PORTLAND, Maine — The leader of Maine’s Catholic church says the diocese is investigating allegations of sex abuse against a retired priest, who was tried and acquitted of sexually assaulting a teenage altar server 18 years ago.
Bishop Richard Malone said a complaint filed with the church in November alleges that the Rev. Antonin “Tony” Caron was involved in incidents from 1982 to 1986 while he was a priest at parishes in Mechanic Falls and Gray.
The 68-year-old Caron was tried in 1994 in Washington County Superior Court on charges of gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact, assault and sexual abuse of a minor. A jury found him not guilty after deliberating for four and a half hours following a four-day trial.
Caron was accused of sexually assaulting the then-15-year-old girl on May 9, 1992, with a pencil and his hands in the sacristy — a small, open room behind the altar — in St. James the Grater Catholic Church in Baileyville, moments before the start of a Saturday afternoon mass, according to a previously published report. His defense attorney told the jury that Caron was a homosexual and would not have assaulted a girl.
The girl told no one about the incident for a year. She confided in George Richard Nutter, a teacher at Woodland High School and her tennis coach in 1993, according to previously published reports. He was required by law to report what she had told him to law enforcement. Their investigation led to charges being filed against Caron.
His accuser was one of 10 victims of clergy abuse who met in June 2002 with now retired Bishop Joseph Gerry and other diocesan officials in what was called by the diocese a “listening session.”
Caron was placed on sabbatical when the investigation began in 1993. After the trial, he retired to Lewiston. In 2000, the church barred Caron from ministry for his involvement in a sexually explicit website, according to previously published reports.
Although the site was shut down, part of its contents were posted on the website of a conservative Catholic watchdog group. The images showed, among other things, naked men and a closeup of a man’s genitals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bishop Malone is outraged that employees of a Catholic hospital might get free birth control coverage through their insurer, but keeps this priest on for ten years after he is involved in a sexually explicit website. Priorities?
You have your Bishop’s wrong. Article says the priest was barred from ministry in 2000 which is when Geary was still Bishop. Malone did not become Bishop until 2004. You and the 70 something people who like your comment ought to to get your facts straight before accusing someone.
Pavel, stop carrying water. Malone allowed Caron to remain in ministry until 2010. That would be 6 years under his watch. So, yes, Malone kept Fr. Caron in ministry.
Since they haven’t ever launched an all-out attack on condoms (except perhaps the African Bishops who’ve seen to bans in that aids ridden continent) , the hoopla about women’s contraceptives has to be nothing less than good old fashioned misogyny. Why do they ignore the fact that the vast majority of Catholic women use or have used contraceptives for decades? So much for the Catholic conscience and teaching our wise bishops say they’re defending.
Well my comment was removed. Not surprised though.
Were you a bad boy??? ROFL
Of course your so right. Catholic couples have been using birth control for many decades. They kept it to themselves. It really is a private matter. AND you can tell the families that did not practice birth control. The house was overflowing with children~Not a bad thing if you can afford them..but so many could not~
Sex abuse, not surprised. Yet the Republicans- TeaParty and the Catholic Church don’t want women to have birth control. How sick is that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mighty broad brush you’re wielding there, KC…
Can you show me where you found the facts that support your statement? I know many republicans, members of the tea party and Catholic church supporters that are all about women having access to birth control. There may be some that wish they did not have to provide it free to all women but they are not against birth control as you have stated.
Then they need to call their church and tell them to stop the hysterics.
Well are you saying that the church has no right to their own opinion but instead must comply with your opinions? Really Bangorian?
It would not be free but paid for by the premiums that the employer and employees pay and wouild most likely have a co-payment aspect.
Correction: Republicans do not want to pay for YOUR birth control. Step up to the plate and take responsibility for yourself!
“They” don’t want to pay for anything for anyone but themselves. Selfish , greedy group of folks!! They think they’ve “earned” all that they have. If you look deep enough……….”they” have STOLEN from all the hard working class folks time and time again. That is how they are rich………..and they are self serving “folks”
Have you ever seen a poor Politician regardless of which party their from …………………. consider what they spend to get a job that, WHY, unless they intend too …………………. make it up some how.
Consider that now they are working on making it illegal for them to use insider information (that WE would be jailed for) to make money on Wall Street ………………. makes one wonder how many more perks they have that “WE” AMERICANS would be jailed for using or knowing!
It would not be free but paid for by the premiums that the employer and employees pay and would most likely have a co-payment aspect.
Why should we have to pay for congress’ birth control then?
Or gay marriage.They should get over themselfs and deal in reality instead of ancient mythology.
You must be a super athlete to have made the jump from this story to your own personnel agenda.
How much of a jump is the public sexual policies of the Bishop ?
He fights families and woman’s health rights but he drags his feet on child molestation.
Who said you shall know them by the fruits that they bear ?
keep jumping
I see a connection :>)
yoju are the sick one
Its not about birth control its about the fed believing it has the right to tell religious institutions anything.Step back from your hate and try to process what the real issues are not what you want them to be .
Mandatory inclusion of birth control in employer provided insurance
is already the law in 28 states; some have “work arounds” for
Catholic institutions and some don’t. The
proposed Federal Regulation does not apply to the church itself; it only
applies to institutions (colleges, hospitals, charities, etc.) that participate
in the public sector and usually receive public money for doing so.
Why does the “public” allow the Catholic Church and Republicans to
make a big deal out of an issue that is the law in more than half of the
states? See http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article727121.ece
Would Christ sacrifice social justice and equality for many (cutting
social welfare programs, continuing to support the redistribution of income to
the wealthy, disproportionate incarceration of minorities, the death penalty,
etc.) to force his beliefs on others?
