Posted on 06/18/2003 9:01:47 AM PDT by Loyalist
OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS
VATICAN CITY, JUN 18, 2003 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Accepted the resignation to the pastoral care of the diocese of Phoenix, U.S.A., of Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, in conformity with Canon 401, para 2, of the Code of Canon Law. NER:RE/.../IBRAHIM:O'BRIEN VIS 030618 (80)
Only when it has to in order to avoid embarrassment. The real test is whether he is stripped of his faculties. I very much doubt it. If the Vatican did not do it to a Bishop Ryan who personally solicited prostitution from boys, it's not going to do it to this reprobate.
Yes. He's a wimp, as is the Boston DA who failed to prosecute Cardinal Law. They're probably afraid to do it for political reasons, but the fact is nearly all Catholics I know would welcome such a move. If the Vatican is unwilling to cleanse the American Episcopate of reprobates, then most Catholics are more than happy to let the criminal justice system do it.
AMEN!
That is the most puzzling thing this Catholic tries to rationalize. Why in God's Holy Name does the Vatican fail to champion Christ's Holy Word here? I'm totally dismayed and baffled to say the least!
We have no guarantee that the pope will govern the Church well. John Paul II is not the first pope to be guilty of massive dereliction of duty. The pope is a mere man, and hence there is nothing stopping him from being a lax disciplinarian. The only thing God guarantees w.r.t the pope is that he will never define an erroneous doctrine on a matter of faith and morals. That's it.
No, even a good pope would not excommunicate him for since he did not utter heresy or commit a schismatic act. What the pope could have and should have done was depose him from his Episcopal See, strip him of his priestly faculties, and impose a severe penance, such as living in poverty and isolation for the rest of his life in some remote monestary in the desert somewhere. At least that's what would have been done in the good old days.
Furthermore, this corrupted bishop should have already been in the slammer for aiding and abetting pedophiles. If he was, the person this Bishop KILLED, would still be alive.
Amen.
But there are many good bishops and we must pray so hard that God protects them and also that He gives us the discernment to know His will and act accordingly.
Well,guess what in November,we learned that the Church had paid $45,ooo.oo to shut up a young man who was charging him with sexual harrassment. Now of course,he claims he did not do that but then why did they pay the young man off?
So you see had the bishop resigned and his Vicar been appointed,they might have paid more and the truth would not have come out until maybe five years from now,and we would have another abusing bishop in place. God works in mysterious ways.
I am not a Catholic but if I were this question would need to be answered immediately.
Why?
A father of four children might be alive today.
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome
Code: ZE03061803
Date: 2003-06-18
Phoenix Bishop's Resignation Accepted by Pope
Charged in a Fatal Hit-and-Run Accident
VATICAN CITY, JUNE 18, 2003 (Zenit.org).- John Paul II accepted the resignation of Phoenix Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, a day after the Arizona prelate was charged in a fatal hit-and-run accident.
Bishop O'Brien, 67, was arrested by the police Monday and charged with having fled the scene of a fatal accident. Police said his car struck a pedestrian late Saturday. The bishop was released on bail.
He told police that he thought he had hit an animal or an object, but that he did not realize it was a person. The victim was a 43-year-old man, Jim Reed.
The Vatican press office today said the bishop's resignation is in keeping with Canon 401, Paragraph 2, of the Code of Canon Law. The text states: "A diocesan bishop who, because of illness or some other grave reason, has become unsuited for the fulfillment of his office, is earnestly requested to offer his resignation from office."
Monsignor Richard Moyer, vicar general of the Phoenix Diocese, issued the following statement Monday:
"I sincerely regret reports I have received about Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien being involved in a fatal accident. The sympathy of all of us in the Diocese of Phoenix as well as our prayerful support goes out to the victim's family. The diocese will cooperate fully in any police investigation. No further statement will be made while the investigation proceeds."
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