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“He was responding to reports that a trusted aide was involved in an alleged gay tryst a decade ago.
He said he investigated the allegations according to canon law and found nothing to back them up.”

This is disturbing...

It is a mantra said over and over again when Priests have been accused of child molesting....only to find out years later they were avid abusers.

One UK Cardinal even yammered against gays..while being a child molester himself.

As it is written,... allegation had nothing to do with abuse of children. That was added in my last post from Daily Mail. It said a tryst from a decade ago. I take that to mean a consenting adult.

In honesty, I don't know full details either, since the media ran it this way. Waiting for facts of what Pope actually said and what it was pertaining to.

I'd like to see the database of priests unjustly, untruthfully accused of abuse. Since I personally know two, myself, in my very small circle of acquaintances, I'm thinking the number must be considerable.

One can err in either direction: either ignoring very disturbing warning signs (e.g. with the despicable Fr. Marcial Maciel), or by indicting an innocent person on the basis of a malicious allegation (as with the excellent Fr. Mark Gruber.)

And even a wise and well-intentioned cleric in a supervisory position can be deceived by a convincing sociopath --- which is what most of these predators are. Abusers are --- very often --- popular and charming. Notice the immediate outcry when one of these rattlesnakes comes to light: "Oh, that can't be true of Father Kevin! He's so warm and loving! So good with the kids!"

I saw that in a visiting priest who had heard my Confession! When I found out, I felt sick all over.

But he's out. As soon as the Bishop had a credible allegation, he called him and asked if it had a factual basis. He admitted it did, and he was removed from priestly ministry on the spot --- and is now in jail. Which is exactly the way it's supposed to go.