I posted on my disgust at the Catholic Church's decision to promote a priest who was arrested for lewd behavior in a public park. Rev. Padraig Green is set to become the Pastor at St. Augustine in Pleasanton. I received a few emails suggesting I should mind my own business because "god has a plan". If god had a plan, it is a bad one - because long time Catholics like the Aimar family are leaving the church as a result of this idiotic decision.
This is what got the Catholic Church in trouble,'' Piscitelli said. ``This attitude that a man who has committed a sexual offense is fine to go back and oversee a ministry.
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If my mother had had a flier like this one, she may have not let the pastor pull my brother out of his faith formation class to see how well he knew his Rosary
Source: Inside Bay Area - Family leaves Catholic faith after news of reverend's former arrest for lewd act
The Aimar family would be well advised to stay away from the local Baptist churches, because we all know how well the Baptist church protects its own.
3 comments:
If God has a plan, now would be a really, really good time to let us in on it.
This is after all the same Catholic church that promoted Ratzinger to their highest post - one of the guys who wrote the doctorine that instructs priests to put all talk of molestation under seal of confession.
That's right, tell another priest that you're being molested and you can't speak of it for fear of hell. Physical abuse and spiritual terrorism in one nice little package.
Leaving, staying in or joining the RC church is not simple or straight forward. Similarly, while I was most disturbed at the appointment of Ratzinger, the appointment of a minister is not as straight forward as 'are there any blots in their copy book?'.
In Fr Padraig Green's case clearly he has wrestled with the dark underbelly of our human condition. Yes the complex and full expression of human sexuality is also there in priests! In fact because they are expected to live up to a 'whiter than white' sexual existence, without our understanding, love, support and prayers, they are more prone to compensatory eruptions of their shadow side. The more something is repressed into darkness the more charged and potentially eruptive it becomes. In the case of Fr Padraig, it would appear that these aspects of his sexuality are now fully out in the open and therefore no longer in darkness. Hence, by being brought into the Light, they are no longer in danger of compensatory eruption.
Besides, this one blot in a copybook, what of the immensely healing, restorative and transformative ministry of Fr Padraig. His ministry not only touches many of his parishioners but it also enhances and touches and influences for the better the lives and ministry of many fellow priests. In Ireland he led the way in Family Ministry and touched (and indirectly continues to) the lives of tens of thousands of suffering and struggling families.
So my final point is let us remember -before we throw stones - why are we demanding an absolute and permanent ideal from our religious leaders? Also if we could come to regard our opinions as 'partial and true' including this one, we would then allow space for a larger truth to also make itself present.
I pray God's love on all who want to punish and abuse Fr Padraig and on all those who do so.
Christmas Day 2007
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