I am certainly not in any position to judge the facts in this particular case, but I must believe Fr. Corapi is innocent until proven otherwise. Beyond that, all I have is my gut feeling and my hope, both of which tend toward innocence. Time will tell. I’ve been wrong before.
But beyond the particulars of his own case, Fr. Corapi takes issue with the process, a process which seemingly holds the accused guilty until proven innocent. The truth is that someone of the prominence of Fr. Corapi may never recover his reputation, even though he be as pure as the driven snow, forever stuck in scandal limbo.
It would seem that the destruction of reputations, even of the innocent, is the inevitable consequence of a zero-tolerance policy administered by those seeking to avoid embarrassment. In the past, accusations would be ignored to avoid embarrassment, destroying lives. The flip side is that acting on any and all such accusations without meaningful due process will destroy lives too.
This topic hits home for me. As someone who was once accused of all kinds of baseless and crazy things in a wrongful termination suit, I know how it feels to be falsely accused. It is frustrating, saddening, infuriating, and much more. But the one the one emotion I retain from that horrible experience is gratitude. My employer, also implicated in the suit, stuck by me and defended me until it was eventually dropped. Wrongfully accused priests no longer have this luxury.
A zero-tolerance policy without due process that de facto impugns the reputations of the accused is immoral. The Church has a duty to protect the innocent, even if the innocent is a priest. Of course, the Church has a moral duty to make sure that the scandal of abuse and coverup is never repeated, but it cannot willfully sacrifice the reputations of the innocent as indemnification. The end does not justify the means. I do not know that any of this applies to the Father Corpai case, but we have seen this happen in other cases too and it is wrong.
Statement from Rev. Gerald Sheehan, Regional Priest Servant
Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity
18 March 2011
Today, as Regional Priest Servant for the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity, I have the unhappy responsibility to announce that Father John Corapi, SOLT has been placed on administrative leave from priestly ministry, in accordance to the Code of Cannon Law of the Catholic Church. We have received an allegation that Father Corapi has behaved in a manner unbecoming of a priest and are duty-bound to conduct an investigation in this accusation.It is important to keep in mind that this action in no way implies Father Corapi is guilty of the allegation. It is equally important to know that, based on the information we have received thus far, the claim of misconduct does not involve minors and does not arise to the of criminal conduct. Consequently, this matter will be investigated internally, and unless and until information suggests otherwise it will not be referred to civil authorities. In the event that we learn of any occasion where the criminal civil law may have been breached we will immediately refer the matter to civil authorities.
“It is important to accord Father Corapi the principles of due process, including the assumption of innocence, until a full investigation is carried out by his superiors. More importantly, I appeal for prayers on behalf of everyone involved in this very complex situation.” Father Corapi has a personal residence in Kalispell, Mont. He does not hold priestly faculties in the Diocese of Helena, said Diocese of Helena Chancellor Father John Robertson.
9 comments:
Carol, where's the post? There's nothing under the title.
Restore DC
Maybe that's the point.
They had nothing to say, which would be a blessing, especially when it comes to Mark Shea.
Veronica
LOL - sorry ladies -- I published prematurely then got a phone call!
I'm getting on it!
We are waiting.
Veronica
While we're patiently waiting Carol, I see that the Daughters of St. Paul are suing your esteemed Cardinal O'Malley over their pensions.
What is the Church coming to?
Veronica
I say Congrats to the Ladies in Blue for trying to protect the laity who worked for that pension!
LOL. You're an impatient bunch!
Some pretty compelling statements in the article on the Daughters, eh?
There's something fishy going on. I get the distinct impression that there is a lot more behind all of this which we might never know in this life.
I went to another blog and read other articles on Fr. Corapi. The oddest was from that "Fr. Z" warning about forming "attachments" to priests (with his resident minions and toadies, he should talk).
Unfortunately, I am one of those that is quick to believe the worst. However, in this case, I do not think Fr. Corapi is guilty. Rather, I think he is being used as a scapegoat as a warning to other priests: this will happen to you, too, if you cross these lines.
Not being one of his follower nor possessing any of his DVDs/CDs or whatever, I do not know how outspoken he is but I understand that he is.
Does anyone here know if he has said in the past year or so something that would ruffle more than a few feathers?
Veronica
I would think that priests like Father Z and Father Longenecker who have a large following would want to be *very* careful about who they surround themselves with. Priests are especially vulnerable to false claims due to the nature of their ministry.
I have no idea if Father Corapi is guilty or innocent but I am tired of seeing priests thrown under the bus.
By the way, Father Z and Father Corapi were ordained together (along with others) by Pope JP II.
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