To set the record straight, I don't think that I'll be everyone's favorite poster boy after saying this and no I don't have all the facts,..but I think the official position of Optimusmastro is to disagree publically with what Fr John Corapi is doing. Father or as of yesterday,..'Mr' Corapi has decided to not function publically anymore as a priest. In a statement released, he stated that due to the unfounded allegations of accusations of sexual misconduct by a now former employee of Santa Cruz media, and after waiting three months for the Church to deliberate, he will publically resign the priesthood. The thing is,..Father Corapi wasn't just a diocesan priest reporting to his Bishop,..he was/is a member of a religious order that has a certain charism,..one of them being obediance. Herein lies the problem,.If Mr,.Fr,..whatever the hell he wants to call himself,..Corapi authentically discerned his vocation and where it was calling him, he would obey. Does this mean I agree with the Bishop? In the words of Stone Cold Steve Austin,..'oh Hell Noooo!!!!'
The Church is infallible,..the people in it however are not. The Church in so far as much as she is the Bride of Christ cannot err, yet at the same time the Church is not impeccable. Errors in judgement have been made going back as far as the New Testament,..when St Paul called out St Peter regarding eating with gentiles. More recently we have Fatima,..remember that it took the Church almost thirty years before it was declared worthy of belief,..and Sr Lucy much to her credit and humility swallowed her pill. That being said, am I judging Father/Mister Corapi? Not by a long shot. I do believe that he is making a huge error in judgement in not allowing the Church to follow Her own Bishops' procedures,.flawed as they may be. This whole incidence reeks of Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre and the SSPX. They sincerely believe in the Pope, but claim they know better. Corapi, to his credit recently released an audio whereby he defended the Bishops right to suspend him, then mentioned how he is being advised by both his canon lawyer and his civil lawyer as to what grounds to take. He is also trying from what I understand,.to countersue.
Father John,..(Not gonna call you Mr) I like you,.I really do. I have a ton of respect and admiration for you, your work, and your zeal and passion for Holy Mother Church. Had you been a diocesan priest, maybe I would look at this differently, but calling your accuser an alcoholic,.then challenging them to put up 100 grand for a piss test to proove your not on drugs sounds a little strange, especially coming from a priest,..let alone a religious one. Why did you not accept the community's invitation to live in community,..and shouldn't you have been doing that anyway? You lived by yourself with your hunting dogs in Montana. Had you done that, you could have offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass everyday for the salvation and conversion of your accuser. Talk about the ultimate weapon! You've said it yourself! We are on the Holy Spirit's time, not our own...I ain't gonna judge you Father, because to reiterate, I don't know all the facts, but I sincerely wish you would have waited longer than three months, and with the title of your autobiography being what it is,..I just don't know. If I were a priest, how would I have handled this? (maybe one day,..? ;)) ...Well, Father, you and I are kindred souls, let''s just say that in the back of my wallet, I have a little card that when needed, I'll use,..it says, figuratively,.. 'Certified Asshole.'
Father,..please prayerfully discern your every move. This friday, I invite everyone to offer a small sacrifice, for Fr Corapi,..if he's right, the Holy Spirit will reveal it. 'By their fruits, you will know them.'
Mother Mary,..I ask that you place your mantle over all priests!
3 comments:
Actually, I loved your post, and I think it's perhaps the best one I've seen since all of this stuff started. It's nice to see someone acknowledging what are, at the least, definitely problematic actions that he has taken in response to this situation (something many, though not all, of his defenders seem not to regard with sufficient concern), while at the same time refraining from judging him, especially given that we don't know all of the facts. I have no doubt this situation is a lot more complex than a lot of people, both those defending and those criticizing him, are taking into account.
So we don't have to fall into one of the two extremes. Basically, he might not be at the highest level of sanctity, but that doesn't automatically mean he is a devil, either. There is a middle ground, after all for us poor struggling sinners. (Or at least I hope so on a personal level, because if I was to be categorized into one of those two extremes, I already know it wouldn't be being perfectly holy!) Assuming he's innocent of the allegations that started this mess (as I do, until proven otherwise), then he's gone through such a trial that I would be very hesistant to judge him personally, even though I still think he is doing stuff that is, objectively speaking, very problematic (assuming I understand the situation correctly, at least).
Most important of all, though, I loved your suggestion that we offer a small sacrifice for him. Whatever we may think of this situation, it should go without saying that we should be praying for him and all priests.
*hesitant to judge him personally, quite apart from the fact that's not my place anyway.
Fantastic post! Personally I suspect that Fr. Corapi is innocent. Yes, I've defended him but also with acknowledging that I don't know for sure whether he's innocent or guilty. But after hearing that his accuser tried selling his rosary on ebay, one which was blessed by JPII I am even more suspicious of his accuser.
I think part of Fr. Corapi's problem is that he would have to give up the life he and Christ helped him to build if he lived with his Order. I'm not saying whether that's good or not but just something to consider. Plus, the two priests he trusts the most advised him that there is no way, shape or form he could receive a fair hearing on the accusations against him. It's a really tough situation and we all really need to offer prayers for him. One thing I might add - I know from experience how a false accusation can be both physically and spiritually draining or trying for a person. I know that I felt like my heart got ripped out of me. I don't know whether that's how Fr. Corapi feels or not but I totally understand how he might give up fighting sooner than he should.
Post a Comment