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I guess people who have sins that it really hurts to confess, that cause them great grief and shame, are going to have to visit and old-fashioned church with confessionals, rather than risk a public breakdown.

My own pastor was very wise and comforting when I sought counselling after I miscarried two babies. The female pastoral associate bereavement counsellor was all professionally acquired sincerity and credentials - and of no help to me at least - and suggested a book full of paganism "but it's by a nun!" If I'd had to stick with her because my pastor was afraid to see me, I wouldn't be a Catholic now.

Honestly, I think this guy is a jerk. Priests are risking their lives in dangerous places around the world, and he won't trust his flock in New Jersey.

A nun writing about paganism? Wow, I've heard there were a lot of crazy activist nuns out there but this takes the cake.

There are many people out there who are jumping on the bandwagon and are making accusations so they can collect out-of-court settlements, $$$, they want the money. Also, there are unstable people who aren't in a proper frame of mind and make up stories. So, this priest is being cautious; it's the people and the lawsuits which prompted him to make that decision.

I guess many priests will now counsel people in rooms with windows.

I hope you are doing better.

Priests are risking their lives in dangerous places around the world, and he won't trust his flock in New Jersey.

Let's see. My son attends a NJ Catholic school where the past pastor raped and sodomized 6 teenage boys (hundreds of times) over a period of years. My bishop has overlooked several cases of teenage boy rape by Catholic priests - including by one of his best friends. My older son will be attending a Catholic school which has had two homosexual priests in the past who preyed on teenage boys. The former head of Seton Hall Boys School (in NJ) and his priest friend were just arrested (while the Pope was in Toronto) for having solicited sex from a 14-year boy prostitute. My gay organist friend even tells me that my sons are not safe in the company of priests in NJ. I think I disagree TOTALLY with you. Safety of children should come FIRST - not LAST in our Sodomite Catholic Church. My sons are many times safer in the Boy Scouts than in the Catholic Church. The Church should learn from the Boy Scouts and implement policies, such as the above, which help prevent sexual molestation in the first place.