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

[valient_Lucy]

You know, it suddenly struck me that this whole scenario reminds me of a divorce. Unless you’re one of the two people in the broken marriage, all you have is “he said/she said.” Also, the two people who are divorcing will try to elicit sympathy and justify their actions by saying, “This person did this. That person is crazy,” and bringing up awful events from the past, to family members, friends, kids, etc. Anyone who’s been through a divorce has probably experienced this. I know I went through this when my parents divorced. As much as I love my mom, there were times when I had to say, “Mom, leave me out of this.” My mom’s a wonderful human being, but she was hurt and frustrated. That being said, my brother and I still needed to tell her when to stop.

I don’t know if that’s really what’s going on, but it just reminds me a lot what I went through when my parents divorce, and suddenly it makes all the sense in the world of this situation.

 

[Shoshana]

You are right, although it’s nice to see people practice what they preach. Jesus’s followers later did more than I can imagine doing. When I read how much people like Mother Theresa and Mother Angelicas suffered, both in many ways without saying anything, I just know Father would make a statement that way also if he stayed.

He has all he had before he fell, the homes, boat, fast cars, trips, and there is a part of me that prays the secular toys and things don’t cloud the prayers and devotion to God…I pray everyday, God, I’m still a work in progress and so is Father Corapi (or John Corapi) whatever he wants it to be.

Mother Angelica NEVER had her tongue in her pocket. She challenged priests and bishops alike…

 

[surfinpure]

Mother Angelica NEVER had her tongue in her pocket. She challenged priests and bishops alike…

I’ve been thinking this, too. She had chastising words for a particular bishop years ago, but afterwards apologized for seeming to imply that we ought to be disobedient. She’s also spoken out against heterodox priests and nuns.

I will say, however, that I haven’t ever seen *scandal *surround Mother Angelica. She navigated the waters very carefully, it seems, and she always remained faithful and obedient (both in action and spirit) to the Church.

I don’t claim that Fr. Corapi is doing otherwise, but I do think that it’s been *imprudent *to share so many details of the situation with the “fan base” and the public in general. There is to many of us the appearance of a spirit of disobedience to, or at least disdain for, Church authority. Much of this confusion and speculation could have been avoided, and I do believe a scandal has resulted where there *needn’t *necessarily be one.

 

[surfinpure]

You know, it suddenly struck me that this whole scenario reminds me of a divorce. Unless you’re one of the two people in the broken marriage, all you have is “he said/she said.” Also, the two people who are divorcing will try to elicit sympathy and justify their actions by saying, “This person did this. That person is crazy,” and bringing up awful events from the past, to family members, friends, kids, etc. Anyone who’s been through a divorce has probably experienced this. I know I went through this when my parents divorced. As much as I love my mom, there were times when I had to say, “Mom, leave me out of this.” My mom’s a wonderful human being, but she was hurt and frustrated. That being said, my brother and I still needed to tell her when to stop.

I don’t know if that’s really what’s going on, but it just reminds me a lot what I went through when my parents divorce, and suddenly it makes all the sense in the world of this situation.

This is an apt analogy. As my older sister once wisely told me, no matter how old and mature we get, we still have the right to be kept out of our parents’ drama between themselves. The more mud that gets slung, the more the children suffer. And I do feel like a suffering child watching her parents quarrel and being asked to take sides. I say “feel,” because, of course, this has not *actually *happened.

 

[valient_Lucy]

This is an apt analogy. As my older sister once wisely told me, no matter how old and mature we get, we still have the right to be kept out of our parents’ drama between themselves. The more mud that gets slung, the more the children suffer. And I do feel like a suffering child watching her parents quarrel and being asked to take sides. I say “feel,” because, of course, this has not *actually *happened.

I thought of that analogy when I was thinking how he said he was going to release audio tapes of his accuser, to show that she was unbalanced. That behavior was very similar to what happened when my parents divorced.

He’s probably in a lot of pain. But that still means we have to know when to move on to something else, and not get completely sucked into the melodrama.

