Who remembers St. Sebastian's Angels?

Guercino, St. Sebastian Succoured by Two Angels(1617) 

Oil on copper.

Bishops, priests and seminarians behaving badly ...

So.  Now the 'scandal' of the 'forty gay Italian priests and seminarians' is going mainstream.  DailyBeast has the best, albeit irreverent report on the matter, tracing the origins back to the Italian version of Drudge.  The curious know the story by now.  Unfortunately, the author at DailyBeast titles her tabloid piece, "Confessions of the Vatican's Favorite Male Escort" - conveniently making this story out to be some sort expose of a clandestine, underground network of homosexual priests - as if it is part of business as usual in the Vatican.  Indirectly, it's a story attempting to loosen up Catholic teaching on the non-approval of homosexual acts.  It's also a story which feeds the conspiracy theories of anti-Catholic, anti-Francis Catholics.  

Joined to this story is the 'breaking news' of the Honduran prelate who is accused of improper sexual relations with former seminarians and laymen:  "Allegations of serious sexual misconduct by Auxiliary Bishop Juan José Pineda Fasquelle of the Archdiocese of Tegucigalpa, Honduras."  Edward Pentin reports this latest expose.  The revelations are linked to Cardinal Maradiaga and even involve Pope Francis, leading Pentin to ask  [why] "Pope Francis has not taken any action with respect to a report submitted by the Vatican investigator, which reportedly has been in the Holy Father’s hands since May of last year?"  That seems to me to be a convenient, albeit passive aggressive smear to connect Pope Francis to the homos.

Not too many years ago during the priest scandals, the boy's club of Sebastian's Angels made the headlines - a loosely organized group of gay playboy priests.  Hence the title of this post.  Readers will remember that while the Bishop's scandal unfolded - the biggest, most scandalous story involved the double life of Fr. Maciel, founder of the Legion of Christ.  For years the Maciel's congregation denied the stories and vehemently assailed them as lies by supporters of the Legion and devotees of Maciel. Strikingly, Maciel was a favorite of St. John Paul II. Amazing. Then came Fr. Cutie- the famous 'Fr. Oprah' priest, as well as the other EWTN priest defectors - not gay, not criminal, not corrupt - just unable to live the celibate life. In the past decade or so, there have been dozens of cases of priests living double lives - priests in important positions as well as ordinary parish priests. Gay and straight. Of course, there was also Fr. Corapi, whose case demonstrates it is not always just about sex either.  Money is a necessary component in corruption.

Avoid greed in all its forms.

Salacious gossip makes great news.  Years ago I would come up with anecdotes about gay priests and religious, sometimes agreeing there is a 'network' or 'gay mafia-lobby', other times disputing there is any type of serious organized, monolithic group.  Celibate priests often have support groups, even those who are same-sex attracted may have a support group - a support group is not necessarily a network.  They have friends, former students, and so on, who know them and whom they trust.  Some may be corrupt, most are unlikely to be.    

These types of stories are frequently exploited and cause alarm among believers and enemies of the Church.  They are an anti-Catholic, anti-papist, anti-clerical dream come true.  If the stories are true, then there needs to be a clean-up.  It will happen, just as last Sunday's Gospel of the cleansing of the Temple assures us.  If and when the pope knows about them, I'm quite certain he is doing something about them.  Ordinarily, especially if it doesn't involve criminal activity, these things are handled privately, to avoid greater scandal.

Check and verify sources - even Catholic sites can be used to smear the Church.

Unfortunately, these stories are used to attack the Pope, Catholic teaching, and celibate priesthood.  Moreover, these stories create panic over homosexuality in the priesthood, and not a few will believe it is their responsibility to out and expose priests and religious who may experience same sex attraction, yet live faithful, chaste and celibate lives.  Others will use the story to lobby for homosexual causes.