Did not Christ drive the money changers from the temple (57
million for the Crystal Cathedral when national Catholic Charities has income
of appox 14 million for 2011)? See http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/18/local/la-me-orange-diocese-20111218
and http://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/document.doc?id=2882
btw: the 28 states having laws or regulations ensuring equity in private insurance
coverage for
prescription contraception: AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, HI, IL, IA, ME,
MD, MA, MI, MO, MT, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OR, RI, VT, WA, WV, WI.
thank you for your dissertation on what Christ would do ,but I still think its not to much to ask for folks to buy there own condoms
Why isn’t it about the Church’s corporations taking federal money,
but not meeting standard employment benefit packages ?
The only surprising thing to me was that it wasn’t an alter boy for a change.
If the priests would wear their collars frontwards and their pants backwards, there wouldn’t be as many problems.
The outrage ought to be, Why arent these ” complaints ” filed with the police?
I can name a couple of thousand reasons.
Here a just a few
FBI Agent Pleads Guilty to Child Abuse
Tuesday February 17, 2004 11:46 PM
By JOHN SOLOMON
WASHINGTON (AP) – The former chief internal watchdog at the FBI has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 6-year-old girl and has admitted he had a history of molesting other children before he joined the bureau for what became a two-decade career.
John H. Conditt Jr., 53, who retired in 2001, was sentenced last week to 12 years in prison in Tarrant County court in Fort Worth, Texas, after he admitted he molested the daughter of two FBI agents after he retired. He acknowledged molesting at least two other girls before he began his law enforcement career, his lawyer said.
Monday August 8, 2005 Longtime FBI agent sentenced to prison on child porn count
By JOHN MILLER
BOISE, Idaho (AP) A longtime FBI agent who helped arrest mountain-man Claude Dallas and was involved in a deadly 1984 siege involving white supremacists in Washington state is going to prison for 12 months after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography.
William Buie, 64, of Boise, most recently worked as an investigator for the Idaho attorney general’s office.
February 22, 2007
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. A F.B.I. analyst has been sentenced to seven years in prison for having sex with a young girl in Spotsylvania County.
Forty-four-year-old Anthony John Lesko entered an Alford plea yesterday in Spotsylvania County Circuit Court to nine counts of felony indecent liberties upon a child. An Alford plea means Lesko doesn’t admit guilt but believes there is enough evidence for a conviction.
Authorities say Lesko engaged in a sex act with her nine times, beginning when she was nine years old.
According to the plea, Lesko said he was a victim in the case. He said the girl initiated the contact.
FBI Agent Accused Of Masturbating In Public
May 25, 2007 09:02 PM
FBI Agent Accused Of Masturbating In Public
Posted by, Marissa Pasquet KOLD News 13 News Editor
FBI Special Agent Ryan Seese, 34, is facing sex offense charges after a cleaning woman said she found him masturbating in a women’s lavatory on campus, according to a University of Arizona police spokesman.
FBI agent arrested on child sexual assault charge
Associated Press – January 15, 2008
PUEBLO, Colo. (AP) – An FBI agent is under arrest in Pueblo for investigation of sexual assault on a child by someone in a position of trust.
Authorities say 53-year-old David Allan Johnson is being held in the Pueblo County jail today on a $100,000 bail.
Former Great Falls FBI agent sentenced on child sex charges
Jan 23, 2008
A man from Great Falls who’s accused of sexually assaulting five underage girls will be spending the next 10 years behind bars.
Stanley Perkins, 64, changed his plea to guilty after police began investigating him for child molestation in August 2006.
The former educator, who also served two years as an FBI agent, was sentenced on one count of felony sexual assault.
see link for full story
Jail for former FBI worker from Va.
Washington Post Editors
A 65-year-old former FBI employee from Prince William County was sentenced to nearly four years in prison Friday for possessing child pornography.
Samuel I. Kaplan, of Gainesville, who pleaded guilty June 2 in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, was sentenced to 46 months behind bars.
Kaplan was an information technology program manager at an FBI facility in Chantilly when authorities discovered that he had used the FBI’s computer network to “facilitate sexually explict communications,” the Justice Department said.
Investigators said they later found 10 to 20 images on Kaplan’s home computer showing juveniles involved in sex acts.
Good question !
…….and what else might be new regarding the unholy catholic church?
Here we go again!
They suspended him for being gay but not for his “history of ” “legal troubles.”
The article says they suspended him for his activity in a sexually explicit website ….there is nothing in the article that says he was suspended for being gay, on the contrary, he was acquitted on allegations of sexual misconduct with a young Woman ….
The PPH story says “In March 2000, the church suspended Caron for several months for his involvement with a now-defunct website for gay clergymen.”
Maybe he thought the young lady was a young man.
Don’t you think he could tell?
the church’s own research says that OVER 50% of their priest are gay. They don’t suspend for being gay.
Because gays are NOT pedophiles…A pedophile can be of any sexual preference. They are just sick~
Agreed. However, I often have wondered if the priest sexual abuse of young teenage men is more “targets of opportunity” than clinical pedophilia. In other words, the teens happen to be available and are far less likely to report the abuse to parents or authorities than might adult males. Clearly, abuse of a 5 year old falls into the clinical pedophilia category, though.
