SHANLEY OPENLY DEFIED CH.URCH TEACHINGS

C.atholic League ^ | 5-3-2002 | Wm. Donohue

[Notwithstanding]

In short, there is an inextricable link between Shanley’s insubordination with impunity in matters of theology and his perverse behavior

[Notwithstanding]

Catholic League president William Donohue issued the following remarks today regarding the arrest of Rev. Paul Shanley, the sex abusing priest formerly of the Archdiocese of Boston:

“It is wrong to say that Shanley was mentally ill and it is equally wrong to dismiss him as a pedophile. Shanley did what he did because he knew there were no consequences to his abusive behavior. The fact that most of his sexual relations were with adult men, and not prepubescent boys, demonstrates how ludicrous it is not to label him both a pedophile and a homosexual.

“In 1970, he got the green light from Cardinal Humberto Medeiros when the Boston Archbishop appointed Shanley his representative for sexual minorities. Not only was this a bizarre ministry, the selection of Shanley over all other priests was hardly random. Not surprisingly, Shanley, who was openly gay, defied Church teachings on sexuality by networking with other gay priests and by becoming an active member of the gay lifestyle. He was a chaplain to the heretical Catholic gay group, Dignity USA, and was a featured speaker at their 1975 Second Biennial Convention in Boston. In 1978, still the representative to Cardinal Medeiros for sexual minorities, Shanley attended the formative meeting in Boston of the North American Man/Boy Love Association. Their motto is ‘eight is too late.’

“In 1979, Cardinal Medeiros put an end to Shanley’s ‘special ministry.’ Shanley’s response was to publicly condemn Medeiros for the cardinal’s admonition that gays should abstain from sex. Shanley branded it ‘virtually useless advice.’ Shanley’s boldness worsened when ten years later he criticized the revision of two new oaths issued by the Vatican: the Profession of Faith and the Oath of Fidelity. When this was made public, the Archdiocese of Boston excused Shanley saying that no priest had to take the new oath.

“In short, there is an inextricable link between Shanley’s insubordination with impunity in matters of theology and his perverse behavior.”

=====================================]

The guy is a homosexual pervert who also likes to have sex with boys and spat on his vows and professions of faith.

[Bush2000]

And the irony of his "reward" is that he's likely to spend the rest of his life in prison, with fellow homosexuals to keep him company...

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

He was defiant and obstinate in his aversion to church teachings against homosexual perversion. I'm not entirely sure it is safe to argue conclusively that mental illness or some sort of psychic disorder do not also go along with this orientation though. Obsessive and compulsive inclinations toward sex with the same gender or children of the same sex probably does involve abnormal and pathological neurological functioning of some kind. Libs don't like to describe this as an illness, pathological, or abnormal. Shanley's brain is probably responding differently to visual stimuli than that of a normal heterosexual male. What causes that is up for debate, including participation by objective psychiatrists. Having abnormal desires does not, of course, excuse or exempt one from legal and moral boundaries.

[american colleen]

The guy is a homosexual pervert who also likes to have sex with boys and spat on his vows and professions of faith.

you should have had a "comma" at the end of your sentence and added:
",and for some reason, has not been defrocked and has been on the active payroll for about 35 years."

Then again, I love run-on sentences.

[Registered]

This guy's ultimate "reward" waits for him in hell.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

re: on not being defrocked

The only thing I can imagine here is that there was a very exaggerated application of the Catholic sacramental idea of being a priest "for life." It's true that technically that is the case in a theological and sacramental sense. Unfortunately, canon law and theology were slow in responding to the nature of the crisis. Keep in mind, most of these concepts and rules were codified BEFORE the era of multi-hundred-million lawsuits and before psychiatry realized that pedophilia is virtually incurable. That doesn't excuse the decision-making, but it's probably part of the explanation.

[tippytoes]

Does anyone know how I can access the article that was done by Insight magazine about priests who took kids to a summer camp and molested them? I can't find it.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Insight Magazine story

[Boxsford]

I don't think this stops at Shanley either. A Christian friend of ours told us that when he left Maine back in the late 50's, the area priests in Maine warned him about the priests in Boston. They knew about not just one incident but warned our friend about the entire Boston area.

[galt-jw]

IF you arent labeled a heretic for this, whats left?

[Catholicguy]

The only thing I can imagine here is that there was a very exaggerated application of the Catholic sacramental idea of being a priest "for life." It's true that technically that is the case in a theological and sacramental sense. Unfortunately, canon law and theology were slow in responding to the nature of the crisis.

Shanley should have been suspended a divinis. He could have remained a priest - a priest in prison.

It is not the fault of Canon Law or Theology. Bishops have ALWAYS had both the duty and the authority to protect the innocent from these monsters.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Hence, the "exaggerated application." The blackmail hypothesis is another which could explain the handling of Shanley. His story is troubling. One explanation suggested that the canonical "rights" of the priest to appeal to Rome were a factor considered, but I've seen no confirmation that was the reason for Shanley's remaining in the priestly state. In other words, he had a right to defend himself against such allegations with an appeal to Rome. Have you heard that suggestion?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Has Shanley actually been "defrocked" in an official sense? I hadn't heard that.

[tippytoes]

Thanks a million for the story link.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

To the extent that Shanley remained a priest and was shuffled around they must have been adhering to an "exaggerated" sacramental and theological notion that he could or should still be a priest even with such outrageous allegations in his background and his own admissions. The blackmail scenario would tend to suggest that church officials were notarizing sacrilege by keeping him in active ministry. That's truly bizarre, if true.

[NYCVirago]

“It is wrong to say that Shanley was mentally ill and it is equally wrong to dismiss him as a pedophile. Shanley did what he did because he knew there were no consequences to his abusive behavior. The fact that most of his sexual relations were with adult men, and not prepubescent boys, demonstrates how ludicrous it is not to label him both a pedophile and a homosexual.

He was a founder of the National Man-Boy Love Association, who has the motto "sex before eight or else it's too late. In the case he was arrested for, he started molesting the boy when the child was six years old. If those aren't the actions of a pedophile, then what is?

[Notwithstanding]

He apparently has sex with men and boys. Thus he is both homosexual and pedophilic.

[livius]

and for some reason, has not been defrocked and has been on the active payroll for about 35 yearswhile Church authorities said they had no idea where he was even though they were paying him and a TV station found him and now the Archdiocese of Boston is.....

Oops, ran out of air. That's a run on sentence that can, unfortunately, go on and on and on and

[Palladin]

Boston, Maine, San Francisco--take your pick of the 188 dioceses. Here's a list of bad priests--those prosecuted or whose victims settled in civil suits--up to 1996. When the list is revised, there will be over a thousand names:

Priests Hall of Shame

[american colleen]

Has Shanley actually been "defrocked" in an official sense? I hadn't heard that.

Oh no, he hasn't been defrocked, he is officially listed as "retired" since 1990 or so.