Posted on 07/31/2005 6:12:53 PM PDT by grjr21
Defrocked molesters fall below the radar At a time of heightened national concern about the need to track sex offenders, the Catholic Church in America has begun cutting loose dozens - perhaps hundreds - of priests who have molested children.
The church had already suspended the clerics after finding the child-abuse allegations against them to be credible. Now, as it defrocks them, expelling them from the priesthood, the men are quietly reentering civilian life with only the barest notice to the public, and no ongoing oversight by the church.
Nor is law enforcement certain to be watching them.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Here is a list of Philadelphia area Priests who have been Defrocked
Below are the names of priests defrocked because of sexual misconduct involving minors. Archdiocese of Philadelphia Name Years of service as priest Announced June 2, 2005
Edward M. DePaoli 1970-1992
Martin J. Satchell 1993
Announced June 23, 2005 James J. Brzyski 1977-1984
Nicholas V. Cudemo 1963-1996
Thomas J. Durkin 1964-1968
Michael W. Swierzy 1975-1997
Richard G. Jones 1963-1988
Thomas M. Kohler 1968-1985
Francis X. Trauger 1972-2003
Petitions pending: The archdiocese has declined to say if it has petitioned the Vatican to defrock any other priests. Diocese of Camden Name Years of service as priest James F. Hopkins 1973-1995 Petitions pending: 6
SOURCES: Catholic Standard and Times; Diocese of Camden; Inquirer research
Uh... once they're defrocked, they're not the Church's responsibility any more. It's up to the secular authorities to charge and imprison them, as the local law deems appropriate.
I remember arguing that if priests were defrocked and dismissed this is just what would happen. I thought it would be better if the priests were suspended from duties and put in some kind of facility under church control. Of course that was only in those cases where civil or criminal charges and jailtime were not enacted. It was not because I condoned their actions but I thought that some sort of authority would have control over these sickos.
ping
Uhm, they defrocked them, which is about as far as Church authority goes. They cannot *legally* hand them over. The Church can hand over information about them to the secular authorities (i.e., cops), but they can't be taken in chains to the police station. Sorry, but that's not legal.
If you have a problem with these freaks not being locked up after being defrocked, go talk to the DA's office and the police. They are the ones who decide who to charge and prosecute. Once these freaks are defrocked, the only other thing the Church can do is excommunicate them. If the police aren't waiting outside the office to collect them, it's not because the Church didn't tell them, it's because the cops decided they had something better to do.
In many cases, the bishop ("bp") or archbishop ("abp") used "competent" psychiatric-medical authority advice before putting these men back out onto an assignment. Given that a doctor said the priests were in conrol of their impulses, they were re-assigned. Who is at fault in such cases?
Interestingly, MOST of these cases were not men seducing children who had not yet reached puberty. In most cases, these were men seducing male teenagers. This fact does not lessen the betrayal factor: but in many European countries the age of consent is 16 and what was done here would not even be a crime! The fact is that these were homosexual seductions, not pedophilia.
Why didn't he media report that aspect of the scandal?
I wish we had a Roman Catholic version of Gitmo for these kinds of Priests/former Priests.
I know in the Archdiocese where I reside, it was not uncommon for an accused Priest to return to his country of native origin, and hide out.
The (now retired) Archbishop denied knowing where they were, but it came out later that the on the lam Priests were receiving checks from the Archdiocese...so, I guess someone at the Chancery knew where they were hiding.
IIRC, Mexico, Ireland, and the Phillipines were some of the countries these guys fled to. We have a new Archbishop now. I have no idea if these perverts still get money or not.
You know damn well I didn't mean the Church should take them to the cops in chains. Of course they should have reported the. As far as your second paragraph goes, I did state that it is the responsibility of government to prosecute these freaks.
I wonder.
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