Here is my theory (as a gay man): Some of these priests, especially the older ones, came from an era where the church ruled everything, gay rights were non-existent, and social ostracism was the name of the game. Up until the 1970’s or so when the gay rights movement really took off, a man graduating from high-school had three choices: college, the military, or getting married. Anything else, and you were a queer. It was a very lonely time for many. I suspect a number of these guys, being Catholic already, and no doubt beating themselves up for these “unnatural and ungodly internal turmoils” (being brainwashed from birth that being gay is a sin) jumped into the priesthood to try to “cure” themselves. (Much like most psychologists I know – about a half-bubble off-center.)
And, of course, what better place to be! You are not allowed to be married. You get to live with other men. You are surrounded with art, music, and great architecture. The work isn’t very physical. You have a hierarchical structure which is very comforting. You are doted upon by the laity. Women love you and trust your judgement.
And, the clothes! You start off with basic black, then a bit of gold and red piping. You work your way up. Pretty soon more gold, robes, and accessories. Pretty soon, you get into those hats! And, these are hats a DC drag-queen would not have the nerve to wear – completely over the top. By now, you’re into the shoes and a gold staff to carry around. Finally, and admittedly this is a tough one to get – you work your way up to the very top position within the church – you get to wear white after Labor Day!
I mean, really, why wouldn’t this be the most attractive job in the world for a gay man? Heck, I thought of it myself, but all that praying and self-loathing – too much.
(Sorry – got off topic there a bit.)
In a nutshell, what I am saying is that the priesthood appears to be an attractive place for some young men troubled with their sexuality. I could see where, over time, this becomes a “power trip” and taking advantage, and becoming a predator, is a possibility. Perhaps, the activity is more repressed gay behavior than clinical pedophilia, although the fact the abuse occurs against youth legally makes it pedophilia, it could well be something else, clinically speaking. I say all this because it strikes me as odd that one institution could have so many clinical pedophiles.
I think this all is a sad result of repression of one’s sexual identity. As a kid growing up in small-town Maine, I certainly saw a number of gay married men who married just because society forced them to. They were unhappy and many were alcoholics. And, worst of all, many bought into the idea they were evil and sinful men, constantly reminded so by society and the all-powerful church.
Fortunately, times have changed and continue to evolve. The church, still sitting in the 12th century, will take a bit longer to catch-up.
Very interesting theory.
Well said. With humor and insight. Pathos, too. But with no exulting!
75 percent of so-called “pedophile priests” had a homosexual relationship with an adolescent boy. That is not the definition of pedophilia. That is a purely homosexual act. I’m not saying that all gays are pedophiles, because thankfully, they’re not. But the vast majority of priests who have been accused of sexual abuse committed homosexual acts.
That this happened is not surprising at all. For many years, and especially during the latter half of the 20th century, gay men have infiltrated the Catholic priesthood with the idea of “changing the Church” in regards to its teachings about human sexuality. Two Catholic bishops from the Midwest admitted in the recent past to having recruited over 1800 gay men as priests in the 1980’s, just for that purpose.
The main mission of a Catholic priest is to lead souls to salvation. Homosexual priests who have gay sex as their main focus would more naturally tend to be caught up in the temptation to engage in that type of sex. Promoting a sin is more important to them than promoting salvation, so they are more likely to get caught up in the type of sin that they are promoting. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. And since one has to become a priest before one becomes a bishop, it is not hard to realize why many gay bishops were out to protect their colleagues.
The huge scandal in all of this is that many innocent young people were badly hurt by someone who was supposed to be guiding them to salvation. The scandal is much larger in scope than that, however, because many Catholics left the Church, and many non-Catholics (a large number of whom are pro-gay sex, ironically) have used the priest scandal as an attack point against the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church will overcome this scandal, though, just as it has overcome countless scandals caused by its sinful members over the past 2000 years. When Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church, he promised that the gates of hell would never prevail against it. The gay priests with the anti-Catholic agendas will be only banging their heads against the wall until Jesus comes again, but unfortunately, they will cause a lot of heartache, and possibly many souls to be lost, in their wake.
75 percent of so-called “pedophile priests” had a homosexual relationship with
an adolescent boy.
That IS pedophilia…the rest of your post I am not sure about, but, doubt good bit of it.
You’re trying to deflect blame. Having sex with and molesting a child IS pedophilia. The vast majority of pedophiles do NOT care about gender. Don’t try and paint gays as child molesters. That’s a lie and it’s a disgusting lie to make.
Just ask them how many angels can dance on the head of pin, when they get this way.
It has been an big wedge issue in the Church, for eons.
I think pedophiles can prefer one sex over another . Many married men molest boys Look at Carlson. Oh wait he was gay. Anyone that would have sex with someone underage has serious issues regardless of what sex they prefer . Its is just sick the church covers up for so many. Sorry anyone who covers up for a molester is a far worse person than the molester at least we can all agree a child molester is a sick person .
Sure, some prefer one over the other, but the vast majority don’t. They’re opportunistic and will prey on what’s accessible.
Many like to put this off as a gay thing, but consensual sex is no where near the same thing as molestation. To make that kind of suggestion is dangerous.
I have no way to verify your claims about recruiting 1800 gays to become priests. I have a hard enough time getting a dozen friends to agree on what Broadway show to get group tickets for.
Your post reads like a left-handed slam against gays and downplaying the pedophilia angle while exonerating the church. As I said in a prior post, pedophilia is defined, legally, as sex with someone under the age of consent and that varies from state to state but usually is in the 16 to 18 year old bracket. I am not inclined to think there was any mass conspiracy to interject gays into the priesthood. Communication and networking was not what it is today. I have been in the gay rights movement since the 1970’s and I never have heard of this story. And, frankly, it doesn’t sound plausible. From my recollection of that time, most people just dismissed the church as an anachronism of the time. Much more on the radar in the 1980’s was the AIDS issue and civil rights. The Religious Right with Jerry Falwell was in the news and efforts to counteract his bigotry and the whole Evangelical/Fundamentalist claptrap was well underway. That was the tail-end of the Anita Bryant era.
