help everyone who has been affected by this situation in my own small way.

Chapter Four of Fr. Groeschel’s book Arise From Darkness: What To Do When Life Doesn’t Make Sense is entitled When the Church Let’s Us Down.

If anyone reading this topic is hurt or concerned about the events discussed in this topic, then make an effort to read this chapter. It will help. Buy or borrow the book, but do read this chapter if you can. Pass this along to the bloggers and even Fr. Corapi if you can.

I won’t be posting anymore in this topic, because I’ve realized there is nothing more I can do then be patient and prayerful.

Thanks for listening. 🙂
 
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