Dear Father Corapi,
Yesterday, while commenting on your appearance, and in the context of many posts where I have decried the monumental injustice that has befallen you, I made a stray comment in the combox where I opined that I feared from your noticeably changed appearance that you had suffered a relapse in your sobriety, that you were back on cocaine. In the context of my original concern this past March, when I heard that your prior illness was cancer, I posted:
“The stress of such humiliation could well cause a relapse of the cancer and cost Father Corapi his life.”
And thus my concern for you. In the process last night, I made a comment on a public thread that ought to have been transmitted in a confidential communication. In so doing, I showed a deplorable lack of good and charitable judgement. I do not know if I am the person you referenced in your recording today, but only know that I was contacted this afternoon by a reader, and immediately took down the comment and all references to it.
A stray comment can be as injurious as a stray bullet, and I am all the more mortified if my stray comment has added even an ounce to the incredible burden of frustration and bitter sorrow that you have been made to bear so unjustly. I ask your forgiveness, Father, for having done so.
I would also beg you to reconsider your decision to leave. I have repeatedly decried this misapplication of the Dallas Charter, and believe that a fight to the finish by no less a priest than yourself will have the best possible chance of making the bishops see the insanity of this policy applied to priests accused of consensual relations with adult women. There will be many more priests falsely accused in the future, priests whose names are not household names. Your fight now may save a great many of your brother priests in the future.
Whatever your decision, Father, please accept again my humblest and sincerest apologies for a concern that took the wrong expression in the wrong venue. With gratitude for all that you have done, and invoking God’s blessings and guidance on your plans for the future, I remain,
Prayerfully and Sincerely,
Gerard M. Nadal
Coming Home 
Corapi has lost me. I don’t believe anything coming out of his mouth anymore.
I cannot speak for Father Corapi, my brother, I can only speak for myself when I read your post. But from my perspective, most everybody who is asking Father Corapi to please come back to the church is quite mistaken. In my most humble opinion, Father Corapi has never left Holy Mother Church in his priesthood. As a Catholic, surely you must know that once a Priest, always a Priest. Father Corapi has been the victim of more slander and false accusations than any Priest I have known up to date and that is because he is on the front lines of battling the demons in the spiritual battle we all face not only as Catholics of Holy Mother Church, but as Catholics and as every single person does who is alive here on this earth, today . He is a General on the side of the good guys and he faces more criticism from every opposition known to man. What probably hurts him the most my brother, is to see his own Catholic bretheren accuse him and do not believe his innocence in this trial of his, uncorraborated, but their lack of trust that he is acting not only on his behalf but on behalf of all other Priests who have been falsely preyed upon by the unbeliever and the unjust in the Archdiocese as well as the laiety. I do solemnly stand by Father Corapi and pray for Holy Mother Church as he asks us to do and I pray these confounded accusations are put to rest once and for all. Father Corapi is on a mission for God and statements like yours and his accusers are certainly putting stumbling blocks in front of my brother’s work. Father Corapi deserves not only your apology but others who keep misquoting him and comparing him to other Saints of Holy Mother Church. Father Corapi would be the first to tell you, he is not a Saint. I would be bold enough to say that he is a saint in the making and allegations are certainly his cross to bear. +++sincerely, your sister in Christ, clarita +++
I also applaud Father Corapi for his strength and love of God, Our Blessed Mother and Our Church. He will prevail because the truth will be known. He is a disciple of God and God will uphold him. I have and will continue to pray for him as a Priest I dearly love and respect.
Thank you Fr. for all you have done, all you are doing, and all you will continue to do in the future. You have been treated so unjustly, you a priest leading your sheep in truth. I, along with many others, are with you past, present and future and looking forward to remaining your friend, your sheep desiring to be feed by you, sheepdog…..Be strong and know how much you are loved and respected for standing up and continuing your beautiful mission…you are respected in all ways….