I am not seeing how a planned and coordinated effort of 1800 gay men “infiltrating the church” could have gone unnoticed by those of us in the movement. Many members were ex-Catholics and some ex-Seminary students. You’d think this would have made the rounds.
“The gay priests with their anti-Catholic agendas…?” Again, it sounds like you are trying to exonerate the church and lay blame for this whole fiasco on some “outside invaders” Will the church never step up and accept responsibility for any of its actions? Do recall, this whole priest transfer scandal went all the way to the Vatican and around the world and has existed since at least the 1950’s. I believe there is more culpability here then you are willing to admit.
The Catholic Church has been under attack from infiltrators of all types since the 1st century, A.D. The reason why is because its teachings contain all of the truth that God wants to reveal to humanity in order to lead us to salvation. Satan, the father of lies, will do anything he can to take souls away from God and put them into hell for eternity. That includes the infiltration of the Catholic Church, which Satan sees as his mortal enemy on earth.
All of you who are complaining about my post have a hard time to understand, precisely because you are not Catholic. I have been Catholic for over 50 years. Especially over the past 30 years, I have seen priest after priest stand at the pulpit and preach against the very faith that they vowed to uphold and promote. And in the process, they have driven countless numbers of Catholics away from the church, and likely away from their salvation.
And do you know what the root issue of this anti-Catholicism among priests is? One word: sex. These priests all have the root issue of being pro-contraceptive, pro-gay sex, or both. Sex is more important to them than the salvation of souls, so they attack the only institution that has God’s definitive teachings on sex, the Catholic Church.
St. Thomas Aquinas was the greatest theologian of all time. He lived in the 13th century, and there was never anyone remotely close to him in intellectual and religious brilliance before him or since him. He wrote encyclopedia upon encyclopedia’s worth of volumes regarding God and the Catholic Church. He enjoyed rock star fame within the Catholic Church, which was at the pinnacle of Western society at the time.
Several years before Thomas died, God granted to him to see a brief vision of heaven. After that vision, Thomas lay down his pen and said, “What I have written is so much straw.” The word “straw” was used then as we would use the word “sh*t” today. Thomas never wrote another word until he died.
If Thomas felt that just that brief little vision of heaven was worth denigrating his lifetime’s work of the great Christian study ever known to man, then I want heaven for myself. I want it not only for myself, but for my family, friends, and even for people I don’t know. Because Thomas saw heaven for just an instant while he was on earth. Just imagine what it would be like to spend eternity there.
Is it really worth giving up heaven for all eternity just to be able to have illicit sex for 50 or so years on earth? I have been married for 28 years, and I think sex is great. It could all end for me in a heartbeat, though, if my wife were to die. I have been mostly bed-ridden because of illness for 22 years, and I would not think that another woman would find me desirable for marriage. But if I were given the choice of no sex in exchange for an eternity in heaven, or all the illicit sex I wanted in exchange for an eternity in hell, I would take the first choice without a nano-second’s thought. Maybe you non-Catholics have never seen this perspective of the merits of obeying God’s commandments, but I thought I’d put it out there, so you can see where serious Catholics are coming from. There is nothing more important to us in our lives as to whether we spend eternity in heaven or hell. Even sex is not even remotely as important. ‘Nuff said.
Clearly you believe very strongly in your views. Thank you for your comments.
Thank you for yours. Looks like we were both scalped by the BDN, though. Here’s another try from my end.
The Catholic Church has been under attack from infiltrators of all types
since the 1st century, A.D. The reason why is because its teachings
contain all of the truth that God wants to reveal to humanity in order
to lead us to salvation. Satan, the father of lies, will do anything he
can to take souls away from God and put them into hell for eternity.
That includes the infiltration of the Catholic Church, which Satan sees
as his mortal enemy on earth.
All of you who are complaining about my post have a hard time to
understand, precisely because you are not Catholic. I have been
Catholic for over 50 years. Especially over the past 30 years, I have
seen priest after priest stand at the pulpit and preach against the very
faith that they vowed to uphold and promote. And in the process, they
have driven countless numbers of Catholics away from the church, and
likely away from their salvation.
And do you know what the root issue of this anti-Catholicism among
priests is? One word: sex. These priests all have the root issue of
being pro-contraceptive, pro-gay sex, or both. Sex is more important to
them than the salvation of souls, so they attack the only institution
that has God’s definitive teachings on sex, the Catholic Church.
St. Thomas Aquinas was the greatest theologian of all time. He lived in
the 13th century, and there was never anyone remotely close to him in
intellectual and religious brilliance before him or since him. He wrote
encyclopedia upon encyclopedia’s worth of volumes regarding God and the
Catholic Church. He enjoyed rock star fame within the Catholic Church,
which was at the pinnacle of Western society at the time.
Several years before Thomas died, God granted to him to see a brief
vision of heaven. After that vision, Thomas lay down his pen and said,
“What I have written is so much straw.” The word “straw” was used then
as we would use the word “crap” today. Thomas never wrote another word
until he died.
If Thomas felt that just that brief little vision of heaven was worth
denigrating his lifetime’s work of the great Christian study known to
man, then I want heaven for myself. I want it not only for myself, but
for my family, friends, and even for people I don’t know. Because
Thomas saw heaven for just an instant while he was on earth. Just
imagine what it would be like to spend eternity there.