 

[bookgirl32]

I’m confused now. Reports are that he specified today that he is NOT asking to be laicized, just asking for a release from his public priestly duties. What does that mean?

 

[PbloPicasso]

You know, it suddenly struck me that this whole scenario reminds me of a divorce. Unless you’re one of the two people in the broken marriage, all you have is “he said/she said.” Also, the two people who are divorcing will try to elicit sympathy and justify their actions by saying, “This person did this. That person is crazy,” and bringing up awful events from the past, to family members, friends, kids, etc. Anyone who’s been through a divorce has probably experienced this. I know I went through this when my parents divorced. As much as I love my mom, there were times when I had to say, “Mom, leave me out of this.” My mom’s a wonderful human being, but she was hurt and frustrated. That being said, my brother and I still needed to tell her when to stop.

I don’t know if that’s really what’s going on, but it just reminds me a lot what I went through when my parents divorce, and suddenly it makes all the sense in the world of this situation.

Pretty much where I was coming from. I went through 2 divorces before I was even married, which is why I waited until I was 28 to get married. Celebrating 22 years this July of marriage.

 

[valient_Lucy]

I’m confused now. Reports are that he specified today that he is NOT asking to be laicized, just asking for a release from his public priestly duties. What does that mean?

No idea. The whole thing is confusing. When the story first broke, I thought he was asking to be laicized, which was largely what made me so upset.

Anyway, the whole thing just has the sense of being haphazard and poorly planned. It may not be that way, just poorly explained. Oh well. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty minor.

 

[valient_Lucy]

Pretty much where I was coming from. I went through 2 divorces before I was even married, which is why I waited until I was 28 to get married. Celebrating 22 years this July of marriage.

Congratulations!

I’m glad other people know what I’m talking about. As I was posting it, I thought, “What if I’m the only person who experienced this?” even though I knew that couldn’t be true!

 

[JReducation]

Mother Angelica NEVER had her tongue in her pocket. She challenged priests and bishops alike…

I would reword this, because it makes it sound as if Mother was an antogonistic person, which was not the case.

Mother was vocal on matters that were wrong; however, she never mentioned people by name or attacked anyone. She spoke about situations. She was always very respectful and charitable toward individuals, even those with whom she disagreed. She always held out hope that those involved in such situations would turn around.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[guanophore]

Thinking logically, I considered a scenario in where I served as a member of a jury. The twelve jurors enter the courtroom, judge is behind the bench, the defendant and attorneys behind their desk and the plaintiff/prosecutor behind theirs. The defendant is accused of xyz. Out of order, and in total disrespect for the judicial system, the defendant gets up, before proceedings begin and, requests the jurors all rise to demonstrate their position that he should be exonerated from all charges because he wrote successfully about the law, gave conferences and is famous. This exoneration is to be demanded regardless of the charges, guilty or innocent because the defendant is above the law due to his fame.

I would not rise and would actually request a psychological evaluation of the defendant.

Would you rise? Is this logical?

No, but this is not what he is asking, so it is an irrelevant scenario. He wants his case to be heard, the credibility of his accuser assessed, and his civil and human rights to be respected. He is not asking for anything on the basis of his past ministry. These are appropriate requests whether he had been in ministry one year, or 20 years. They are appropriate requests whether he had never appeared in public, published, or was recorded. They are basic and simple expectations that any of us would have if we were charged with such allegations.

June 23:

Some of you have thought I might have acted too fast and not given the Church enough time to complete their investigation. You could be right, but you also don’t know the facts like I do.

Father Corapi is correct. I do not know all the facts. Why would I blindly follow him in disobedience to Bishop Mulvey and Servant Father Sheehan? Why would I appeal to Pope Benedict XVI when there was intervention with the Church process and his accusers have not so much as said a word?

Corapi or anyone else has not asked for any “following”, blind, or otherwise. You make it sound like he is trying to take a swath of people in his wake. This is not the case. He knows that he is not finished with whatever God has called him to do, and that it is not his time to disappear into silence. His obligation to speak out does not obligate you, or anyone else, to listen to what he has to say.

