Unless you've been living under a rock, by now you know that the Catholic blogosphere is ablaze with the news that EWTN regular Father John Corapi has been suspended from his ministry pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.
It appears that the bishops have now gone to the 180 degree opposite extreme from brushing this stuff under the rug and are now going to presume that the accused priest is guilty. To the mind of this old criminal defense lawyer and prosecutor this is just as bad.
I am personally aware of a situation where a priest was suspended and had to sit around in limbo and wait for the Bishop's decision for months on end. His career and reputation were just about ruined. And, just like the Father Corapi situation, the allegations involved an adult and, even if true, did not constitute a criminal offense.
So, it appears, if you don't like a priest, all you have to do is to claim that he tried to sleep with you. Hopefully, there are not many people who are vindictive enough to tell such a lie, but we must be aware that the Devil is very active even within the sacred precincts of the Church.
It happens with parents whose children are rebellious accuse their own parents of all sorts of sordid abuse....why not the children of the church who are in rebellion against God and all other male authority figures.
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