Is it really worth giving up heaven for all eternity just to be able to
have illicit sex for 50 or so years on earth? I have been married for
28 years, and I think sex is great. It could all end for me in a
heartbeat, though, if my wife were to die. I have been mostly
bed-ridden because pf illness for 22 years, and I would not think that
another woman would find me desirable for marriage. But if I were given
the choice of no sex in exchange for an eternity in heaven, or all the
illicit sex I wanted in exchange for an eternity in hell, I would take
the first choice without a nano-second’s thought. Maybe you
non-Catholics have never seen this perspective of the merits of obeying
God’s commandments, but I thought I’d put it out there, so you can see
where serious Catholics are coming from. There is nothing more
important to us in our lives as to whether we spend eternity in heaven
or hell.
“Judica me, Deus, et discerne caussam meam de gente non sancta: ab homine iniquo et doloso erue me”.
These words are taken from the Introit of the Latin Mass. It means: Judge me, God, and distiguish my cause from that of an ungodly nation: and deliver me from the unjust and deceitful man.
This prayer has been lost in our religious practice, and we need to regain it as I believe that prayer is powerful. We need some protection from these deceitful men, So, let us pray.
That is JUST like blaming the government because contraceptives lower woman’s health insurance costs, instead of practicing YOUR OWN “morals”, and abstaining from being in business, abstain for taking all that evil Federal money and NOT treating your workers like other employers must.
Both are just the rationale of privileged elitists wanting things both ways at once,
and calling that “morals”.
Who said, “You shall know them by the fruits that they bear.” ?
A pedophile is 11 times more likely to be heterosexual then homosexual.
I agree…
No correlation…..No one cares if they get birth control, just pay for it on their own or don’t have sex.
Let me guess, you are opposed to abortion rights as well, right?
Get all the abortions you like – but PAY YOUR OWN BILLS! Why is this so hard for liberals to understand? I don’t give a fig what you do, but I expect you to PAY YOUR OWN BILLS. Why should you expect the rest of America to pay for your poor lifestyle choices? Really!
Exactly~ very well said!
Abortions aren’t funded by tax dollars.
Just wait until Obama gets done with his Hope & Change “improvements”…
Is not funding contraceptives the plan, next, too ?
Are you truly ignorant? the point is women working for catholic organizations not having proper insurance coverage. Do you work? Do you have insurance? or are you so wealthy that hospital bills are a mere pittance to you? These women are working, and paying their share of the insurance premiums, what they want is proper coverage!
What does buying your own condoms have to do with hospital bills.Why is it so easy 4 u to insult others who have differing opinions than yours ,you should try a little tolerance.
Employers do not have to provide health insurance.
They do if they recieve federal money to operate. If the catholic church wants to continue to discriminate against women, simply stop taking federal money.
I agree. I am very tired of paying more in local property taxes to provide services for churches that pay no tax. They, especially the Catholic Church, need to pay their own bills. If the Catholic Church wants to run businesses, hospitals, colleges, social services agencies, etc they need to pay their own bills. If they use public money then they need to follow the same rules as any other business. I am always amazed how the church is happy to accept public services, that everyone else pays for, accept public money for their businesses, and then carry on about their lack of religious freedom. The church needs to pay local property taxes, and get their hands out of the public till. Then we can talk about religious freedom.
The liberals are paying for the choices of the GOP. Take a look at that!
Another super feat of athleticism making the jump from her comment to your agenda.Very impressive .
Is attacking the messenger to maintain your denial of reality your only point ?
You would do more good, both morally and politically,
lighting another novena candle to St. Jude.
No idea what that is but thanks I guess?
Plenty of correlation, the church explicity FORBIDS its members from using birth control (never mind that 99% of catholic women do at some point in their lives use birth control). The question I have is if this young women the priest was banging was using birth control, I thought that was why priests normally preferred young boys, no chance of a slipup.
My question …was she a willing participant? She would not be the first who hit on a priest.
Something about the “forbidden fruit,” well, so to speak.
Yup…just like the dam apple! LOL
It would not be free but paid for by the premiums that the employer and employees pay and would most likely have a co-payment aspect.
The Catholic Church should spend more time and effort tracking and exposing pedophile priests, instead of covering for them. But then, if they did that they wouldn’t have time to preach about the evils of birth control.
Sick puppies….
So shameful. I’m very proud of my Catholic heritage, but this all is just disgusting. Coupled with the fact that the Church has decided to make the contraceptives and gay marriage issues their hill to die on, it’s too much. Would be wonderful if they could get back to doing good and the lord’s work.
Couldn’t agree more.
I’m thinking maybe you shouldn’t be so proud of that….I was raised Catholic for a while in my childhood and I am proud to say that I got out of it unscathed!
I support the pedophile rehabilitative policy of the Catholic Church called RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
The people who are Catholics/ and or Christians posting here are an active barometer of their ability to practice unconditional love. Yea the question is what would Christ do in this case?
Another question I have is did FBI agents murder the child who filed pedophilia charges against FBI agent Hutton?
Prosecutors move to dismiss charges against former Scout leader
January 3, 2007
NEW HAVEN, Conn. –Federal prosecutors have moved to dismiss charges against a retired FBI agent who was indicted on child sex charges dating back more than a decade when he was a Boy Scout leader, in response to the death of his accuser.
William Hutton, 63, of Killingworth, was arrested in February on charges he enticed a member of his Scout troop to Maine for the purpose of sexual activity in 1994 and 1995.
