Priest who admitted groping boy appointed to high-profile position in Newark Archdiocese

[ringil]

UUUUUGGHHH. . . .

So what are we, the faithful, supposed to say. . . . It’s kind of depressing.

If they didn’t laicize this priest they certainly could or should have found something more “out of the way” for him to do- maybe give sacraments to some nuns or something. . .

We need to trust our Bishops but they HAVE to stop making these GLARINGLY bad decisions.

 

[BroomWagon]

UUUUUGGHHH. . . .

So what are we, the faithful, supposed to say. . . . It’s kind of depressing.

If they didn’t laicize this priest they certainly could or should have found something more “out of the war” for him to do- maybe give sacraments to some nuns or something. . .

We need to trust our Bishops but they HAVE to stop making these GLARINGLY bad decisions.

Make these people Contemplatives, it seems there is somewhere they can in fact be sent to where they would be out of this environment. But on the other hand, I don’t want to say “put him in such and such a place” to show disrespect or even ignorance for that area of the faith either.

 

[ringil]

I don’t completely disagree with you…but perhaps it’s the faith of the rank and file that needs fixing. Catholics don’t tend to be the most forgiving bunch with these issues, which is sorta ironic don’t you think? Does anyone here think that they’re somehow less deserving of the fires of Hell than this priest? We all are. If he’s a monster, then so am I and so are we all. But I don’t believe he’s a monster, just a flawed human being who did something terrible. Brother, I have walked a mile in his shoes and I’d want to be forgiven. Even if he wasn’t trusted again with a great responsibility (which is up to his superiors to decide, not us), he should be forgiven completely and loved just like we love ourselves.

I know I’m not judging this man’s soul, only his actions.

And yes, he could well have repented and could well have turned his life around, but this in no way makes him appropriate to be serving the Church in a publicly visible way. I don’t know, maybe he could continue as a priest, but I don’t think that is the issue here.

The clergy sex abuse crisis is the current scar on the face of the Church- equal to some of the great scandals of old. The Bishops need to take this issue with the highest level of severity and seriousness.

There is a little thing called scandal. We don’t need this. We really. . . don’t. . . need. . . . this.

 

[Joe_5859]

Make these people Contemplatives, it seems there is somewhere they can in fact be sent to where they would be out of this environment. But on the other hand, I don’t want to say “put him in such and such a place” to show disrespect or even ignorance for that area of the faith either.

I thought of that, too. Why not send them off to a hermitage? But then it struck me as requiring of them a lifetime of isolation for their crime. That’s more than the State requires. But maybe that would be a good thing.

Or should we just designate an island to send all sex abusers to? They can live the rest of their lives out there and work off the land. Then we don’t have to worry about them anymore. Part of me wants to do that, but then something just doesn’t seem right about it.

And – not to minimize this guy’s crime (which is deplorable) – but it was one instance of groping. Do we lump him in the same group as those who methodically preyed on dozens of children over the course of decades? Do we make distinctions based on the severity of their crimes?

That’s why I keep coming back to the question: What do we do with them? I just can’t think of a good answer.