B
brian_custer
Guest
and these books are written by a catholic priest… ?
is his bishop aware of this?
is his bishop aware of this?
Is there a limit on what is acceptable for a Priest to do in his free time?
- Status
I
Irishmom2
Guest
Yeah, your description of the book sounds pretty bad. Perhaps the bishop is not aware of this priests writings. You should write to them with complete titles of the books so they can read it themselves. What you are describing this priest writing about is alarming.
A
AveOTheotokos
Guest
This issue has been brought up with the local bishop in the past, but the issue was quickly swept under the rug. The priest is now being moved from his current location after only 2 years and there are concerns about him at the parish he will be moving to.
The issue has been brought up to our current bishop, but he is new to the area and new to being a bishop, and there seems to be resistance to changing the decision to move him to the parish instead of to an administrative role.
The problem seems to be that few people have read the books, so much of what is said about them is speculation based on some limited local news articles. The priests that I have asked about this have not read the books, and as of last week, the bishop had not yet read them either, though he agreed to read one of them.
The issue has been brought up to our current bishop, but he is new to the area and new to being a bishop, and there seems to be resistance to changing the decision to move him to the parish instead of to an administrative role.
The problem seems to be that few people have read the books, so much of what is said about them is speculation based on some limited local news articles. The priests that I have asked about this have not read the books, and as of last week, the bishop had not yet read them either, though he agreed to read one of them.
M
Mk541
Guest
Unfortunately not a troll thread. This is a very real and extremely concerning issue.
D
Deditus_Domina
Guest
Obviously your priests have more spare time than ours…
You have done your duty, trust the bishop to deal with it. Do not go to his church or go to him for confession. Distance yourself, don’t libel or talk about him, and pray for him and your Bishop.
You have done your duty, trust the bishop to deal with it. Do not go to his church or go to him for confession. Distance yourself, don’t libel or talk about him, and pray for him and your Bishop.
A
AveOTheotokos
Guest
It is definitely causing doubt and confusion. It is really hard to feel like the matter is not taken seriously because people have not actually read the novels. Please pray that the Bishop sees how concerning the content of the novels are and considers the fracturing this can and is causing. There are already parishioners considering leaving ministries or the parish all together.
M
Mk541
Guest
Many of the Parishoners at the Church he is being assigned to that know about these books are considering leaving. They don’t feel comfortable going to him for Confession or Mass etc. These families are prominent figures in their Parish and their absence will be very noticeable. Also, it is the only Catholic Church in that city so people are going to have to drive 30-45 minutes away to attend a different Church. I am praying the Bishop will recognize how serious the content of these books are and will handle it. But after the previous Bishop shut down complaints and swept it under the rug, I am concerned this is going to be hushed and hidden again. Is there nothing more to be done other than talking to the Bishop? I also struggle because I have close friends at that parish that do not know about this yet who I know would be uncomfortable with the situation. I don’t want to gossip or speak ill of the Priest, but I do feel conflicted about not informing my friends. This is a very uncomfortable situation that takes a lot of prayer and I am trying to be charitable and kind while also standing up against something that is a very concerning issue.
I
Irishmom2
Guest
I think that if you have copies of his books, you should Xerox some of the offensive parts and mail them to the bishop. Perhaps he does not understand how bad the writing us, and so is dragging his feet on it. Maybe he does not want to go out and spend money on trash, but he needs to see it for himself.
I am not suggesting you do this anonymously, because the entire thing will go right into the wastebasket. State your concerns again, give them your contact information and tell them you are available to discuss the repercussions this is having on your parish.
I am not suggesting you do this anonymously, because the entire thing will go right into the wastebasket. State your concerns again, give them your contact information and tell them you are available to discuss the repercussions this is having on your parish.
M
Mk541
Guest
He agreed to a meeting with 3 of the parishioners. They detailed the most disturbing parts of the books and printed copies for him of the excerpts from the books. They explained how sick these topics are and how they would never feel comfortable seeing this priest for confession (and to be honest some parts of the books would give anyone anxiety over confessing sins any priest since the book talks about a Priest getting sexually aroused hearing confessions) The Bishop didn’t have much to say when confronted with the explicit content, but he did mention things like Priests are only human too, that these books are fictional, this Priest has never had any accusations of misconduct against him etc. I believe the Bishop is already taking a stance on this issue and is trying just to quiet the complaints.
M
Mk541
Guest
And I understand that Priests are human and that they make mistakes.This was not a part of his past he has overcome or turned away from. This was not a one time slip up or mistake, this is a side hobby that he actively embraces and pursues. In fact i found out there are two new books he is publishing right now that will be released next year.
D
dochawk
Guest
Just a little
On the other hand, they are some the most utterly Catholic reading you can undertake.
The entire environment and backdrop just drips with Catholicism.
hawk
D
Deditus_Domina
Guest
I don’t know who your Bishop is but I know that (1) if you got a meeting with the bishop he is probably taking you seriously and (2) it is extremely unlikely that the Bishop is going to issue any sort of meaningful response in that meeting. That unsatisfactory response gives almost no indication of how they are actually going to proceed.
I don’t know why your last bishop wasn’t more responsive but you can’t project that on the new one.
If after giving the Bishop adequate time to address this issue (which will be 10 times as long as you will think it should be) you could opt to write a letter to the papal nuncio. I wouldn’t do it but you can always try it. Just don’t call up the Diocese asking how to do that (cough… people actually do)
Last edited:
H
HolySpirit1
Guest
MK51, priests do not lose their humanity once becoming a priest, their farts still stink, they still make mistakes, they have hobbies and vices and fall victim to sin and have to go to reconciliation when needed just like anyone else.
Now should a priest have a side gig that contradicts his life, or even brings it into question , my answer is, if you have to ask, then you already know the answer.
Should a drug enforcement agent use recreational drugs, should a police officer moonlight as a personal bodyguard for a mobster, ? If a frog had wings, would it still bump its’ behind when it hops ?
Now should a priest have a side gig that contradicts his life, or even brings it into question , my answer is, if you have to ask, then you already know the answer.
Should a drug enforcement agent use recreational drugs, should a police officer moonlight as a personal bodyguard for a mobster, ? If a frog had wings, would it still bump its’ behind when it hops ?
- Status