Another nasty blow for the Catholic Church. I’m not Catholic, but I respect a person’s right to practice whatever religion they prefer. However, I will never stop wondering WHY some religions feel that humans can completely escape their sexual nature without repercussions.
So typical of Bishop Malone’s indifference toward alleged sexual abuse of his priests and of his obsession with Catholic hospitals and other Catholic institutions getting birth control coverage. I, as a non-Catholic, am fed up with his and his Church’s insistence of government “hands off” in some areas but impose their bigoted views re marriage rights for gays and lesbians upon
non-Catholic Mainers who are infinitely more compassionate and caring than they are or ever will be.
Whats the difference between gay and lesbian.
Time for Malone to go !!!!!!!!!!!!
Way past time to clean house and keep it that way…
Can’t wait for next sunday. Every priest and bishop will be making a statement about ending injustice and loving everyone. That’s what the Gospel used to be about. Now it’s about keeping women pregnant and keeping money zipped tight in church coffers. Ah, the irony!
Rather than sitting at the keyboard exulting in human failures, might we pray on our knees for priests and bishops as they serve the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the world?
http://lnk.co/IIFDQ
Birth control available would cut down on the number of children for Priests to violate. This is not news, this is or should be an embarrassment to the Catholic Church. But it isn’t. Remember this is a religion that caters to the Mob, and if you pay enough money you can be blessed through anything. That’s not religion. And these Sex Offenders should be tried and punished just like anyone else. Too bad Sandusky wasn’t a strong Catholic, he could be relocated and go on with life.
It does make me wonder where the church is going to find new “meat for the seats.” As a kid, I remember these huge (10+) Catholic families. Then, it got down to 5 kids, then 3, and now 1 or none. This has to be affecting the membership roles.
I have not been inside any church in years but I am told a Sunday mass is a sea of cotton-heads. Not a huge number of young families signing on. There also are these new mega-churches in the suburbs that have everything including child-care available. Lots more options.
Upper-management in the church must see these trends. Costs going up and attendance going down cannot reflect well on the bottom-line.
Perhaps, all this yammering on about gay marriage and birth control is just an attempt to whip people into a lather to get them back to the church. I also noted the church is advertising on TV with a “come home to the church” ad. First time I have seen them shilling for members. Seems odd.
Baptists, Witnesses and Mormons make a profession out of shilling for members. It is all about the MONEY not GOD.
Referring to the RCC being all about money and not God? I agree.
I recall one time when I was a child, we made this trip to this big Catholic church north of Quebec city. We weren’t Catholic but grandmother was really into architecture and traveling (I learned much from her), and admittedly, the structure was impressive. However, over the PA system, while I was there, in both English and French, they gave a list of prices for everything, including candles. It really took away from the aura of the place. I felt like I was at a religious version of “South of the Border.”
And you expect churches to be heated and maintained, and priests and nuns to eat, without money? Seems to me that you’re missing something here.
Yes, sure, but everything costs money? You can hardly walk in the place without being solicited for cash. Granted, they do have a lot of overhead, lots of bills to pay, court cases to settle, and if they don’t keep out of secular politics, taxes to pay.
So, my mistake – you were referring to the Baptists, Witnesses, and Mormons, being into it for the money and not God. The shilling of members is their modus operandi and not that of the RCC?
Well, not so sure. As I said there are TV ads now that I never before have seen. Here is one about marriage (upper-right corner): http://foryourmarriage.org/
This one with church sponsorship: http://www.catholicscomehome.org/
Here is the news story: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/06/9252624-prime-time-religion-catholics-to-air-national-tv-ads
Now, the “bringing home existing Catholics” is not, per se, shilling from NEW members. The other two web-page buttons for non-Catholics and atheists looks like shilling for members to me.
By the way, there is nothing wrong with this. As you said, they have bills to pay.
Advertising costs money, too. I would gladly welcome far more advertising by the Catholic Church to make its truth known to people. Without the teachings of the Catholic Church to live by, this world is utterly hopeless.
And, one more. Scott’s husband, Rick, also a history scholar, provided these comments. Scott & Rick were married in DC shortly after same-sex marriage became legal in the District. They have been together for probably 35 years by now. Scott is originally from Maine, by the way. Again, I provide this as their comments. I don’t really have a dog in this fight.
Chuck,
This man is either very short on knowledge or he wants to allege that the RC Church was a cohesive and functioning religious institution in the first century AD. Nothing could be farther from the truth. At that time Christianity was a very small, diffuse, and fragmented cult. There was no RC church, and the enclaves of Christians were secretive and mostly underground. The church could only form as it did with the support of the emperor Constantine in the early fourth century–312 I recall. He is not believed to have been a believer himself but rather to have elevated Christianity within the empire more for political
purposes. This is when the real fun began.
I have missed your posts. How do I get back on your mailing list?
Best,
Rick
Just as a follow-up – your comments are appreciated. Frankly, this gets too far down in the weeds for me. I was not raised Catholic so I do not have the in-depth knowledge of the religion that others do. I forwarded this article and our conversations to a friend of mine in his 70’s who grew up in Baltimore and was raised amid the big Catholic population that is Baltimore and is Maryland. Here is his reply, as an FYI to you. Again, it is over my head at this point.
Chuck,
You may wish to inform whomever wrote the below information. Jesus Christ had no last name. The term “Christ” was added after his death by others. Jesus spoke Aramaic as his native language though Greek was spoken in Nazareth. He did not found the Catholic Church. Others did. After his death, his followers founded five churches which were at the time united. They were in Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Alexandria and Rome.
All except Jerusalem still exist and all have either a Pope or Patriarch. The R.C. church is just one of four though it is the largest of the lot. During the medieval period, they drifted apart.