This is all so sad! The Church, because of the not so distant clerical sexual abuse scandal, has to err on the side of caution. Many great saints have been held suspect by the Church through the ages. (Joan of Arc, Teresa of Avila, Sister Faustina, Padre Pio, to mention a few). Those saints submitted to the Church’s authority and were eventually exonerated by the Church, albeit, sometimes long after their deaths. I pray for Father Corapi to submit, however painful it may be, to the authority of the Church. Abandoning the priesthood now would undo all of the good he has done as a priest, and nothing would please Satan more.
Dr. Nadal,
Good for you!
I almost called you out yesterday after you made your comment – but felt I should just keep my big mouth shut and I prayed for you instead (and, I am praying for Fr. Corapi, too).
God bless you and kudos to you!
Catechist Kevin
Very good of you to apologize,sure Jesus is pleased.
I appreciate that you have made this statement. So few will correct themselves, often perhaps for fear of lost credibility. I believe that nothing espouses credibility like the ability for self correction. I disagree with your premise that Father Corapi should have stayed but I think that time can only prove either of us wrong. That said, I do not doubt for a moment that Father Corapi is telling the truth. I also believe that he is sincerely doing what he thinks is best based on trusted counsel. He, unlike ourselves, has ALL the facts in this case, regarding any decision that is in his best interest. Time and changes of heart, and many prayers, might yet bring him back to the practicing priesthood. I hope this is true. In the mean time, I support the man John Corapi, I support the Catholic faith, but not the process which has allowed such an allegation to bring him to such a decision.
Marie Carpenter, I disagree entirely with your assertion that Father’s decision undoes the work that he has done. Far from it. His works as a priest stand on their own merit. Each priestly act he has done is sacramentally valid. He hs been a good priest for 20 years and nothing can reverse that reality. Now, he moves on in a different capacity. I can only support that.
“see the insanity of this policy applied to priests accused of consensual relations with adult women.” Another “stray comment” ?
Julia,
Several people have written, telling me that I am injecting sex into this, when no mention of sex was ever made by Father. I suugest that people go back and reread Father’s initial statement in March:
“On Ash Wednesday I learned that a former employee sent a three-page letter to several bishops accusing me of everything from drug addiction to multiple sexual exploits with her and several other adult women.”
You may see the statement in its entirety on Father’s website:
http://www.fathercorapi.com/Webpage.aspx?WebpageId=85&CategoryId=123
I didn’t say that Father didn’t mention it…but the wording you used makes it sound like there was indeed “consensual relations” — nicely wrapped in an apology…that’s how it reads to me and apparently others since you mentioned that there have been other people writing you.
Julia,
I’m a professional at beating myself up when I make mistakes, and I really don’t need the volunteer services of people who have a hard time with basic reading skills:
” I have repeatedly decried this misapplication of the Dallas Charter, and believe that a fight to the finish by no less a priest than yourself will have the best possible chance of making the bishops see the insanity of this policy applied to priests accused of consensual relations with adult women. There will be many more priests falsely accused in the future”
Many more falsely accused indicates that they will join Father as one of the falsely accused. There is nothing in my letter to indicate assent with the allegations made against Father.
The Dallas Charter was drawn up as a response to allegations against priests accused of raping children. There was no allegation of rape or sexual abuse of any kind here, only that of consensual sex, which I believe should receive the same compassionate response as adultery receives from the clergy.
Learn to read.
…consensual sex, which I believe should receive the same compassionate response as adultery receives from the clergy.
Fair enough Dr. — but it may not necessarily be akin to adultery. For example, what if the consexual sex happened with one of his “flock” (is that the right term for it)? Nobody seems to think it’s worthwile to consider, at least hypothetically, if “she” were someone coming to Father for spiritual guidance. Isn’t that like a shrink having sex with a patient? Or a guard having sex with an inmate? Or worse? Or am I missing the fact that it is already known that it wasn’t one of his flock. In that case, in the words of Rosanne Rosannadanna, “never mind.”
I don’t mean to speak for Dr. Nadal, be he didn’t post those comments to be malicilious in any way to Father Corapi, only out of concern.
