“He recommends that the church “completely get out” of child protection, hand over all its files to civil law enforcement, and make bishops sign a legal oath every year that there are no perpetrators in the ministry – which would open them to criminal prosecution if they are found to have lied.”
Excerpt from: “Onetime Priest Crusades for Victims Suing Catholic Church,” by Richard Allen Greene, CNN, June 19, 2011
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Great suggestion from this former” priest. Thank you. Now let the active priests be creative with changes to straighten up this disgraceful and sinful mess. Step up Fathers. It is Father’s Day and you are our fathers.
Great suggestion from this “former” priest. Thank you. Now let the active priests be creative with changes to straighten up this disgraceful and sinful mess. Step up Fathers. It is Father’s Day and you are our fathers. Yes or No???
Patrick Wall is a good dude and he’s somebody people should be listening to. He knows Canon Law and the RCC inside and out and has a great deal of knowledge about clergy sexual abuse. I know the man and I respect him. Also, Bob Hoatson, Ken Lasch, Tom Doyle are all former priests who have taken a stand for the victims, and ironically enough, they are the ones who have been stripped of their priestly garments. These men have tried to protect kids and instead of the Church thanking them, the Church removed them from ministry and eventually defrocked them. Yet the abusers are shielded from public scrutiny and the criminal justice system. Pat Wall is one of those guys I attribute to saving my life.
Also, I want to mention Sister Maureen Paul Turlish. She does a lot for victims in and around Philly. She has probably attended 1,000 protests. The woman is solid steel!
You bring up an excellent point and one that people should be aware of and that is the ‘rcc’ protects the enablers and abusers and de-frocks those that defend the innocent, this is clearly a RED FLAG !
I have seen Patrick Walls in many interviews.He is articulate,intelligent and most important-compassionate. The exact qualities we need in priests and he left because he could no longer participate in something he felt was so immoral. Insanity when the people who have integrity are either put out or choose to leave because their values are not compatible with the values – or I should say lack of values -of the Church.
I have read almost everything Patrick Wall has written and watched as many clips of him speaking. He’s phenomenal.
A thought crossed my mind when I read the part where he had married and had a child. I wonder if he’s raising his daughter Catholic…if she attends a Catholic school. Think he puts his most precious into the hands of those who have no accountability or transparency?
I know Pat Wall personally, but I won’t talk about his personal life. The reason we know so much about the cover-ups in the Catholic Church is because of Pat Wall and all the research had done and the experience he has being a Canon lawyer. The only problem I have with Pat is that he came to my town to meet me and ordered a damn hamburger. One word: CHESSESTEAK!
Tom Doyle was also a Canon attorney who worked at the Vatican. He has a wealth of knowledge and has been providing support to victims and their families for years.
Bob Hoatson, another former Catholic priest, will drive around the country to meet any victim anytime. He is a victim and an advocate, and most recently did a great job facilitating a meeting I set up in NE Philly for victims, families of victims, and supporters.
These kinds of priests, these kinds of men I should say, are hard to find nowadays. They do a great job in supporting victims and advocating for change and transparency in the Catholic Church.
http://www.Road-to-Recovery.org Bob Hoatson
http://www.PatrickJWall.wordpress.com
http://www.RichardSipe.com Richard Sipe, Pat Wall, Tom Doyle
We have Road to Recovery on the Resource page. I’ll add the other two. Thanks.
Wonder if any of these former priests mentioned in the comments might be willing to do a guest column?
Today, I read several commentaries, interviews and articles pertaining to the work of Patrick Wall. For years, I have read about his work on behalf of sexual abuse victims, along with his first-hand insights into the culture of the Catholic Church. Richard Sipe’s website frequently highlights Wall’s efforts and opinions. But “Former Priest Helps Victims in Court” inspired me to explore Wall, again and further.
Among the interesting ideas I came upon is Wall’s frequently asserted view that “it’s ok to move on from the Catholic Church.” The idea is both simple and profound.
Wall’s background is in philosophy, theology, canon law and civil law. He is a former member of the clergy. Yet he thoughtfully acknowledges that leaving the church is “ok.”
What are your thoughts on Wall’s complex point of view?
Hadit,
For some reason I didn’t get this email from C4C, I had to find it on the FEED.
I hope I start receiving them again, anyway, the question you raise on “leaving the church” is one that is central on my blog/website if you are unaware.
Please visit:
http://xcatholic.yuku.com
It is called “Ex-Catholic And Saved By Grace
The larger the cry from supporters, whether they be clergy or lay people, the more our voices will be heard and not ignored. Throughout history, the brave “whistle blowers” who dared to oppose corporate giants like the RCC to enlighten and benefit the population at large, were often broken and defeated due to lack of support and fear of retaliation. So many lost everything. In my opinion, the defrocked priests who sacrificed everything to bring years of abuse to light only to be punished by their church in favor of sexual abusers will not be forgotten. In fact, they may be the ones to pick up the broken pieces of our shattered church and lead us in a new direction. With our help, the people who have suffered for so long in silence will be heard. Thank you to everyone on this site for your continued dedication to this cause.
“He recommends that the church “completely get out” of child protection, hand over all its files to civil law enforcement, and make bishops sign a legal oath every year that there are no perpetrators in the ministry – which would open them to criminal prosecution if they are found to have lied.”
Well…Amen! You think this will happen? I don’t believe it for a second. It is definitely what should be done, though.
I’ve been doing some research on Catholic Reform Movements and hope that these links will help both the clergy and the laity. The way I look at this situation, the laity can express themselves via the social media, whereas members of the clergy and the religious-orders cannot speak-up for fear of character-assassination, humiliation, community-shunning and the loss of pensions and benefits. Their employer is also their spiritual-advisor. Quite a conflict of interest to their disadvantage. A life-time of service in poverty, chastity and obedience … long hours… late retirement… below minimum wage…isolation and loneliness…platonic friendships discouraged…financial, emotional and spiritual dependence on their Superiors…a documentation-trail of their ‘grave sins’ in case they decide to speak-up…a constant struggle against guilt…a solitary journey on their way to perfection. It takes a lot of courage to speak-up. Patrick Wall is a hero. Below-mentioned are some useful links which, in turn, lead to further sites.
http://www.arcc-catholic-rights.net/
http://americancatholiccouncil.org/
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/
http://www.votf.org/index.html
http://www.cta-usa.org/
http://www.shc.edu/theolibrary/
http://www.watac.net/
http://www.womenpriests.org/index.asp
http://www.cnwe.org/
I find It helpful to review the various resources in order to focus on my areas of interest and concern.