Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Accused Priests

They have no legal protection even when falsely accused. An eye-opening article. To quote:
I have researched and written extensively about the case of one falsely accused and wrongly imprisoned priest from the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire who was one of the subjects of the mediated settlement described above. Father Gordon MacRae writes weekly for a remarkable Catholic blog, These Stone Walls (www.TheseStoneWalls.com) . He could have left prison over 14 years ago had he actually been guilty and willing to say so. Father MacRae will remain in prison for sixty-seven years unless his case can be overturned with new evidence. That’s ironic given that he was convicted with no evidence at all beyond the word of someone who walked away with $200,000 from the priest’s diocese. In one of the most egregious subversions of due process I have seen, the Diocese of Manchester issued a press release declaring him guilty before his trial.

One of Father MacRae’s accusers recanted this year, and provided a disturbing account of how he was enticed by others into falsely accusing the priest with the promise of a vast windfall of money. It is in fact money – not sex, not abuse, and not celibacy– that has driven the scandal since 2002 and sabotaged the civil liberties of accused priests. Father John Corapi’s superiors should reveal any financial demand brought by his accusers as well as their history of settlement of such demands. (Read entire article.)
Share

2 comments:

Julygirl said...

Not surprised. I have always been suspicious of the charges, especially once the word got out that there was money to be had. The people who make the false accusations are going to suffer much more torment for a much longer time than the falsely accused priests.

lara77 said...

For the priests who were guilty punishment was their due. However, those innocent priests who were falsely accused and are in prison; this is an abomination. To those who were only lying for the money they will answer to God. I cannot imagine the horror for the priests unjustly accused; let us pray God hears their pleas.