New SOLT Statement re: Father Corapi

[whm]

Indeed we do. We know that he publicly accused a sitting bishop, his religious superior, of lying, blackmail, and public libel. Someone who regards and treats legitimate church authority in that way is not reliable for teaching doctrine, and is not fit for Catholic ministry.

I don’t remember him ever saying that. Is it from a new statement? He did say he couldn’t get a fair trial. He did say *people *have tried to blackmail him. I did not read that he accused the bishop or superior of lying. I haven’t seen that he as said anything since this statement came out.

 

[DavidPalm]

And a word about EWTN. I love EWTN. But it seems that over the years some of EWTN’s celebrity priests have really ended up putting egg on EWTN’s face.

Perhaps one important take-away from this and the other things that have happened recently is that the whole notion of a celebrity priest is a Bad Idea, for him and for everybody involved with him.

 

[Kardinal]

I don’t remember him ever saying that. Is it from a new statement? He did say he couldn’t get a fair trial. He did say *people *have tried to blackmail him. I did not read that he accused the bishop or superior of lying. I haven’t seen that he as said anything since this statement came out.

From Father Corapi’s first BSD.us (video) statement:

I did not start this process, the Bishop of Corpus Christi, Texas ordered my superiors, against their will and better judgment, to do it. He in fact threatened to release a reprehensible and libelous letter to all of the bishops if they did not suspend me.

Libel is right there, he uses the word. Which includes lying. Blackmail is the process by which one coerces another to do something they would not choose to do by threatening to inflict a negative consequence on them.

Seems pretty cut and dried to me.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

SOLT is not the Church though.

Also why did SOLT need to call this woman involved a former prostitute? She is not at issue here, they released the statement to counter Fr. Corapi’s current activities, there was no need to reveal the woman’s past sins Calling somebody a prostitute is very damaging to their reputation, she will be treated like a leper. Her name will eventually be known. What if her parents didn’t know? The Church is usually very careful about revealing a persons sins without good reason. I don’t get it.

Perhaps they had the woman’s permission to term her so. I do not think SOLT is doing anything unadvised, I am sure they have experienced lawyers to tell them what to do/what not to do.

 

[catharina]

From Father Corapi’s first BSD.us (video) statement:

Libel is right there, he uses the word. Which includes lying. Blackmail is the process by which one coerces another to do something they would not choose to do by threatening to inflict a negative consequence on them.

Seems pretty cut and dried to me.

Yes - and it’s statements such as these, so far removed from his
usual thinking, that make me question his stability, his mental health.

 

[surfinpure]

The allegations were already made public back in March. There’s nothing wrong with Father Corapi telling his loyal listeners what is going on. If he didn’t,then we would be entirely in the dark,and people would be speculating without information.

Fr. Corapi was the one who publicized the allegations in the first place. I don’t believe for a minute that SOLT would have released a detailed statement like yesterday’s had he not already taken the whole thing public, and in a BIG way.

 

[sojo]

You are assuming that the person being sued and the one referenced in the SOLT statement are the same.

Peace

Tim

Excellent point! I, too, was wondering why everyone was making this unspoken connection. The statement from SOLT merely said that at some point, while in residence in California and then Montana, Father cohabited with a woman who was a FORMER prostitute.

As to why they felt it OK to mention the prostitute label, perhaps it was because the woman herself declared so in her statement to SOLT (which need not be the infamous 3 page letter).

 

[pnewton]

… if this is all true, WHY would SOLT put so much detail in this statement? I mean, could one not get the point across without all the juicy details? Just sayin…

Like others have said, I understand the need. Fr. Corapi had developed such a cult of personality surrounding him that there is a need to bring forth the evidence, in detail, to prepare for the inevitable conspiracies, doubts and divisions from those that would follow Fr. Corapi rather than the Church. It is Fr. Corapi himself that set up this adversarial relationship in the canonical process by sabotaging witnesses with civil suits and then refusing to participate in the process. Of course it is possible that the SOLT got it wrong because of some conspiracy to set up Fr. Corapi. That is why they have such investigations to give the accused party a chance to defend themselves, which Fr. Corapi declined. It is also possible that everything is just what it appears to be in the SOLT statement.

I do know that too many people weigh such things more with their heart than their mind. We could have photos splattered on the news and it would still be in the minds of some they were photoshopped. There will never be a way to “prove” this, or to disprove any conspiracy to destroy Fr. Corapi.

 

[Benedict54]

Wow!! Shock! Awe! are all good responses. I too am sick and saddend by the latest news. I think we have to remember that Jesus Christ is still the head of His Church which he founded 2,000 years ago. The sins and scandals of any Bishop, Priest, Relious, or lay person does not change any of that. This has also made me stop and think in what ways does my life not conform to Church doctrine and practices?
My prayers for John Corapi,all those involved in this event, for SOLT, and for those who are hurt and offended, and may even be thinking of leaving the Church because of all that has happened.
Thanks be to God that through Jesus Christ and Holy Mother Church all our sins and the sins of others can be forgiven.

 

[whm]

From Father Corapi’s first BSD.us (video) statement:

Libel is right there, he uses the word. Which includes lying. Blackmail is the process by which one coerces another to do something they would not choose to do by threatening to inflict a negative consequence on them.

Seems pretty cut and dried to me.

My bad you’re right, I did not recall that statement. I thinking there was a reaction to yesterdays statement. However is he not referring to the accuser’s letter here?

