Priest dismissed by Vatican

[emad]

Given probation in '84 abuse case
By Ralph Ranalli, Globe Staff | July 30, 2005

Eugene O'Sullivan, believed to be the first Massachusetts priest convicted of sexual abuse more than two decades ago, has been dismissed from the priesthood by the Vatican, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston said yesterday.

O'Sullivan, who served at a number of parishes in the area, including St. Agnes Church in Arlington, was sentenced to probation in 1984 after he admitted sodomizing a 13-year-old altar boy at St. Ann's Parish in Marshfield. One condition of his probation was that he not be allowed to work with children, but church officials, who had pleaded with a judge for leniency on his behalf, later assigned him priestly duties at four New Jersey parishes.

Terrence Donilon, a spokesman for Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, said church officials had no comment on the matter beyond the fact of O'Sullivan's official removal from the priesthood.

The Vatican has dismissed another priest, Paul E. McDonald, who had served in parishes in Hyde Park and Marlborough, Donilon said.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/07/30/priest_dismissed_by_vatican/

[DemBones DemBones]

1. Looks like Pope Benedict XVI is doing what

John Paul II was too forgiving to do. JP II had difficulty believing people could be as evil and sinful as some are, often did not discipline as he should have.

Edit: Remember the scandal about a German seminary full of pornography, etc., a couple of years ago? John Paul II had been told (I think by Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict) that the bishop who oversaw that seminary as part of his diocese should not have been made bishop. John Paul was sometimes an innocent about sexual matters, had difficulty believing that someone he knew and thought was a good person could be a sexual libertine.

[hedgehog]

2. Isn't that a problem for all of us?

If we've learned anything the last thirty years, it's that the predator is not the funny looking hobo who talks to himself but the smiling uncle, father, aunt, teacher, neighbor etc. Sexual predators are masters of camouflage.

[SquireJons]

3. A hopeful sign

But I fear that it has more to do with Ratzingers homophobia that his desire to right a wrong. Still, it's hard to criticize this first small step. Lets hope it is followed by a serious policy to undo the tremendous harm that the Catholic Church's policy on Priests sexuality has done to the churches reputation and numerous congregations and individuals.

[AngryOldDem]

5. Defrocking process takes years

That is one of the goals of Voice of the Faithful -- to spur the hierarchy into streamlining the process so that when clear-cut cases of priestly malfeasance come to Rome's attention, it doesn't take decades to do what should be done almost immediately. By all means, provide due process -- but it should not take a decade to toss a deviant out of the priesthood.

[dArKeR]

4. Pope Tells Journalists To Search For 'Truth'

Pope Tells Journalists To Search For 'Truth'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/23/AR2005042301372.html?nav=rss_world/europe

The Vatican has sought the intervention of the U.S. State Department to declare Pope Benedict XVI immune from a sexual abuse lawsuit filed here, according to court documents.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3201751

Vatican said Monday there was no investigation under way of allegations that the Mexican founder of a conservative religious order sexually abused seminarians
http://www.winktv.com/x466.xml?URL=http://localhost/APWIREFEED/d8a8vi600.xml

Vatican Reportedly Clears Priest
Vaca, a former priest, is one of at least eight men in Mexico and the United States who have accused the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado of molesting them when they were teenage seminary students in the 1940s, '50s and '60s.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200966.html?nav=rss_world/europe

Despite the horrific drumbeat of child molestation revelations, however, sensible Catholics hoping for a more transparent and less sexually repressed church shouldn't hold their breath. The new pope is not only a longtime leader of vicious church attacks on "evil" gays, he also has shamefully blamed the molestation scandal on the media.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/thenation/20050524/cm_thenation/20050606scheer0524_1

Vatican Accused of Child Molestation Cover-Up
http://atheism.about.com/b/a/098516.htm

Survivors Network says the overwhelming majority of its members have never sued and are too traumatized to do so. They say they adopted their tactics after bishops promised for years to take action against guilty clergy, then never did.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7463011/page/2

Pope's Nazi past
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7576505 /

[DanCa]

6. Now we know want Barney Fife meant by nipping it in the bud

Two decades ago, if they would have done something harsh then and there they wouldn't have had this problem . Of course what do I know they excommunicated me for standing up for gay rights, reproductive health, and stem cell research.

[noamnety]

7. The church officials who pleaded for leniency and reassigned him

also need to be dismissed.

Too little, too late. The man raped a child, and spent no time in prison, thanks to their interference.

[anitar1]

8. Yes , their superiors should be jailed for condoning this

behavior and sending the pedophiles to another state, enabling them to prey on more children. These people are all totally amoral, IMO. I recently read a long article about the Jesuits, stating that they were the worst offenders in the Church. A dear friend of mine was sent to a Jesuit seminary many years ago. He told me that he was repeatedly molested by 3 different priests, while he was a student there. He maintained that it was a common occurrence. Needless to say , he repudiated the Church as an adult.He was very bitter about it and felt it had ruined his life. He later took his own life. I feel the Church is riddled with corruption and is partially responsible for his death.

[Zhade]

9. FINALLY doing a tiny bit of the work they avoided for so long.

Keep it up, Ratzinger, and people might actually think you want to atone for aiding in the cover-up of child rape.

Personally, if he does, great. Now Catholics should work on helping him him move past his homophobic bigotry of all things GLBT...

Good luck, y'all. You'll need it.

[bullimiami]

10. im sorry but I disagree with the vatican again.

first they cover it up, pay it off and give the finger to the victims, law enforcement, society and morality.

then they cast the sick bastards away to fend for themselves and perhaps damage society again.


If they had any morality they would.
1) immediately upon finding a problem face it in the open. honestly. in concert with law enforcement.
2) see to it that the offender pays his debt as found out by the legal system and that the victims are cared for.
3) take care of the offending priest after they have served their time by giving them tasks and lives where they can be productive within the church and not a danger to others and provide them whatever counseling and help they need.


The Vatican is both self serving and amoral.

[Psephos]

11. I agree with 1 and 2, and disagree with 3

I respectfully disagree with your opinion.

Why are you holding the Church to a different standard than any other social or political institution?

What's next, a serial rapist who works for Sears now has a moral right to a job picking up trash in the Sears parking lot after release from prison?

The priest is a citizen before he is a priest, while he is a priest, and after he is a priest. His welfare after prison is a joint responsibility of himself and his society...not his former employer.

Peace.