These stories do not shock me or disturb me as they once did.  Of course I'm always disappointed and dread the idea of a faithless priest and would hope he would leave the priesthood or be laicized, but it doesn't shake my faith.  People online and journalists need to be very careful about editorializing stories like these, as well as repeating speculation regarding details not confirmed or rumored to be true.  The stories themselves can be nearly as harmful as the acts.  Some of us who have lived sinful lives tend to share too much and make rash judgments against others - we need to take our own conversion deeper and avoid judging or condemning others.  

"Reflect that many are called and few are chosen and that, if you are not careful, your perdition is more certain than your salvation, especially since the path to eternal life is so narrow." - S. John of the Cross

The Irish priest and the belles of St. Mary's... Fr. Hough

St. Mary's church.

Editor's note: At Mass this weekend there was a letter from the Archbishop concerning a priest I once knew who is now accused of sexual misconduct. It really disturbed me, even though I had known about it for years.  The notice here:

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis released the name and assignment history Sept. 16 of deceased priest Father William Hough, who has a substantiated claim against him of sexually abusing a minor while he was a priest of the archdiocese.The alleged abuse occurred between 1964 and 1966. Father Hough died in 1994. He served at St. Mary in St. Paul - Read more here.

Why did this upset me?

Fr. Hough never abused me.  Rather, as a retired priest and chaplain at a Catholic nursing home wherein I spent a lot of time visiting, he was available for confession.  He was a very kind confessor and always available.  I knew the stories about his past, but never questioned him about it, though I did mention I had friends who went to the school at the parish where he had been assigned.  The allegations against him stem from that time.  I left a message for a friend who originally told me about Fr. Hough's predilection, but I don't expect to hear back from him.

Strangely enough, in 2009 I wrote about Fr. Hough (without using his name) in a post about Fr. Flanagan.  There was no connection between the two men.  I think my intention was somehow connect to problems with clerical abuse in Ireland.  I had this to say:

I got to know an Irish priest who came from the old country to Minnesota. As a young priest he happened to be the assistant at a downtown church and school some of my friends attended when we were young. The priest is dead now, but I think I mentioned him once as being the one who lifted up the boys with his hands on their crotch, to see how "big they were getting". Charming little leprechaun, he was. Years later he retired to become a chaplain in a home for the elderly which I visited. I came to find out we both knew an Irish nun from another care facility who had befriended me. Father asked if I would say hello and tell Sister he would like to come by for a visit.

Sister seemed slightly alarmed and asked, "How do you know him?"

I explained he was now a chaplain at a nursing home I visited, and although Sister's reaction suggested to me the priest's fondness for boys may have been known to her, she never said anything about him, and I never let on as to what I knew about him.

"Please tell him hello, but he need not visit." She told me rather solemnly.

She knew.

I'm not sure why I thought it so important to tell my old friend.  I kind of regret having done so now.  It's none of my business, really.

I called only to let him know - just in case he didn't. He and 3 other friends all attended St. Mary's at the time Hough was accused of sexual abuse. It appears someone from that time has come forward with the allegations.  I doubt it would have been anyone I know.  I suppose I thought if my friend knew about the case, he could maybe be a witness for the victim. I thought of my friend because he and another guy told me more than once that Hough used to lift the boys to see how 'big' they were - he'd be in back of them and put his arms around them and lift them by their crotch. We all used to laugh about it. I can't recall exactly, but there may have been more than that going on, according to stories told by another kid. Anyway, I thought I'd give my friend a heads up.

The whole thing makes me sad.  From the looks of things, Fr. Hough was transferred around.  He may have either developed a reputation, or his interest in adolescent boys never abated.  As an old priest, he seemed very faithful.  He knew adults I knew, so I think it would be a mistake to call him a pedophile.  Whenever I brought up his example in private conversation on the subject of sexual abuse of minors, it was always to make the point that he had a homosexual problem, and that it wasn't pedophilia, since the adolescent boys were sexually developed.  

Interestingly enough, the boys I knew who were 'touched' by Hough grew up to be heterosexual.  In other words, the sexual encounters didn't make them gay.

Sr. St. Peter maybe should have punched out Fr. Hough.

