Posted on 06/18/2011 3:43:34 AM PDT by GonzoII
Fr. John Corapi has published a statement—also available in video form—in which he has announced that he is leaving active ministry as a priest.
He’s right.
He is. And he has.
Unless something extraordinarily improbable occurs, he will never again function as a Catholic priest.
And it’s his fault.
I do not know whether he is guilty of the sexual misconduct of which he is apparently accused. I have no way of determining that.
Frankly, from what is known of the situation, the entire thing sounds weird, and it did from the beginning. Both what was known about the accuser’s actions sounded weird (although that could have been due to imperfect representation of the facts) and also Fr. Corapi’s public reaction was weird. This made if hard to judge where potential misdoing was likely to lie. It could have been with either party—or both.
But at this point it doesn’t really matter which one was at fault or whether both were, because Fr. Corapi—who is likely soon to be laicized whether he applies for this or not—has taken it upon himself to end the matter by publicly abandoning his priesthood.
If his statement is any guide, this was not forced upon him. This was something he freely chose.
In fact, it may have chosen it some time ago, since in his statement he said that his autobiography, titled “The Black SheepDog.” This may be a work that he has been producing since the sexual allegations first emerged against him, and that may signal that he has been planning this current move—or aspects of it—for some time.
The name of the book is also worthy of attention: “The Black SheepDog.” This is a portmanteau of “the black sheep” and “sheep dog.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
Instead, he chose to defy authority and set up his own shop, claiming as a “sheep dog” to protect the flock whose leaders he is defying.
Unless something very improbable happens, he has thus abandoned his priesthood in a way that will from here on out bar him from serving as a Catholic priest.
Sad to admit it, Jimmy, but you got it right. He has gone off the deep end. Prayers up for him!
This is a real travesty. One by one the devil is knocking the good men from the priesthood.
Heard of this guy? Mu mom likes him.
It is ALWAYS dark before the dawn.
Of course, it is impossible to say whether the vague accusations are true, but Fr. Corapi’s behavior is certainly consistent with them being true.
By resigning, he removes the necessity for an investigation and he removes the necessity of releasing the results of that investigation. He thus retains his reputation.
This is, of course, a scurrilous interpretation, but one which will certainly be made by many. Fr. Corapi can easily answer this by specifically denying the accusations, which he has not done.
Padre Pio, please intercede for Fr. Corapi. You suffered harsh treatment that God allowed to hone you and purify you because of the great gifts you were given. Please use your gifts of powerful prayer now to assist Fr. Corapi in his time of need.
St. John Vianney, patron of priests, please intercede as well for this priest.
Mary, Mother of priests, please pray for him.
Amen
The priesthood is full of good men. I meet some every Sunday. You'll have never heard of any of them, unless you happen to be in my diocese.
A lesson of this situation, and the recent case of Fr. Euteneuer, is that the challenges of celebrity expose a priest (or a lay man or woman) both to much greater occasions of sin than a lower-profile role, and also expose the person to a much greater risk of false accusation.
This point is, perhaps, insufficiently emphasized to the clergy (and the laity).
His ego is made of china.
He has denied them: "All of the allegations in the complaint are false, and I ask you to pray for all concerned."
So the embrace of the “black sheep” label is itself disturbing . . . and unusual . . . a symbol of a “rebel” or “renegade” mindset. Then there’s the “sheep dog” part. And this is really disturbing. Even moreso than the former.The job of a sheep dog, of course, is to herd sheep—to keep them from (get this) straying from the fold and to make them go where the shepherd wants and keep them safe from danger.
Those are obviously pastoral functions—in the literal sense. A pastor (Latin, “shepherd”) employs sheep dogs to help him in his job protecting and guiding the sheep and maintaining the integrity of the flock.
By embracing the image of a sheep dog, Fr. Corapi thus announces his intention—despite his public abandonment of the priesthood—to continue in some form of pastoral ministry. It may not be priestly—he may not be celebrating the sacraments—but he still sees himself as involved in pastoral work.
Jimmy Akin gives an excellent analysis of the situation. To quit on the anniversary of his ordination! How many times over the years have we heard him relate the joy of that day. He was ordained by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Something is very wrong with this scenario.
I have alot of affection for him.
I can give him some slack - these days if you are accuesed, many outside of the church will lump you into the child molester category.
That could make you lose your marbles.
‘Padre Pio, please intercede for Fr. Corapi. You suffered harsh treatment that God allowed to hone you and purify you because of the great gifts you were given. Please use your gifts of powerful prayer now to assist Fr. Corapi in his time of need.
St. John Vianney, patron of priests, please intercede as well for this priest.
Mary, Mother of priests, please pray for him.
Amen’
Yes...Amen
Hey, how about just praying to God
(or does “Padre Pio” hav an ‘in’ with the Big Guy, because he was mitten with wounds by God for...some reason)
I read that sheep dog analysis by Akin, I thought it was pretty far out there. The “black sheep dog” might be pretty cheesy imagery but to put all that analysis into what the words might mean(especially in this bizzarre situation) is weird. If he has been fighting liberal bishops, it makes sense.
Freegards, thanks for all the pings
I can give him some slack - these days if you are accuesed, many outside of the church will lump you into the child molester category. That could make you lose your marbles.
************************
I agree, Scotswife. The life of a priest is not an easy one even without such a dreadful accusation. This is very sad and upsetting. As some have posted, he does deserve our prayers.
I hate that this is how it turned out but I absolutely love this man and pray that he will continue to bring souls to Christ in whatever capacity or form it must take.
Maybe the handle of "Black SheepDog" is a little weird - but it hardly requires the amount of analysis that Akin gave to it. Most of his 'analysis' involves reading into it interpretations that may or may not be true.
What Akin would have done better analyzing would be the problems with the process against priests who are accused of misconduct. As it is, the bishops have implemented a shameful policy, and nobody is willing to speak up and tell them they are wrong.
Akin says:
I am not in any way unsympathetic to falsely accused priests or priests who feel that the need to be more stringent safeguards against false accusations. In fact, if Fr. Corapi were innocent (as he may be) then he could have chosen to make himself a test case to get better safeguards enacted. (After all, that’s something only an innocently accused priest can do; a guilty priest cannot expect such since the truth against him has come out).
Akin misses the point. Fr. Corapi was never going to get a chance at being a test case; instead, he was going to be put on ice indefinitely. I trust that his Canon and Civil lawyers have done a sufficiently good job in counseling him and demonstrating that he has no possibility of justice under the current system.
Fr. Corapi has not been in great health (partly because of his wild youth), and he may not have that many years left. It seems to me that he has chosen to continue sharing the Gospel in whatever means he can in the years he has left.
I am a seminarian - and to be frank, the prospect of possibly being caught in a situation like this scares me. One accusation - even a false one - can spell the end of a priest's ministry, and he has little to no recourse, and comes out of it without even having his good name.
This will not change unless laypeople start to step up and challenge the bishops to find an appropriate balance between justice for those who are genuinely victims of priestly misconduct, and justice for the accused priests (particularly if they are innocent). The priests can't do it, it needs to be the laypeople to respectfully step up and speak out.
I am very concerned about him and all of our priests and other religious at this extremely difficult time in our Church's history. I hope that Father Corapi does not feel that he is alone.
Me too.
I dont know where you’ve been. He’s vehemently denied everything multiple times and I believe him. This is a travesty. The bishops have wanted to shut him up for a long time and will not provide a forum within the church structure for his defense. Outside his vow of obedience he is now free to civillay sue and really investigate and prove his innocense. The bishops would have never defrocked him because as a priest he’s under their obedience. Just wait. This is going to backfire on the bishop.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.