I'll put it this way: assuming that Mr. Corapi is entirely innocent and has been falsely accused, what examples were there for him to follow?
John of the Cross and Lorenzo Scupoli (author of The Spiritual Combat) were priests falsely accused and were subjected to slow canonical processes and years of suspicion and marginalization. To this day, questions linger about Scupoli and have been the main impediment to his canonization.
Mr. Corapi has declined to follow their example, and the faithful will naturally find his decision troubling. They have to ask themselves a question: is it spiritually safe to continue patronizing Mr. Corapi, or would avoiding him be better? At this point, they have to wish him well, but walk away.
I do still like Father Corapi, however I do feel that you do have a valid point. People keep referencing back to Padre Pio and rightly so. He was in a similar situation and received it with Grace. It took ten long years(for him it must have felt like forever) before he was cleared and could go back to his priestly duties.
Maybe this was God's test for him. Maybe it was Gods way of saying to him “Job well done my son, it's time for your ministry to end”. I mean why not go back to your order and dedicate the rest of your life to contemplation and devotion to Christ? He is in his 60’s(not that that is old) and it's time to retire.
I tell you the more that I contemplate this, the more disturbed that I become. I just don't know what to say anymore. My heart is broken.
I will not however, come away from this disliking the Church. The people that run the show may disappoint me from time to time, but I know that I'm in the right place and I will not abandon our Lord no matter what! I will not become a heretic over this whole situation. It's hard to stay the course sometimes, but I have no choice for I love the Lord too much!
“John of the Cross and Lorenzo Scupoli (author of The Spiritual Combat) were priests falsely accused and were subjected to slow canonical processes and years of suspicion and marginalization. To this day, questions linger about Scupoli and have been the main impediment to his canonization. Mr. Corapi has declined to follow their example, and the faithful will naturally find his decision troubling.”
John of the Cross and Lorenzo Scupoli weren’t faced with the same set of circumstances as Fr. Corapi. Different time, different places.
Unfortunately, until recently, clergy sex abusers were coddled and protected by the hierarchy (until external pressure was exerted via the media and the courts). Presently, the exact opposite is occurring; the hierarchy is throwing innocent priests to the wolves, but this time, the media and the justice system aren’t taking the side of the underdog. It’s not reasonable or just to expect any Catholic, priest or laity, to submit to kangaroo justice as some sort of a litmus test of virtue.
http://www.thesestonewalls.com/
The current “process” is flawed and it’s a grave injustice to submit accused priests to such a one-sided procedure. Regrettably, the truth in Fr. Corapi’s case is more likely to be revealed through a civil process rather than an ecclesiastical one (as he has apparently been advised by a bishop).
It’s hardly the behavior of a guilty person to bring the matter to court, where the details will become public record.
Trust is earned, and can be lost. The hierarchy’s involvement in the clergy abuse cover-up does not inspire confidence or trust. Nor does the current political climate within the Church.
Yes, John of the Cross, Lorenzo Scupoli, Padre Pio, et al, chose to quietly endure charges made against them. It doesn’t automatically follow that a different response is illegitimate. Padre Pio was also known for blunt speaking and even angry reactions at times. Ditto the Cure of Ars. And of course the Lord was also forceful and blunt when the situation required it. The necessities of each situation dictated the response.
Passivity in the face of injustice isn’t always a virtue - only when it’s the Father’s will. None of us (except perhaps a spiritual director) can presume to know the Father’s will for another person, and we have no way of knowing whether the choice Fr. Corapi has made is in fact the Lord’s will for him (and perhaps ultimately a more difficult choice for him than any other he might have made).