Get. Out.

I wonder what brought this on?

Actually, it was the Irish priest who outed himself from the pulpit last weekend.  I mentioned it here.

What was the statistic Jeannine Gramick cited?  40%-50% of priests are gay?  And she and a whole bunch of others think they should all come out.  That doesn't mean they are sexually active - I hope - but either way, if they all Got. Out. who would be left?  What would be left?

I sometimes wrote on how homosexuals weren't supposed to be admitted to seminary or religious life, but despite the rules, they have been admitted and most likely continue to be admitted.  I have no control over that ...  Then there are so many questions.  What if they used to be gay but are now just SSA?  What if they were notoriously gay - but now just have another job that keeps them busy after parish office hours?  What if they are gay and celibate - like gay-Catholics - and the actually say gay?  Then Michael brings up the fact there are gay bishops and gay friendly bishops - then what do you do?  What if you want to report a suspicious priest?  Or request that a Courage chapter be established in the archdiocese and he won't let you because he's against it?  What to do?

What to do Michael Voris?

I just want to be able to receive the sacraments and go to Mass - oh - and when I'm dying, please call a priest.  Make sure it's not a woman though.

If it's not one thing it's another, isn't it?

Minneapolis Archdiocese has a problem with sex-addict priests?

Dominican Father Reginald Whitt

Set up a new Task Force.

The archbishop has appointed a new vicar for ministerial standards, Dominican Father Reginald Whitt, a professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. He will assume full responsibility for all issues related to clergy sexual misconduct, the archdiocese said.

Start a new committee.

Father Whitt will appoint the members of the all-layperson task force, which is expected to convene this week. It will consist of at least six people from a variety of backgrounds — none of whom are employed by the archdiocese or any of its parishes.

Once again - it appears this is all about protecting 'children' - not that anything is wrong with that.  But I thought they already had some sort of program for all of that?  Evidently it didn't work?

Archbishop Nienstedt said there is “no room for misconduct among our clergy and our standard must be zero tolerance for abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. We hold a sacred trust. Our very vocation requires the highest standard of conduct so that all may be drawn to the person of Jesus Christ through our witness.” 

While the archbishop retains his authority in the archdiocese, he has committed that he will not interfere in the work of the vicar or the task force. - Catholic Spirit

 

How the Pope's words may have lifted a burden - for some, a burden too heavy to carry.

"Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome."

"If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this point beautifully but says, wait a moment, how does it say, it says, these persons must never be marginalized and “they must be integrated into society.”

The problem is not that one has this tendency; no, we must be brothers, this is the first matter." - Pope Francis on gay priests, and gay people.

One of my best friends actually teared up in reaction to the Holy Father's interview on the plane from Rio back to Rome.  He told me that what the Pope said made him feel accepted, included.  He said what many gay people said - that before this Pope even spoke the word 'gay', he always felt - even from me - that Catholics judged him unfavorably because of his sexual attraction.  I told him the Pope didn't actually change Church teaching by what he said ... yet my friend perceived it in a much more positive way...

The Pope actually affirmed Church teaching, making reference to the Catechism - but he spoke in more simple, understandable, personable terms - making some people uncomfortable, while making others feel worthwhile.

"The pope's conversational tone is a welcome change from the more dogmatic approach we're used to from members of the church hierarchy."

Michael Bayly, Minneapolis' local gay Catholic 'activist/dissenter' is more articulate in his reaction to the Pope's statement.  Though I disagree with Michael's perspective - especially as regards Pope Benedict and Church teaching on homosexuality, ordination of women, and so on, Michael poses an interesting contrast with Pope Francis' statement and what has been said in the past about 'gay' priests. 

"... according to media reports, the pope said the following in relation to homosexuality and the priesthood: 

If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?  

Many commentators are saying that this statement shifts the hierarchy's message not just on gays and the priesthood but on gay issues in general. For one thing, it's apparently the first documented use by a pope of the word "gay" – the term that gay people themselves most often use yet which some within the church view as implying "ideological commitments" at odds with being Catholic. Also, the pope's conversational tone is a welcome change from the more dogmatic approach we're used to from members of the church hierarchy.