This petition was started by “fans”, not by Corapi. Blaming him for “fans” being out of order is hardly fair. It is a consequence of having a public presence. People react without having all the facts. Does anyone really think that Rome is going to get involved when Corapi himself has effectively stifled any further investigation? I mean, really!

 

[Abba]

I’m confused now.

Me too.

Reports are that he specified today that he is NOT asking to be laicized, just asking for a release from his public priestly duties. What does that mean?

At first his communication was so vague that it left the question opened for interpretation. I understood that he was leaving the priesthood. But, it seems that now, he does not want to be laicized (or ‘defrocked’). He was placed under suspension of his priestly duties by his superiors, as you may know, so, it’s kind of like requesting to be placed on permanent suspension, but, the words would be ‘released from priestly duties’ as he is requesting it. Either way, he can not publicly present himself as a priest, nor teach, sanctify nor govern. But, he can do certain things in private or if asked - privately.

" While the principle “innocent until proven guilty” still holds in canon law, it would be a mistake to hold that any cleric ever has a right to exercise the public ministry without his Bishop/Superior’s express permission, which can be withdrawn for prudential reasons.
Canon 822 §3 addresses the special duty of those involved with the media in this regard:
a. “All Christ’s faithful, especially those who in any way take part in the management or use of the media, are to be diligent in assisting pastoral action, so that the Church can more effectively exercise its office through these means.”
“To assist in pastoral action” means to cooperate with the proper ecclesiastical authorities. In the case of Fr. Corapi, Catholic media outlets will assist the process by supporting the indications and intentions of his superiors with respect to his temporary suspension from the public ministry of** teaching, sanctifying, and governing**."http://www.patheos.com/community/de...non-law-administrative-leave-and-the-media-2/

We need to wait and see how his superiors will respond to the request. Currently, he is violating the interdict as he is maintaining websites as a ‘Father’ and has interrupted the Church investigation of the allegations. He is not suppose to be presenting himself to the public as a priest of the Catholic Church during his suspension and this will be the case, if I understand it correctly, if he is released from priestly duties. Under the suspension from what I have been reading of canon law, he cannot publish his up coming autobiography with the title Father.

Here are some articles I have been reading in my attempt to better understand:
A ZENIT DAILY DISPATCH
Canon Law, Crimes, and Fitting Punishments
Lawyer Reflects on Pros and Cons of Even the Worst Sanctions
ewtn.com/library/CANONLAW/zfitpunish.HTM

soltnews.blogspot.com/2011/06/official-solt-statement-on-behalf-of-fr.html

The Deacon’s Bench
patheos.com/community/deaconsbench/2011/04/04/on-canon-law-administrative-leave-and-the-media-2/

Hope this helps and not confuses you more… Gotta go…

 

[guanophore]

I, too, am also bothered by the contradictions. In some ways I’ve been able to understand his position more with every recorded statement or tweet or Facebook message he releases. But the contradictions are still there and they’re jarring. Why keep saying that he’s not bitter when the rest of his words and maybe his actions as well show that he’s so obviously bitter?

He sounds angry, hurt, and betrayed. These sentiments don’t settle into bitterness unless one harbors them and practices resentment and unforgiveness. It is not reasonable to expect the man not to get his feelings hurt, or be angry when he has been unjustly (according to his report) accused.

Many of us would have preferred he dealt with his feelings differently, but we do the best we can with what we have.

 

[guanophore]

Probably the sad state or our totally immoral political system.

For which purpose he must be “unleashed”. He can’t speak to such things while serving as a priest.

 

[guanophore]

Mother Angelica NEVER had her tongue in her pocket. She challenged priests and bishops alike…

I listened to one of her stories recently where she called a Catholic banker she went to for help “you Pagan!” because he would not give her a loan with no collateral. She cracks me up.