 

[catharina]

Like others have said, I understand the need. Fr. Corapi had developed such a cult of personality surrounding him that there is a need to bring forth the evidence, in detail, to prepare for the inevitable conspiracies, doubts and divisions from those that would follow Fr. Corapi rather than the Church. It is Fr. Corapi himself that set up this adversarial relationship in the canonical process by sabotaging witnesses with civil suits and then refusing to participate in the process. Of course it is possible that the SOLT got it wrong because of some conspiracy to set up Fr. Corapi. That is why they have such investigations to give the accused party a chance to defend themselves, which Fr. Corapi declined. It is also possible that everything is just what it appears to be in the SOLT statement.

I do know that too many people weigh such things more with their heart than their mind. We could have photos splattered on the news and it would still be in the minds of some they were photoshopped. There will never be a way to “prove” this, or to disprove any conspiracy to destroy Fr. Corapi.

I can’t imagine why anyone would think that Fr. C is important
enough or powerful enough that others would “need” to conspire
against him. That very singular point has puzzled me from the start.
Yet it seems that even Father C seems to believe a “conspiracy” exists. WHY?

 

[JVSantos]

Bottom line, he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He is quite in a bind and have some explaining to do. He also needs to stop hiding behind his attorneys and face the music, if he really wants to clear his name.

 

[catharina]

Bottom line, he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He is quite in a bind and have some explaining to do. He also needs to stop hiding behind his attorneys and face the music, if he really wants to clear his name.

Rather, I think something more simple is in place.

Because of Fr. C’s personal (medical) history, it seems
not unlikely that he is suffering from a neurological impairment.

Again, prayers for all.

 

[surfinpure]

Rather, I think something more simple is in place.

Because of Fr. C’s personal (medical) history, it seems
not unlikely that he is suffering from a neurological impairment.

Again, prayers for all.

References keep coming up to Fr. Corapi’s medical condition. Does anyone have a source as to what this might be? I’ve heard “heart problems” here and “stroke” there, but this all seems like great conjecture. What specific illness does the man actually have? Or has that *ever *been revealed to the public? Until the scandal, I was a “fan” of his on facebook and tried to follow updates on his website about his health, but there was very little information at all.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Why, if Fr. Corapi joined the SOLT with his whole heart, and submitted to his superiors at that time, would he now be in an adversarial position with his brother priests? They are still his superiors, correct? If you take a vow of submission to any authority, you are under that authority until such time as they release you. If you join the military, you BELONG to the military and cannot simply decide, “well I’ve had enough, I’m leaving now,” you are considered Absent WithOut Leave or AWOL. It seems Fr. Corapi has been AWOL from his order for some time now. Perhaps they were praying that he would eventually repent, and were shocked and disturbed when he became so adversarial. We don’t know how long he has been under investigation, only that the public statements are recent. Maybe he’s been looked at for years now.

All I can say is that I don’t understand how Fr. Corapi can be so disobedient to an order that he took vows with. Even if they happened to be wrong, he is still under their authority, or am I wrong?

 

[catharina]

References keep coming up to Fr. Corapi’s medical condition. Does anyone have a source as to what this might be? I’ve heard “heart problems” here and “stroke” there, but this all seems like great conjecture. What specific illness does the man actually have? Or has that *ever *been revealed to the public? Until the scandal, I was a “fan” of his on facebook and tried to follow updates on his website about his health, but there was very little information at all.

I have no specifics as to his ongoing medical issues.
Yet I clearly know, as others have stated that a history of
drug addiction and drug abuse has longstanding consequences
for any who have been involved in that type of life.

Chief among the consequences are brain damages that
can appear in one’s later years. It’s a fact of that lifestyle,
even long after drug use has ceased.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

References keep coming up to Fr. Corapi’s medical condition. Does anyone have a source as to what this might be? I’ve heard “heart problems” here and “stroke” there, but this all seems like great conjecture. What specific illness does the man actually have? Or has that *ever *been revealed to the public? Until the scandal, I was a “fan” of his on facebook and tried to follow updates on his website about his health, but there was very little information at all.

Other than his having been misdiagnosed with heart blockages, all I see from his BSD website is this:

“Due to serious health problems suffered in 2008…” Nothing specific is mentioned and his lawsuit was back in 2002. I don’t know what that “health problem” might have been.

 

[catharina]

Why, if Fr. Corapi joined the SOLT with his whole heart, and submitted to his superiors at that time, would he now be in an adversarial position with his brother priests? They are still his superiors, correct? If you take a vow of submission to any authority, you are under that authority until such time as they release you. If you join the military, you BELONG to the military and cannot simply decide, “well I’ve had enough, I’m leaving now,” you are considered Absent WithOut Leave or AWOL. It seems Fr. Corapi has been AWOL from his order for some time now. Perhaps they were praying that he would eventually repent, and were shocked and disturbed when he became so adversarial. We don’t know how long he has been under investigation, only that the public statements are recent. Maybe he’s been looked at for years now.

All I can say is that I don’t understand how Fr. Corapi can be so disobedient to an order that he took vows with. Even if they happened to be wrong, he is still under their authority, or am I wrong?

I find it best to remember that drug abuse can have long-lasting effects,
including a grave impact on one’s reasoning and memory.

 

[PPeterson]

prediction: the next tough guy tell 'em like it is “straight talker” us against the world bulldog priest or apologist Catholics get behind will have issues too. Praying Fr. C is able to turn things around.

 

[catharina]

Other than his having been misdiagnosed with heart blockages, all I see from his BSD website is this:

“Due to serious health problems suffered in 2008…” Nothing specific is mentioned and his lawsuit was back in 2002. I don’t know what that “health problem” might have been.

Haven’t you mentioned the grave and long-lasting effects of drug abuse in later life?
That is the factor that strikes me as most logical in explaining such confusion.