 Do you remember how, about four or five years ago, there was a lot of talk about something called "spiritual paternity"? It was actually an idea, a theological concept, used to support the judgment that gay men and women are ontologically deficit in such a way that they cannot serve as priests.

Speaking in October 2008, Cardinal Zenon Grocholewski of the Congregation for Catholic Education stated that "Homosexuals [and women] cannot be admitted to the priesthood because of the nature of priesthood in which a spiritual paternity is carried out. . . . When we ask why Christ reserved the priesthood to men, we speak of this spiritual paternity."

The cardinal's statements were in relation to a Vatican document on homosexuality and the priesthood, one that made it clear that homosexuals were barred from being priests by the "paternal" nature of priesthood and their inherent lack of "affective maturity."

 I recall how many people were deeply offended by the judgmental and insensitive tone of both the Vatican document and Cardinal Grocholewski's remarks on gay priests.

At a Vatican press conference at around the time of the release of the document, Grocholewski was asked if homosexuals committed to lifelong celibacy could be ordained. He said "no," adding that:

"The candidate does not necessarily have to practice homosexuality (to be excluded.) He can even be without sin. But if he has this deeply seated tendency, he cannot be admitted to priestly ministry precisely because of the nature of the priesthood, in which a spiritual paternity is carried out. Here we are not talking about whether he commits sins, but whether this deeply rooted tendency remains."

I don't know about you, but I look back on these statements and the idea of "spiritual paternity" and see a lot of judging going on in relation to gay men and the priesthood. - Wild Reed

To his credit, Michael concedes:

Pope Francis, unfortunately, isn't directly challenging these foundational notions of the hierarchy nor the 'official' teaching' that results from them. However, his words today to journalists traveling with him back to Rome from Rio de Janeiro are a step in the right direction and may well be paving the way for future developments.

While nothing Francis said suggested acceptance of what the hierarchy labels "homosexual acts," homosexual people, said the pope, should be treated with dignity and not be blackmailed or pressured because of their sexual orientation. - ibid

Church teaching cannot change on sexuality and marriage, so I think it is a false hope to expect any "future developments" in that direction.  What Michael recognizes however is the 'climate change' in how people are treated, or at least discussed.

Disclaimer:  I am not endorsing dissent.  My acceptance of, and fidelity to Catholic teaching is well documented on this blog.

One more comment on what the Pope said as regards gay priests.

Did he really address the issue of gay priests?

Apparently.  What did he say again?

"I think that when we encounter a gay person, we must make the distinction between the fact of a person being gay and the fact of a lobby, because lobbies are not good.  They are bad.  If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this point beautifully but says, wait a moment, how does it say, it says, these persons must never be marginalized and “they must be integrated into society.” 

The problem is not that one has this tendency; no, we must be brothers, this is the first matter.  There is another problem, another one: the problem is to form a lobby of those who have this tendency, a lobby of the greedy people, a lobby of politicians, a lobby of Masons, so many lobbies.  This is the most serious problem for me." - Source

I do not disagree with the Holy Father.  He is speaking of men who have accepted Church teaching on sexuality and reformed their lives.

Although I'd like to point out that what the Pope said is pretty much how things have been handled and continue to be handled - all along.  Bishops, Cardinals, seminary rectors, and vocation directors have more or less always had the same attitude - and most still do, I am sure.  I have no doubt the powers that be know who the gay/ssa priests are in their diocese; the chanceries know, the personnel boards know,  the nuncios most likely know if a candidate for bishop has any history.  Those in charge also know which abbey (in Minnesota at least) and which religious group is gay friendly.  They know.  If we lay people know - they know.  I'm sure the Pope knows more than he admits.  Pope Benedict had to know.  Members of the curia know.  Cardinal Burke knows some stuff.  The seminary rectors knew and know.  The abbots know.  Your pastor probably knows.  If they say they don't know - it just means they do not have proof of misconduct.