 

[guanophore]

I’ve been thinking this, too. She had chastising words for a particular bishop years ago, but afterwards apologized for seeming to imply that we ought to be disobedient. She’s also spoken out against heterodox priests and nuns.

**I will say, however, that I haven’t ever seen *scandal ***surround Mother Angelica. She navigated the waters very carefully, it seems, and she always remained faithful and obedient (both in action and spirit) to the Church.

This is true, but a person is much more exposed and vulnerable the more they are out there in the public eye. That is why so many of us want Father to return to SOLT. There is protection behind the walls.

I don’t claim that Fr. Corapi is doing otherwise, but I do think that it’s been *imprudent *to share so many details of the situation with the “fan base” and the public in general. There is to many of us the appearance of a spirit of disobedience to, or at least disdain for, Church authority. Much of this confusion and speculation could have been avoided, and I do believe a scandal has resulted where there *needn’t *necessarily be one.

I don’t see this “disdain” at all. He has been consitently clear in his affirmations that the Bishop has to governance and the perogatives. The fact that he thinks the procedures being applied to him are biased, unfair, and intrinsically defamatory does not mean he disrespects the authority of the Church. He can respect the authority, without appreciating the manner in which it is exercised.

 

[guanophore]

I’m confused now. Reports are that he specified today that he is NOT asking to be laicized, just asking for a release from his public priestly duties. What does that mean?

He wants to be a priest, but he can’t serve under the current circumstances, under his present authorative structure. He has been “released from public priestly duties” since Ash Wed. when he was placed on Administrative Leave. This happened against his will, and according to his statement, against the wishes of his superiors in the order as well. He maintains that they were coerced into suspending him by the Bishop, who wanted him relieved of duty.

Two elements are necessary to serve his priestly duties. Valid Holy Orders, and faculties. The faculties are privileges to serve in a specific ministry or region that are afforded by the Bishop or Religious superior. His faculties were removed from him on Ash Wed. and he has not been permitted to engage in his public priestly duties.

I think what he is accepting is that he must either sumbit to an investigative process he believes is inherintly unjust, or remain in this state of having no faculties indefinitely.

 

[Stu]

That name is listed with the mugshot online. Also anyone is free to compare the mugshot with his profile pic from onlinecatholicnetwork, his photos from Tamra Sexton’s profile, etc and judge for themselves.

From Tamra Sexton’s online photos that show Mr Sprinkle and Father Corapi.
onlinecatholicnetwork.com/interact/community/80-tamra-sexton/photos/album.html?albumid=37

Mugshot of a “Matthew Bryan Sprinkle”
naplesnews.com/photos/2010/sep/29/249897/

Father Corapi said: “The name “The Black Sheep Dog” is the title of my autobiography, a title which I came up with about a year and a half ago. That title was, by the way, stolen by a person who worked for me while they were working for me, attempting to secure internet domain names under that title.”

Up until a few days ago, theblacksheepdog.com used to take one to online catholic network (which is owned and operated by Tamra Sexton). Now it shows up for auction.
It was registered by “Matt Sprinkle” of Whitefish, MT in Feb 2010.
networksolutions.com/whois-search/theblacksheepdog.com

 

[guanophore]

No idea. The whole thing is confusing. When the story first broke, I thought he was asking to be laicized, which was largely what made me so upset.

Anyway, the whole thing just has the sense of being haphazard and poorly planned. It may not be that way, just poorly explained. Oh well. In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty minor.

I had the same reaction. In fact, after sitting on it for a week, I find I am angry about the title of this thread, because it is misleading. I don’t know who chooses the headlines for the “news bot” but whoever made up this one only did more to contribute to confusion and upset. It is amazing how much damage can be done by an erroneous headline.

 

[guanophore]

Congratulations!

I’m glad other people know what I’m talking about. As I was posting it, I thought, “What if I’m the only person who experienced this?” even though I knew that couldn’t be true!

YesPblo congratulations. It is a very rare accomplishment in our society.

I understand exactly what y’all are saying. I went through it for years before the dust settled. I was begging them to get divorced! Just for some peace in the house.