The Catholic church has a well known problem recruiting priests from within the Untied States. This causes a shortage of priests needed to staff the various open positions. To offset the shortage, they recruit priests from Africa, Central America, South America, India, and increasingly, countries like China. Pastor Xiuhui Jiang is a recruit from China. He’s also under investigation for allegedly molesting a teen girl.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Rev. Xiuhui "Joseph" Jiang is charged with first-degree child endangerment.
Court documents allege that Jiang repeatedly had sexual contact with a girl younger than 17.
The girl told police he fondled her as a priest and family friend on four different occasions this year in Old Monroe.
Read more: Associate pastor accused of molesting girl
It appears that the priesthood appeals to men with a certain appetite without regard to culture. How disturbing.
How quick you are to judge. Please readdress this story if and only if a conviction is made. Until then, keep your thoughts neutral. The same right that protects the accused man as innocent until proven guilty is the one that allows you freedom of speech, so it would be nice if you used it maturely.
ReplyDeleteNo thanks. The accused is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In the court of public opinion, I can write about his arrest because it is newsworthy. I did not convict the man. I pointed out that the church he works for appeals to pedophiles (which is well documented).
ReplyDeleteI'll have to keep my eye on this case now that a nutter has popped up. Instead of one post, I'll post a series.
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteFreedom of speech is not subject to someone else's idea of "maturity." Freedom of speech begins and ends with the thoughts of the individual exercising it. It is truly amusing that you would try to edit someone else's rights anonymously! Grow and pair and show yourself and your agenda. Then maybe I'll take the time to help you understand how freedom of speech in this country works on your own blog.
Majoey, I feel sorry for you that you are so full of hate and judgment that you would condemn a man who has not been convicted. If he is guilty I hope justice is served. If he is innocent I hope for the same toward this priest. Calling those who respectfully disagree with you "matters" takes away from your self-perceived "deep" thoughts.
ReplyDeleteBob - Hate? Condem? Did you read what I wrote?
ReplyDeleteI read your comment closely and there is an assumption that this is just another pedophile priest story within what you said.
ReplyDeleteLet me clear a few things up with some facts that you are not aware of. Father Joseph was my confessor and one of the holiest men I have ever met. Granted, that can be deemed subjective, but the following facts are not.
Father Joseph was not recruited from China. He had to flee his homeland because at the young age of 20 he took a public stand against the Chinese gov't for appointing bishops to the Catholic church. He was in hiding and his life was in danger.
The Vatican got him out of China and brought him to the US. He spoke no English, he left his family and the land he loved and came here. He learned English and finished his seminary studies. He had to pack up his belongings and move several times after he arrived here. At some point he was put under the care of Archbishop Robert Carlson and finally settled in St. Louis.
He has been cleared by the ecclesial court and is being represented by archdiocese lawyers.
Despite what the newspapers say, he is 27, not 29. I just attended his 27th birthday party.
His court date is set for early March. I will be there as will many other people who know and love him. We were there for the hearings as well even though they were an hour away. The venue for the trial has moved to a farther away county. We will still be there.
I stand by Father Joseph and believe he is being falsely accused. I did not jump to this conclusion because I know that even the holiest people fall to sin. I had to work through it.
I also think that you err in assuming that Catholic churches are recruiting pedophiles and you are ignoring the fact that pedophiles come in on their own. I have seen firsthand that Protestant churches have their fair share. Predators look for places where they will be trusted and not suspected. Even the Bible warns there will be wolves among the churches.
You have the right to your opinion, but the way the media and individual jump to the conclusion of guilt is destroying those who are innocent. For many of us here in St. Louis, we want our priest and confessor back.
Something to keep in mind-
ReplyDeleteChild predators are very cunning and manipulative. They know every trick on how to groom, threaten, lie, and put the fear of god into their victims, yet they can also be charming and generous, While they are grooming the child, they devote lots of time and energy building trust with them by giving them money and gifts. They tend to make the child feel that they are special and loved.
They appear to do a lot of goods things, they can be very charismatic and you may think they would never harm a child. They have to be this way, in order to not get caught and to continue to abuse
Sexual predators are often powerful and well-loved. It would be comforting if those who preyed on the vulnerable were obvious social misfits whose appearance would somehow set off alarm bells and give us ‘the willies’ or ‘the creeps.’ They rarely do. Usually, predators are among the last people we would suspect of sexually violating others. At a party, the predator isn’t some oddball sitting alone in a corner because others feel uncomfortable with him. Most often, the predator is the guy throwing the party.
It is extremely rare that a child predator has only one victim. Some have many. Child predators need to be kept far away from kids forever.
It takes a lot of courage to come forward and take action to expose the truth about being sexually abused. Let's hope that anyone who may have knowledge or may have been harmed by Fr Xiu Hui "Joseph” Jiang, will find the courage and strength to speak up and contact police, no matter how long ago it happened.
Keep in mind your silence only hurts, and by speaking up there is a chance for healing, exposing the truth, and therefore protecting others.
Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail.com,
"SNAP (The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests)
http://www.snapnetwork.org/