Nothing new.

I'm not going to waste my time discussing the pros and cons of the matter any longer, since it doesn't concern me - it's not my responsibility.  It is what it is.

Over the years, I've said repeatedly that attitudes would be changing.  Church teaching cannot change - interpretation can and does change however.  I think you will now see the Church going along with Cardinal Dolan - "doing more for gay people."  Whatever that means?  I think now you will see priests doing what Fr. Martin S.J. hoped for - "coming out."  Gay/SSA men haven't been held back from seminary, despite the fact the documents forbade it.  Why?  Because "the problem is not that one has this tendency..."   And ,"if a person, or secular priest or a nun, has committed a sin and then that person experienced conversion, the Lord forgives and when the Lord forgives, the Lord forgets and this is very important for our lives.  When we go to confession and we truly say “I have sinned in this matter,” the Lord forgets and we do not have the right to not forget because we run the risk that the Lord will not forget our sins, eh?" 

What the Pope said is pretty much what the practice has been and will be.  The Pope proposed nothing new.  Everything is possible with God.  There is no limit to his mercy - no accounting for sheer grace.  God's will be done.

What?

 

What will Pope Francis do about the 'gay lobby'?

Gay lobby.

Redecorate.     [Ba-duh-dum]

Get it? 

Anyway.

Jimmy Akin has posted 10 Things to know and share... (my comments in parenthesis)

1. What he said. (I know what he said.)
2. Where and when did he say it?  (I know where.)
3. Did he really say it? (I think so too.)
4. What did he mean?  (You know...)
5. What might a gay lobby do?  (Unmentionable stuff.)
6. How big is the lobby?  (Does size matter?)
7. Where have we heard about this before?  (Online. In the news.  The Vortex.)
8. Where did Pope Francis get this information?  (You have to ask?)
9. What will happen now?  (Remodel.)
10. What else might they do?  (Start practicing what they preach.)

There.  I know and I shared.

For starters, they probably should close down the baths or sell off the property.  Relocating a few residents might be a good idea as well.  (If they haven't done so already.)

I may be wrong, of course.

 

Just a note on Fr. William Wert, O.Carm. and the safe havens religious orders have provided for men like him.

William Wert, O.Carm.

I think there ought to be a moratorium on admitting homosexual men to Holy Orders.

What about religious life?  I don't know.  In the past,  men with homosexual inclination have entered religious orders more or less in good faith, sincere faith, and they were accepted in good faith.  Somehow, a few religious orders became something of a refuge for gay men.  Not a few of these were ordained and left for greener pastures, getting themselves incardinated as secular priests in metropolitan dioceses, some even formed their own religious groups, or apostolates, others found 'jobs' teaching, or found assignments in chanceries, as well as jobs in the private sector, while remaining priests, keeping their own house.  Most claimed to support Catholic teaching on sexuality.  Those who became vocation directors or superiors of their orders, made exceptions for the men they discerned fit for religious life, despite the fact Rome counseled against admitting men with homosexual inclination. 

The SSA superiors may have recognized, with the Church, that the orientation is objectively disordered, but otherwise, gay/SSA is just another variant in human sexuality.  There is a consensus amongst them that it is simply a way of being - it is ontological - therefore it forms the basis of one's identity.  It doesn't matter how one got to be gay - one just is.  Likewise, they identify with the men they accept and approve, and find a means of support in their unique reform of religious life.

Unsubstantiated claims you say?  Not at all.  There is literature and studies to back up my assertion.  That is not my point here however - I simply want to remind people of how and why these things keep happening.  As well as the inconvenient, contradictory message this sends to the world:  A Church condemns homosexual behavior and same sex marriage, refuses employment to SSA persons who live together, yet her ministers ordain homosexual men, permitting them to work in formation for seminarians and or religious life, approving religious foundations, and so on.  It makes no sense.