In fact the Roman Catholic church which calls itself universal and is not. Pope John Paul II actually visited most of the others including Pope Shenouda III, the 117th Pope in Alexandria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Shenouda_III_of_Alexandria
(What a beard he has). The smallest of the three churches (Antioch) is now in Damascus and is headed by His Holiness Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, its Partiarch.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignatius_Zakka_I_Iwas
The Constantinople Church split 3 ways:
Serbian Orthodox, His Holiness Irinej, Patriarch, Belgrade:
http://www.spc.rs/eng
Russian Orthodox, Patriarch of Moscow and all of Russia, Krill:
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2012/01/07/russian-orthodox-patriarch-kirill-urges-kremlin-to-heed-protesters/
Krill caused Russia to deny entry to John Paul II. I do not think he wanted the Roman Church to increase its influence in Russia. Krill has churches throughout the world including the U.S. There is one I have seen in Montgomery County [Maryland]. Krill is now at odds with Putin. Wonder who is going to win this one or will it remain a standoff.
Last, Constantinople. This is a highly decentralized church and it’s hard for me to fine a church head so I’ll not try to do so. It is undergoing persecution in places, especially in Jerusalem as this Reuters web site indicates:
http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2012/01/07/russian-orthodox-patriarch-kirill-urges-kremlin-to-heed-protesters/.
These churches are not a part of the Protestant split with Rome which took place in the 2nd millenia (Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, et. al.). They go back to the very beginning of Christianity and link directly to the followers of Jesus.
And so I guess I went much farther in this than I should but some might find it interesting. This has fascinated me for years because these churches, not just Rome, have highly influenced the people of the U.S., their attitudes, morals, legal system, and even government.
By the way, there are scriptures which are not recognized by Rome, that are a part of the liturgy of the others. There are gospels by Thomas, James, Mary Magdalene, and Thomas that do make interesting reading.
Scott
Get his but in incarceration then sort it out.
This really isn’t news any more; it’s just the way it is when men go against nature and don’t like women. Why do people drop their kids of at these places anyway?
More molestation, not surprised at all. Women can’t get free contraceptives but Priests and Tea Party-Rethuglican men get their free VIAGRA. How really, really sick is that.
“but Priests and Tea Party-Rethuglican men get their free VIAGRA. How really, really sick is that.”
What could be anymore against the Will of God than a chemical cure for male impotency ?
Just think about it.
Not sure if what you said is true maybe the teachers union should do the same as they might hold that title now every day almost you hear of a teacher molesting a kid the only thing that the priest don’t have is a union!
Are you suggesting that the NEA covers up and protects pedophiles?
No. That would be the Catholic Church.
Has the NEA ever, ever appeared in court to defend its action regarding its tolerance and protection of pedophiles?
No, of course not.
That would be the Catholic Church.
….
I wonder how many people on here making comments against the Catholic Church are teachers? The institution that’s notorious for protecting perverts in the classroom.
….
You have got to be joking, everyday there’s a story of a “popular” teacher caught doing something perverted regarding children. I think you’re the ignorant one.
….
a profession that pedophiles can hide in. ………….beware………….there are many!
and the boy scouts is another great group for peds to join
Thats god for ya!! PERV!!
I remain deeply saddened and perplexed by my own church. Not my faith mind you but, the institution of which my Catholic heritage is rooted in. Bishop Malone is outraged that birth control could be a required element of faith based institutions health care plans for employee. Why? The Holy See and many before him have denounced contraceptive use but have turned the other cheek to the millions of women and men who use birth control yet still receive the holy sacraments. The church is at odds w/President Obama’s plan to cover birth control so that all women have choice in health care coverage. To that my church growls? Whats the difference? Turning it’s other check and obviously knowing that contraceptive protection is being used versus the same being paid for through insurance of the faith based related hospital health care plan. In my mind, its clearly leveling the playing field and giving women a menu plan option to elect this care or not. My church is wrong to deny women to not allow women to forgo a pregnancy that is unwanted, unplanned, would put the Mother’s life in danger or would create a fetus that God did not intend to be. If an employee elects coverage will the church then terminate their employment or throw them out of the church? Doubtful.
Before anyone goes off on me, I believe I am a good Catholic and I believe we have free will because God gave us the opportunity to do with it as best we can. He will never judge us so why should The Institution pretend to know more about right or wrong than God. I say leave it in by choice of the employee to elect or not; and, move on to more critical matters such as priests who prey on children. These are the men who The Holy See must say are the wrongdoers and need to be held accountable not by the church but b the law. Our Catholic Church needs to stop hiding behind the cloaks they wear and turn these criminals over to police. Unless of course, some how The Holy See and his Bishops especially in America – see no evil, hear no evil and smell no evil. I pray everyday that God helps them overcome their wicked ways. For every time a child is violated God sheds anther tear as he knows that another precious life has been ruined.
God will never judge us? Apparently you never learned about your Catholic faith. We will all be judged by Jesus Christ immediately after we die. He will judge us according to how well we obeyed him, as the book of Hebrews says that Jesus became the source of salvation to all who obey him. In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” And the judgment we receive will be whether we receive an eternity of happiness with Jesus in heaven, or whether we will receive an eternity of unfathomable suffering and despair in hell.
The Catholic clergy have every right to tell us how to live our lives. Jesus founded the Catholic Church with the intention that the Church would contain all God’s teaching that is necessary to lead humanity to salvation. Jesus gave the leaders of his church the authority that the weight of which would be recognized in heaven. If the leaders of the Catholic Church are preaching what Jesus taught, they are preaching in the person of Christ himself. We ignore those teachings at our own peril.