Unlike some other bloggers..
http://abyssum.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/here-is-a-valuable-canonical-insight-into-the-case-of-father-john-corapi/
Here is a great article by Bishop Rene Gracida, former bishop of Corpus Christi, and how the current bishop may have abused his power in this case…Clarita’s right – Father Corapi has been slandered more than anyone, and satan is behind the attacks. Sadly, a lot of people believe the slander instead of Father Corapi…All part of the Wicked Deception from 2 Thessalonians 2;10, I believe.
Paul,
Per usual, your keen mind misses nothing. The answer to your question is yes, and no.
First, for those with itchy trigger fingers, I’m not discussing Father Corapi here, and believe him to be completely innocent of the allegations made against him.
Yes, it does matter whether or not the woman involved with a priest is under his care. There are some very vulnerable individuals who can be easily manipulated, and sex can destroy them. In such a case, the sex could not be considered consensual (perhaps it may legally) in any decent moral sense.
Then there are women who flirt and seduce, who are not emotionally vulnerable. It is these cases of which I speak, where both parties can rightly be regarded as having had consensual relations. In such cases of consensual sex, I believe that the priest should be counseled and ministered to, and restored to the fullness of his ministry, just as an adulterous layperson is restored in their marriage.
Those Catholics who self-righteously call for dismissing clergy who have had consensual sex sin against charity, and do not represent Jesus, or the Gospel message. To these I would remind them that Peter denied Jesus three times, and joined nine other Apostles in heading for the tall grass during the crucifixion. None of them lost any standing with the Divine Master.
There are worse things than sexual sin. As Father Benedict Groeschel told us in the seminary:
“The sins against sex are without a doubt the most humiliating, but the sins against charity are the most damning.”
Thanks Dr. Yes, I remember that great Groeschel quote from another post in your blog, and I love it. I romantize priests, they’re like real fathers, which is why ithis is such a painful issue for you, I’m sure. Just knowing there are still priests in this challenging world brings comfort to me, although I can’t recall ever speaking with one. Perhaps one day, if I’m on my best behavior, perhaps you could introduce me to Father Clark — he seems like a stand up guy. Best wishes
Fr. Corapi/St. John of the Cross. ” I found a similitude. Hold your eager desire to know or crow about this very telling exception to righteous authority. John of the Cross was taken prisoner by jealous maybe seniors of vying Provinces in Spain.
He was damn well done for, when he planned his escape by, of all things…
23 minutes ago · Privacy: · Like ·
Linda Maxey likes this.
John Siple unscrewing the lock fastener & at night in stillness, darkness, forced the lock, jumping down to a wall, then into the cloister of nuns, then freedom to a hospital who secretly nursed him well. He was 5’11”.
21 minutes ago · Like
John Siple He always rightly preached of the wonderous ways of trusting Providence in spite of the crosses in life, until he had to escape the nonsense of his captivity. Now compare that with what Corapi has done!
The world will embrace Father as their lost son, arms opened wide.
Look at Weiner they did a full investgation. brought the women out .
Opra Dr Phil Pierce Morgan will all want to hear his story
the Protestant , will all welcome him with open arms.
I just do not understand how this book is ready when all this just happened
I hope the truth come forth or we all will e guilty of gossip
It sad that only Drama sells, I am so thankful for the Priest and other Christians who are out in the world staying close to what God has called them to do.
and one truth still stands God is Love God is light. Look for Jesus and you will find him.
I just hope they do not make a reality TV show…………………..
Oh my….by your unkind response to me about my “lack of basic reading skills” I apparently hit a nerve. My concern is for Father Corapi and that “facts” we don’t/can’t really know keep getting skewed more and more. Honestly, I think it’s time for all of us, myself included, to quit talking and take this to prayer. I’m so thankful God is the one in charge.
Julia,
The remark was not unkind. It was accurate. You leveled an allegation against me based on a completely uninformed understanding of the reality. The mistake was yours, not mine. However, when I make mistakes I take ownership of them and don’t circle back around with yet another mistake as a parting shot as you did.
Get Well Soon.
I believe Fr. Corapi would accept your apologies. Next time be extra cautious.
Pax in Christo
GADEL
These remarks are so unkind and unchristian. I am sorry I felt I had to say this. God love you all.