Monday, August 26, 2013

He's a good priest and a holy priest...

He's a good priest and a holy priest who happens to have be arrested and charged with child molestation and victim tampering. We support Rev. Joseph Liang… or so suggests congregants from Catherdral Basilica of St. Louis as they tried to organize an official event showing their support for the alleged pedophile Catholic priest. SNAP put an end to it.
Earlier this week, local victims' rights advocates were outraged when they saw an invitation to a meet-up at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis to pray for the "defense and exoneration" of Father Xiu Hui "Joseph" Jiang, a priest accused of repeatedly molesting a teenage girl. Representatives of the Archdiocese of St. Louis said they were not aware of the event until Daily RFT reached out. They ultimately canceled it and had the meetup.com listing removed.
Source: Chruchgoers Defend St. Louis Priest Accused of Sex Abuse, Pray in Private Meetup Group by Sam Levin
Oh you foolish people! Why would you support this man? Is it because he is a man of God? I think by now we all understand that priest are men who have the same weaknesses as other men, but much more access to power and children, which makes them more susceptible to abuse. Jiang will go to prison over these allegations. In fact, I predict a 30 year sentence. The evidence is damning. And now, Archbishop Robert Carlson has been Subpoenaed in the case. I smell a cover up!
"Child-molesting clerics may perform the actual assault alone, but almost always there are coverups involving other church officials, usually supervisors," David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, tells Daily RFT. "We can't predict what Carlson will be asked or answer under oath. But simply the fact that he has to face tough questions under oath in a pending criminal case is encouraging to us."
Source: Fr. Xiu Hui "Joseph" Jiang: Archbishop Robert Carlson Subpoenaed in Priest Sex Abuse Case by Sam Levin
Archbishop Robert Carlson denied the allegation. I cannot wait to see Carlson testify, so I hope the court rules in the victim's favor. The question I want Carlson to answer, why did he bail out Rev. Joseph Liang?

I am a huge fan of SNAP. They fight the good fight and do a good job of holding the church and priests accountable. What I like most is the help they provide the victims. I would also like to thank Sam Levin of the Riverfront Times for his outstanding reporting.

Update 7/1/2015 - I looks like the charges were dropped. See this article for more information.