Seriously? Create a fetus that God did not intend to be? He most certainly will judge us – as well as forgive. What you have said is pure ignorance of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Do you not think that God sheds tears for the babies that are aborted as well? He sheds tears for the priests that prey on children as well as those that violate the Sacraments. That is their sin – they answer for it. God loves everyone!
Humans, like all species on this planet, breed. That being the case and unless the human has genetic or physical limitations or the like, we all breed in order to reproduce or for the pure enjoyment of it. So, why are we so taken aback when those who enter the priesthood attempt to breed or seek pleasure.
Certainly, deviant behavior is not a “good thing.” And, the sexual assault on another human must never be tolerated. We know the story of the “kid in the candy store.” Thus, those men who choose to enter the priesthood have the keys to “the candy store.” Therefore, we must be careful about who gets the keys and maintain an active watch on those who choose that vocation.
If this were anyone but a priest, the POLICE would be investigating this.
Be careful whom you trust……
How in the hell did this story of yet another sexual affair going on in the “men that wear dresses” saga turn in to a political debate??—-What a disgusting lot these people are!
It shows a lack of respect for the victims.
So we can assume that all catholic priests are pedophiles? And would we then assume that all muslims are terrorists? How do you have the other religions stereotyped, I would be interested in your spin.
So why would a church let someone preach after being formaly charged and found not guilty? a large percent people found not guilty really did do the crime. If I was wrongly charged and some group church scouts what ever told me I could not represent them I would have to accept that and not blame them for it. The majority of child molesters are never charged . I am sorry protect the kids first worry about the ethics latter.
Here’s a thought for you, Maybe you should stop sending your children to school too because we all know how many pedobhiles there are in the school system but that would just be crazy now wouldn’t it because as a wholeit really is only a small percentage of teachers that actually are just as in the Church there are a minority unfortunately that are and as you can see in the media it is being purged from the church right now, better late than never, soo if you would kindly stop blasting the Catholic church to pieces because of a minority of pedophiles that have been found out and are being dealt with, it would be greatly appreciated, the failings and awful horrific crimes of a minority of men, which this kind can be found in any institution by the way, has no way any reflection on what the Catholic church stands for, and historically has been around longer and done more for this world than any other institution, do your home work and you’ll see, stop putting down this church that I love and adore very much because of the failings of a minority of men, Thank you Kindly and Good Day :-)
one way to solve the problem , is relocate the catholic church to milbridge in washington county……
you never hear about this sort of thing again …….because they can keep some secrets down there …in milbridge
Shocking! A member of the clergy involved with such activities! Next thing we will hear teachers and Boy Scout leaders are doing the same!
and they wonder why lots of people dont go to church no more.
Bishop Malone, Deacon John Brennan (Diocesan Investigator),
the Diocesan Review Board and Sue Bernard have all failed in their efforts to
protect kids. Although Malone was not
the hierarch who put Fr. Caron back into ministry, he did allow him to remain
in ministry since Malone’s arrival in Maine in 2004, up until 2010.
It is doubtful that Malone went into every parish this
weekend where Fr. Caron served to ask those with information to call the police
and anyone who may have been harmed by Fr. Caron to report their abuse to the
police. This is the protocol.
Sue Bernard will tell you she has no responsibility to keep
the offenders’ names in the public media because she did that already,
once. How’d that work out for you Sue
with Dayton Salisbury who went on the serve on a housing board in Bar Harbor (a few years after the press got wind of his abuse of children) and lives across
the street from a daycare center? Local
officials had no idea of his previous conviction! But, you did tell the press, once. That’s
when your responsibility to protect kids ended?
Sue Bernard, good and faithful servant.
The Bishop protects his priests by moving them around because there are not enough priests to conduct business and children suffer. Ordained women and married men would help to protect children. The Bishop’s actions or inactions are shameful. The Vatican needs to revise their Cannon Law.
Judy Harrison, do nothern Mainers a favor and do a story on the total funding that is used to run Catholic Charities Maine (Susan Collins’ mother had been the Chairman of CC Maine), where the funding originates (federal dollars, state dollars, local public dollars etc.), track the Catholic spend by Bishop Malone (it’s decreased by double digit percentages the last two years) and then analyze where they spend their money on ‘rent” for their administration. Then ask how the President of this organizations justifies a $1M house in Portland and another $600,000 house in Falmouth. Then ask the question, how many dollars does it take to call an organization “Catholic Charities Maine.” It should be called Federal and Maine Taxpayer Charities Maine.
This can then fuel the discussion of how and why Malone wants to exempt valid women’s healthcare from the CC Maine insurance. This will be revealing if you care to do independent research and not rely on Sue Bernard for all your information.
The clergy porn web site is called St. Sebastian’s Angels. The website’s chat room includes a photo of a priest with his arm around a 12 year old Mexican boy.
The caption reads “This is not my current boy friend.”
Three Maine priests, including Caron, chatted away amidst naked photos of other priests.
Maine priest, Father John Harris, was the webmaster. He was accused of
inappropriate conduct with minors. His whereabouts are unknown.
The third priest is Father Normand Richard. No one knows where he is either. Father
Richard admitted on the website that he engaged in sexual misconduct with an
adult deacon in his parish.
Father Richard owns a place in Florida right down the street from former Maine priest, George Beaudet. Beaudet was removed from the priesthood for child sexual abuse.
Bishop Malone refuses to post the names, photos and whereabouts of credibly accused priests and church workers on the diocese web site, as other bishops have done.