I'm so tired of this subject, and I really don't have any more to add to what I've already said so many times in the past regarding gay priests.  Homosexual, SSA, gay, ex-gay - whatever term you want to use is fine with me.  They are here and they are queer... and some act out.

Here's a little bit of history on Wert.

Current story:

William C. Wert, now 56, had a recurring sexual relationship with a 14-year-old Nokomis boy in which the two exchanged explicit text messages that became key pieces of evidence for the prosecution.

 

“What was interesting of course was that we had the text message back-and-forth which showed kind of the context of the relationship,” said Assistant State Attorney Dawn Buff, who prosecuted the case before Circuit Court Judge Frederick Mercurio.

“You see how he's wooing him and how he's engaging this child in a relationship.”

Wert had been in jail without bail since his arrest in February 2011 and will face a minimum sentence of 37 years in prison with a maximum of life in prison.

 

Wert lived in a Carmelite Catholic Order property in Venice, but his affiliation with the church was kept from jurors, whose deliberation ended Friday afternoon after a four-day trial.

 

The family of the victim sued the Order of the Carmelites, claiming the Catholic order was aware of Father Wert's past conviction for touching a 14-year-old boy on the inner thigh, but still allowed him to move to the Carmelites' home in Venice. - News source

 

Background:

William C. Wert made his Solemn Profession in the Roman Catholic Order of Carmelites in 1980 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1986. In 2004, Fr. Wert was named  Prior of Whitefriars Hall in Washington DC, which is a house of formation for the Carmelites. 

          In this position as the Director of Formation, he oversaw all the levels of
formation for the Carmelite students. He continued in his role as coordinator for the
Province's vocation team. Wert belonged to the Province of the Most Pure Heart of
Mary, Roman Catholic Order of Carmelites. The headquarters are located in Darien
Illinois. Carmelites from this province serve in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois,
Kansas, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Canada, Mexico, and Peru.

Wert was charged in 1997 with the sexual abuse of a 14-year old boy in Washington DC.
In September 2007, he was convicted of simple assault and sentenced to 180 days in jail
and 5 years probation. In February 2011, eight additional charges of lewd and lascivious
conduct as well as committing a sex offense on a young boy between the ages of 12 and
15 years old. - Finish reading here.

William C. Wert, a 53-year old Catholic priest and a member of the Order of Carmelites, may have abused more children in the Venice area, according to law enforcement officials. Police found evidence on his computer that other children may have been victimized by the priest.Wert already faces eight charges ranging from lewd and lascivious on a child to committing a sex offense against a minor.

Wert was convicted of sexual abuse on a minor in Washington DC in 2007. According to the Carmelites, Wert was living in a Carmelite retirement home in Venice, just blocks away from Venice's Epiphany Cathedral at the time of his arrest. While Fr. John Welch, the Carmelite supervisor in charge of Wert stated that he was living at the retirement home because it had "no proximity" to children, Ephiphany Cathedral School is a mere four blocks away from Wert's residence. - Source
 

My comments.  Oddly enough Wert was busted around the time the Corapi story broke - no relationship of course, but it was a hard blow, nonetheless.  Additionally, another priest was arrested in Wert's diocese for indecent conduct:

First, there was the arrest of Carmelite priest Rev. William Wert for committing a sex offense against a minor.More charges against Wert were filed as we learned that Wert had been in trouble for similar sex abuse issues while stationed in Washington DC. Next, a Polish priest incardinated in the Diocese of Venice was arrested in a Sarasota park for exposing his genitals to an undercover officer as well as grabbing the officer's genitals. - ibid

Wert's taking advantage of a 14 year old boy is shameful.  The homosexual goal is to remove that aspect from the 'orientation' as well as the acts.  That's just as disordered.  Gay/SSA priests and religious are enablers, and they often provide safe haven for their offender brothers.


Instruction from the Holy See:

Deep-seated homosexual tendencies, which are found in a number of men and women, are also objectively disordered and, for those same people, often constitute a trial. Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. They are called to fulfil God's will in their lives and to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter[8].

