Posted on 04/21/2010 8:47:14 PM PDT by James C. Bennett
ROME/VIENNA: When Pat Bond told her lover Henry Willenborg, a Franciscan priest, she was pregnant, he urged her to have an abortion. Bond, who was 28, had a miscarriage, then became pregnant again. This time Willenborg's superiors urged her to give up the child for adoption. Bond kept the child but agreed to a vow of silence. In a signed contract with the Catholic Church, she undertook to keep the priest's identity secret in exchange for financial support for her son, Nathan.
In America, Britain, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Austria, women made pregnant by priests have signed such pledges in exchange for hush money from the Church.
The Church, already reeling under a series of scandals, faces a new battle over the children of priests. Many former lovers and their offspring are preparing to mount lawsuits.
Bond was 25 when she started a five-year relationship with Willenborg in 1983, after going to him for marriage counselling. He kissed her passionately as she left his parlour, she left her husband. After Bond became pregnant for the second time in 1986, Willenborg's order, the Order of Friars Minor, offered her $50,000 and a confidentiality contract. "They said: 'Take this money, sign this contract and you'll have support for your child'. I signed,” said Bond. She broke her vow last year after the Franciscans refused to meet part of the cost of treatment for Nathan, then 22, who died in November from a brain tumour.
When Willenborg's liaisons with Bond, now 53, and another woman became public, the priest was suspended from his parish in Ashland, Wisconsin.
He was treated for sex addiction, then returned to his pastoral duties. Catherine Schroeder, a St Louis lawyer for the Order of Friars Minor, declined to comment. Willenborg and the order failed to return calls and emails.
Other cases are reaching the American courts. In Maryland, two children of the late Father Francis Ryan are filing a lawsuit against their local archdiocese and a religious order for $10 million after discovering through DNA tests that he was their father.
Carla Latty, 58, and Adrian Senna, 65, say Ryan never admitted he was their father or made any payments to their late mother. Senna was sent to an orphanage, while Latty was put up for adoption.
Cait Finnegan, of the Good Tidings association, an American charity for priests and their lovers, has been contacted by nearly 2,000 women who had relationships with priests. She said one pregnant friend had been told by a bishop to "get rid of the child" — a comment she took to mean she should have an abortion.
The woman kept the baby.
Thousands of priests in German-speaking countries are believed to have fathered children. Paul Zuhlener, an Austrian theologian, has estimated that up to 22% of Austrian priests have sexual relationships.
In Britain, Adrianna Alsworth, who has two children by a priest and runs the Sonflowers helpline for those who have had relationships with priests, said she knew of several women who had been offered confidentiality contracts in return for child support. "The children aren't given an opportunity to have a normal family life, and they suffer," she said.
Article authors: John Folain & Bojan Pancevski, Sunday Times, London, Apr 19, 2010, 12.24am IST
Of course it is in the Times of India, you wont find this garbage over here..
Your point posting this?
well I have to say there’s a real war against the catholic church these days...sounds as if alot of these people are seeing the church as a cash cow.
I do realize that because these are Priests etc. it adds to the drama of this affair..but really...this is a little much. Very different than children and perps...I have to get my head around this one as a 25 yr old woman new what she was getting into...you have sex..babies come.
I fail to see how this is the church’s fault.
If anything, the congregation is being deceived, because they have a spiritual advisor that is compromised.
I consider the woman as disgusting as the priest, but maybe that’s just me.
Can someone point me to the reasoning in the Bible that tells why priest can’t marry?
1986.
My gosh this is ridiculous! They’re now digging up cases of priests sleeping with women in 1986 as if it’s news now? How desperate are these liberals? Apparently pretty desperate.
Jesus praised those who voluntarily adopted celibacy to serve God. Seminarians voluntarily adopt celibacy before being ordained as priests.
I can't say that I speak for James, but I believe it's called promoting a discussion of recent news articles. If you look elsewhere on Free Republic, you'll find several examples where other people have managed to do it without incident.
They know their time is running out.
1Co 7:8 I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I.
1Co 7:9 But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn.
I have been thinking about the Catholic Church lately.....What other government or entity has been in (or ever over history) power longer than the Catholic Church?
Thank You.....do you think that is feasible?
Priests having children has been an issue for the church for over 1000 years. It never was acceptable for Priests to have wives in Christendom, but in some parts, depending on the bishop’s or arch-bishop’s ruling, it was ok for a Priest to have a concubine. Some very notable figures have been the bastard children of Priests, Erasmus perhaps being one of the better known ones.
Have you read the Bible?
Jesus chose and appointed his disciples...they left their possessions and families..
Matthew 4:22.
Matthew 19:2727 Then Peter answered and said, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’
28 Jesus said to them, ‘In truth I tell you, when everything is made new again and the Son of man is seated on his throne of glory, you yourselves will sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times as much, and also inherit eternal life.
Alot more scripture..Mt 8:19-20, 10:38, 16:24..self denial, celibacy..Mt 19:12, 1 Cor.7:7-9..you can look up that is evidence of the Priesthood...Read Acts, Luke..Read the New Testament.
Yes, but I humbly admit that I don’t know chapter and verse for every topic. Usually if I ask politely, someone will lead me in the right direction so I can research it.
I don’t find it with catholic articles...the anti-catholic crowd will come in and then all hell breaks loose..Do you really think Christ wants us to continually beat up His Church..us beat eachother up constantly. We need to stand together...we are living in dangerous times, stand together, pray together, we have more important issues to deal with now. These people will answer to God, they don’t answer to us. I know the problems in the Church, I have been in there fighting for years. Other faiths have problems as well, I feel for them.
Jesus thought it was. I have never known Him to be wrong. Have you?
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