New Information on the Fr. Corapi Situation

National Catholic Register ^ | June 20, 2011 | Jimmy Akin

[Alex Murphy]

1. Based on an agreement with the founder of his order, Fr. Corapi established a Montana-based media business under his financial control.

2. At some point, Fr. Corapi pays several persons who have business dealings with him to sign non-disclosure agreements regarding events during their term of employment.

3. There is a falling-out with one non-disclosure signer, an employee (presumably 2 occurred before 3, though this is not absolute).

4. The disgruntled signer from 3 complained to religious or ecclesiastical superiors (specifically: the current bishop of Corpus Christi), alleging sexual and drug-related charges against Fr. Corapi.

5. The current bishop of Corpus Christi contacted Fr. Corapi’s religious superiors, requesting an investigation.

6. The investigation was begun.

7. Fr. Corapi filed a civil suit against the complainer from 3, alleging breach of the non-disclosure contract.

8. Other witnesses refused to testify in view of the civil lawsuit against the complainer from 3.

9. Deprived of ready access to these witnesses, Fr. Corapi’s superiors decided to continue the investigation without the key witnesses, using other, less-central witnesses.

10. Rather than allow the investigation to reach its conclusion, Fr. Corapi decided to abandon the priesthood and religious life, sending a letter to his superiors to this effect.

11. His superiors sought to reintegrate him into the life of his religious community, but he has not responded to this request as it “would have meant leaving everything he has. It would have been a drastic change for him,” because “The society is moving to a more organized structural phase of its existence, with all the Church discipline that entails.”

12. Rather than embrace this new situation, Fr. Corapi announced his abandonment of the priesthood and the adoption of the name “The Black Sheep Dog.”

[Alex Murphy]

The "new information" Akin brings up is the timeline around Corapi's "Black Sheep Dog" trademark filing (April 8 2010), his "not living in conformity" with his chosen religious order, his non-disclosure agreements with employees, and ultimately Akin's conclusion wherein he says "Why did he abandon his priesthood after only three months waiting for the result of an investigation whose processes he himself had intervened to slow?"

Official SOLT Statement Regarding Fr John Corapi (Catholic Caucus)
Accuser selling Fr. John Corapi’s Rosary Blessed by John Paul II? (Catholic Caucus)
Father Corapi’s Bombshell[Catholic Caucus]
Father's Day Postcard to Fr. John Corapi, Layman (Catholic Caucus)
Fr. Corapi Announces He's Leaving The Priesthood
Father John Corapi Update
About Fr. John Corapi with observations about our times (Fr. Z weighs in)
Father John Corapi and the State of Due Process for Accused Priests [Catholic caucus]
Fr. Corapi Has Lost It
God love you, God bless you, and Good-Bye [Catholic Caucus]
Voris, Corapi, And The Ned Flanderification Of Catholic Commentary
Questions About Father Corapi's Military Records Raised, Again
"The Greatest" of Falls? Was Corapi Complicit in The Euteneuer Scandal? [Catholic Caucus]
Official EWTN Statement Regarding Fr.John Corapi [Catholic Caucus]
Statement of Santa Cruz Media, Inc. Relative to Fr. Corapi’s Suspension
A Call for Prayer [Fr. Corapi Accused of Sexual Misconduct][Catholic Caucus]

[RadiationRomeo]

Apparently I have been in a coma. I missed all of this. Was it on the news? How could CNN and MSNBC miss a chance to make fun of religion?

[PGR88]

I believe that Fr. Corapi quite enjoys public preaching, being involved with the media, and is comfortable with his celebrity. As he has said, it is his charism.

On the other hand, I can also imagine that his Order saw this and may have insisted on more contemplation and quiet.

This is a fundamental contradiction.

[tiki]

I’m willing to bide the time and let God figure it out for us. I’ve never been one that is dazzled by celebrity and though I watched him several times on EWTN and liked what I heard but there was something that grated on me so I didn’t watch often.

I hope he has stayed true to his vows and his vocation. I hope if he hasn’t he won’t try to rationalize but confess and continue his journey with God whether as a priest or a layman.

I pray that no matter the truth that God’s glory will shine through whether through contrition of those involved or vindication of the innocent.

[Sergio]

bkmk

[michigancatholic]

SOLT is a very new organization. Fr Corapi entered SOLT very, very early on in their formation. He knew the founder. As such, his entry pre-dated most of the rules that were later set up by the organization. [It’s NOT a religious order, but merely a diocesan organization.]

SOLT was virtually unknown before anyone saw the letters after Fr Corapi’s name, so no matter what else happened, I believe that SOLT benefitted greatly from having Fr. Corapi as a member. Otherwise, to this day, very few would have ever heard of this little diocesan organization.

Since then, SOLT has taken on some new rules in their efforts to grow and become more influential. Most of those rules are very different than anything Fr. Corapi would have been bound to in the early days. When Fr Corapi joined, for instance, there was no poverty rule, none at all. Nowdays, SOLT does have a property rule for those living in the diocese.

It is very, very likely that SOLT is after the proceeds of Fr. Corapi’s legal judgment. The latest turn of events makes it very possible that the diocese and/or SOLT could get their hands on it if Fr. Corapi were to return to the diocese and return to SOLT personally. I have no idea what they would do with it, but I find it hard to believe that it would benefit the church much. I would probably just end up in diocesan coffers.

[michigancatholic]

PS, I’m not a Fr Corapi fan, but I am a Catholic. I would rather have Fr Corapi have the $$$ than the diocese or SOLT, a diocesan organization.

Why? Because it keeps it out of the hands of the USCCB, who will waste it, or worse, use it to continue to aggravate the crap out of the rest of us with their ignorant nonsense and obstruction of Rome.

And it keeps it out of the bishop’s hands. If Fr. Corapi shouldn’t have tons of money for the reason that he’s a cleric, then all the more so for the Bishop, who’s more surely tied to the church in a official organizational sense than Fr. Corapi.

And it keeps it away from SOLT, the likes of whom it would only corrupt. Let them be who they say they are.