Vatican strips priesthood of man accused of sex abuse

ONN ^ | March 9, 2006

[NYer]

CINCINNATI -- A man accused of sexually abusing several boys in the Cincinnati area has been removed from the priesthood by the Vatican.

Lawrence Strittmatter's dismissal from the clergy was announced by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on Wednesday. Strittmatter had requested the removal _ referred to as laicization by the Roman Catholic church _ and Pope Benedict XVI approved it January. Because Strittmatter made the request, the removal falls short of defrocking, which is imposed.

The archdiocese hopes the move brings "peace, comfort or satisfaction" to the men who have accused Strittmatter, spokesman Dan Andriacco said.

Church officials requested in 2002 that Strittmatter be banned from the priesthood.

He retired that year after being removed from his position as associate pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish in Kettering.

The archdiocese took away the job after a graduate of Elder High School in Cincinnati said Strittmatter had been involved in sexual misconduct in the late 1970s. Strittmatter was principal at the Catholic school from 1970 to 1982.

Strittmatter, 73, was ordained a priest in 1957 and also had served at churches in Cincinnati and Delhi Township.

Since 2002, he has been on administrative leave from the archdiocese and barred from working as a priest, the archdiocese said.

Strittmatter and the archdiocese were sued by 28 men following the priest's suspension. The men accused Strittmatter of molesting them in the 1970s and 1980s.

Many of the lawsuits were dismissed because the statute of limitations had expired. But in September, the Ohio Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a lower court ruling that dismissed the accusations.

The statute of limitations also has prevented prosecutors from pursuing criminal charges.

The archdiocese has acknowledged that Strittmatter abused children.

Konrad Kircher, a lawyer who represents many of the accusers, said church officials should have acted sooner.

"It wasn't that the diocese suddenly realized it was the right thing to do," he said. "They suddenly realized the public wasn't going to let them get away with this."

Strittmatter will continue to receive his pension. He could not be reached for comment by The Cincinnati Enquirer.

[Blogger]

What happens to the priest when he is defrocked in Catholicism? What happens after he dies. It this unforgivable mortal sin and he is damned, or is it forgivable? Just curious.

[iluvlucy]

It is forgivable. I think the usual process is to repent, confess and take an oath (the nutshell version of things)

Of course if the excommunication is applied without validity that opens up another can of worms to your question.

[Talking_Mouse]

What happens to the priest when he is defrocked in Catholicism? What happens after he dies. It this unforgivable mortal sin and he is damned, or is it forgivable? Just curious.

All sins are forgivable, if the sinner is sorry and wants forgiveness. Neither being a defocked priest nor a child molester is not a sin against the Holy Spirit.

Is Strittmatter admitting he did wrong in wanting sex with children, in having sex at all, in betraying the trust of both the boys he had sex with and the church, in concealing his crimes, in allowing others to conceal his crimes, and bringing scandal to both the priesthood and himself? His desire for forgiveness and actions now (confession, penance, recompense to the victims for his crimes) are outwards signs of a changed inward man.

Christ died for sinners, no matter how outrageous the sins, He offers forgiveness. My mere human mind has trouble getting around that fact.