In the light of such teaching, this Dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question[9], cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called "gay culture"[10].

Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women. One must in no way overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies.

Different, however, would be the case in which one were dealing with homosexual tendencies that were only the expression of a transitory problem - for example, that of an adolescence not yet superseded. Nevertheless, such tendencies must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the diaconate. - Holy See
 

 

 

Did someone mention 'Lilliputians'?

Or did I just dream it?








 

Click here for Retreat at Sea information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fr. Wehymeyer. Yes. Yes. We knew.

We knew - not so much about the incident...

Just about the SSA...  And now he is formally charged:

A St. Paul priest was charged this week with sexually abusing two boys in his camper trailer on the church's parking lot in 2010.

Curtis Wehmeyer, 47, was arrested in June after one of the boys told his mother. The boys were 12 and 14 at the time of the alleged abuse, according to the criminal complaint filed Thursday in Ramsey County District Court.

Wehmeyer, of Oakdale, was relieved of his duties as pastor at Church of the Blessed Sacrament when he was arrested. The church declined to comment Friday and referred media calls to the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Calls there weren't immediately returned.

According to the complaint: Wehmeyer brought the boys to his trailer, showed them pornography and gave them alcohol and marijuana. He then allegedly would touch their genitals. One of the boys was molested during a camping trip in Aitkin County, the complaint said.

Wehmeyer was charged with one count of felony second-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of gross misdemeanor criminal sexual conduct. He could not be reached for comment. His first court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 10. - Strib
 

And yet the Holy See permits the ordination of SSA men?  Really?  REALLY?

H/T Ray 

Another priest, another boy.

Fr. Angel Armando Perez

The priest asked the parents if the boy could accompany him on a camping trip to the mountains, after a party of some sort, the boy went with the priest to stay the night at his house.  The priest was drunk and he and the boy - 12 years old - had another beer.  The boy fell asleep, woke up to find the priest holding the kid's genitals and photographing him on his iPhone.  Go here for full story.

Are you people nuts?  Who would let their 12 year old kid go home with an adult man with the intention of sending him on a camping trip alone with him?  I don't care if the guy is a priest - what the hell is wrong with the parents?

The boy had the courage to run away from the priest's house - the priest chased him, wearing only his underwear.  It's a disgusting story.  The kid was terrified - but he ran... and fortunately for him passers-by helped him and saw the priest standing in his underwear, hands on his hips.  The story is well documented - leaving little doubt.

I don't know what to say.  It reminds me of the Ryan Erickson story - that Wisconsin priest who killed two innocent men who were most likely initiating an investigation on him - two men who knew about his sexual attraction to young boys.  I wrote about that here.  Young boys who can be curious about their bodies changing, experiencing sexual development - these guys know that curiosity and vulnerability.  They are predators - they wait for opportune moments to take advantage of their victims - after winning their trust. 

Parents, don't ever give your kid to an older man.

Priests shouldn't be drinking alcohol in excess.  I think Fr. Hardon felt they shouldn't drink it at all.  Priests who are sex offenders should be laicized.  Never, ever should a priest with such sexual attractions be ordained.  Once ordained, a priest needs to be accountable - to someone:  a superior - his bishop, and so on.  After ordination, a priest's life is not his own.  He can't just slip by with a confessor or a spiritual director absolving him of sins of weakness - not when he has sexually disordered proclivities and issues with alcohol or substance abuse.  Although, even in the case of Ryan Erickson, that didn't prevent him from indulging his appetites and committing his crimes. 

The brother of the victim told police Fr. Angel pleaded with the victim's family:

"I am just one who serves in the church, and I have sinned; don't stop believing in the church,"  - Fr. Angel

He was not serving the Church, nor promoting the faith. 

" ... you travel around sea and land to make one convert, and when it has ... a single follower, and when you do, you make that person twice as fit for hell as you are." - Mt. 23:15

The Suicide of Ryan Erickson - T. Nelson

Narrative here.

At Fatima, Our Lady asked that we, "Pray for the conversion of sinners."