Future pope refused defrocking of convicted priest

[WillParkinson]

Source: The Associated Press

Future pope refused defrocking of convicted priest
By The Associated Press
06.02.2010 8:58am EDT

The future Pope Benedict XVI refused to defrock an American priest who confessed to molesting numerous children and even served prison time for it, simply because the cleric wouldn’t agree to the discipline. The case provides the latest evidence of how changes in church law under Pope John Paul II frustrated and hamstrung U.S. bishops struggling with an abuse crisis that would eventually explode.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press from court filings in the case of the late Rev. Alvin Campbell of Illinois show Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, following church law at the time, turned down a bishop’s plea to remove the priest for no other reason than the abuser’s refusal to go along with it.

“The petition in question cannot be admitted in as much as it lacks the request of Father Campbell himself,” Ratzinger wrote in a July 3, 1989, letter to Bishop Daniel Ryan of the Diocese of Springfield, Ill.

With the church still recovering from a notable departure of priests in the 1970s to marry, John Paul made it tougher to leave the priesthood after assuming the papacy in 1978, saying their vocation was a lifelong one. A consequence of that policy was that, as the priest sex abuse scandal arose in the U.S., bishops were no longer able to sidestep the lengthy church trial necessary for laicization.

Read more: http://www.365gay.com/news/future-pope-refused-defrocking-of-convicted-priest/

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[shraby]

2. But! I sure didn't take long to get rid of the Nun who saved a

mother's life by okaying an abortion for her. The church has become a sad joke.

[pampango]

3. Here's link to that sad story.

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/church-excommunicates-nun-authorized-emergency-abortion-save-mothers/story?id=10799745

[no_hypocrisy]

5. + 1,000,000

[arewenotdemo]

9. Yeah, their hands weren't tied in that case.

And now we've got Obama siding with the Vatican perps on the Oregon case.

[msanthrope]

11. Obama did NOT 'side with the Vatican.'

You might try reading the actual issue of the filing--that the Solicitor General was ordered to brief on by SCOTUS--whether or not Oregon employment law was correctly applied to FSIA.

Try reading the first paragraphs--where the Obama administration asks for remand that doesn't foreclose on finding no immunity (benefiting the Plaintiffs) or denial of cert (benefiting the Plaintiffs).

[arewenotdemo]

17. Thanks, msanthrope.

But why do the headlines I've seen suggest otherwise?

I can't find the DU thread on the matter.


:)

[Raster]

16. No, because they were both women, which we know are NOT as important in God's eyes.

:shudder::sarcasm::retch:

[defendandprotect]

18. +1000%

[Corrupted Edge]

4. How can we live in a world were

The great MORAL church just shrugs off the abuse, no, that's to soft, like Christopher Hitchens put it, the RAPE AND TORTURE OF YOUNG CHILDREN!

Condemnation from their base is overdue, Christians (Catholics specifically) always say something along the lines of how it doesn't represent the VAST MAJORITY of "good" people. But I don't see it...

If they meant it, they wouldn't continue to support this sickening display of complete disregard to true morality...

[CoffeeCat]

6. That whole "infallibility" thing is gone...

This is what strikes me as most interesting. I grew up Catholic and
attended private schools my entire life. I wore the plaid skirt and white
shirt for half of my life.

We were taught that the Pope is "infallible." It's part of the Catholic
doctrine, a centerpiece of the faith actually, that the Pope is God's
instrument and he is never wrong and can never be questioned. He's God's
servant.

Um, ok---all you need to do is look at the facts regarding this Pope. He refused
to defrock a priest who was convicted of raping multiple children. He did nothing.

Also, the Pope lied, directly saying that he never knew about the priest who molested
those deaf children in Michigan who were serially molested by a pedophile priest. This
year, documents surfaced that demonstrate that the Pope was aware that this priest was
a serial child rapist. Not only that, the Pope encouraged others to cover up these crimes.

That kind of evil is almost unheard of. I know of NO ONE who would cover up child rape.
If any average person discovered that a daycare worker or a teacher was raping children--and
then wrote a letter urging administrators to hush up, so the daycare or school would not
suffer harm to reputation---what would you think?

This was a crime. It is pure evil and it is some of the most debased, disgusting and
shameful behavior ever recorded in human history. I put the Catholic Church's covering
up of pedophilia, and willful aid to pedophiles that helped them rape more and more
victims--as the #2 worst atrocity in human history--right behind #1, the Holocaust.

I remember being Catholic and all of that dogma. Infallibility was one
of those things and it is a linchpin of the Catholic religion.

It's totally gone now. Mr Infallible is a liar, a pedophile enablers, a common thug
who covered up serial child rapists and then allowed them to rape more children. I don't
see how Catholics have faith in their religion anymore--at all.

It's all been exposed as a sham.

[zipplewrath]

13. You mislearned

The pope is not infallable, the pope may make infallable proclamations. The whole church authority rests upon him being the Vicar of Christ and as such is capable of exerting Christs authority on earth. Unless he specifically suggests he is dictating based upon that authority, he is as fallable as the rest.

What cracks me up is the assertion that some how this current scandal is any "worse" than the other 2000 years. The Catholic Church has been abusing its position for the better part of 2000 years. The crusades, the investiture contraversy, the spanish inquisition, Galileo, and much of its mission works around the world over the centuries has involved severe abuse of individuals and whole communities of peoples. At some point don't ya have to admit that it's not working?

[brendan120678]

21. Your understanding of Papal infallibility is...

absolutely, completely, and incredibly incorrect.

[Iowa]

22. What you say is true...

...but even the correct understanding is goofy. The underpinnings of the entire belief system is a house of cards.

[Stuart G]

7. K and R thanks for posting this.

[Ichingcarpenter]

8. "I am not amused''

[Plucketeer]

10. If the Anti-Christ is a Pied Piper of sorts

One that succeeds on the mastery of his deceptions.... Is it possible that he's already come and gone and is the foundation of modern christian religions???

[Stuart G]

12. This story has been around for a while, the church will do

nothing, this pope will do nothing. He and his immeidate crowd will get what they sow.

[happygoluckytoyou]

14. oh to be a red-necked teaBirthing mouth-breathing christian... biggest CULT in town...

[LynneSin]

19. Yes but these aren't the same type of Christians

Most fundie christians do not respect Catholism.

[StevieM]

15. Wow, this surprises me. I would have expected him to have taken action (eom)

[rucky]

20. Isn't "defrocking" what got him into trouble in the first place?