Monday, January 20, 2020

Effectively Laicized Glaswegian Priest Continues to Languish in Limbo While Partly Exonerated in Rome

Edit: after perusing an article in Renew America about Father John Corapi, which I thought might be more recent while I was looking up more recent news about the based Scots Hermits for a reader,  who were excommunicated on Christmas, I looked up this article from November 20th last year. People are still holding out for this priest.  I can’t find his book anymore, either. After receiving a terse email from a diocesan priest that Despard is being bad, and immature, I hadn’t heard anything more about this.

The other Sunday, I saw a really effeminate priest deliver a homily in a David Sederis style with all the sassy mannerisms at the nearby Cathedral. This priest will no doubt find himself promoted to bishop, while faithful ones like Despard who don’t go along with the aberrosexual thing, tend to get the boot.

Supporters of a Roman Catholic priest suspended after making gay bullying claims have staged a protest outside their bishop’s residence in Bellshill. More than 60 demonstrators, many holding placards, demanded the reinstatement of Fr Matthew Despard who is from Motherwell. 

 The protest was held exactly six years after the priest was suspended from his parish position in Blantyre. Ad Fr Despard, 54, was disciplined after writing and publishing ‘Priesthood in Crisis’ . The book made claims of sexual bullying within the church. It was withdrawn after a church tribunal ruled the contents were defamatory.

 Fr Despard was suspended in 2013. He formally quit his role at St John Ogilvie Church three years ago. He was asked to resign by Bishop of Motherwell Joseph Toal who said his book had caused “considerable scandal”. The priest’s backers are angry that, despite a church court in Rome “partly reversing” the Scottish tribunal’s decision, he has not been reinstated and appointed to one of the parishes within the diocese.

 Anne Simpson, chairperson of a support group, said: “Given the shortage of clergy in this day and age, we can’t afford to be without priests of the calibre of Fr Despard. “He is dedicated to his priestly vocation. “He has been treated unjustly. “ Whatever he has supposedly done wrong he has been punished severely for it.”

 After a ten-minute silent protest outside Bishop Toal’s home at St Gerard’s Church, the demonstrators handed over a letter demanding Fr Despard’s immediate reinstatement to a parish within Motherwell Diocese.

 The church did not respond to a request for comment. However, Bishop Toal has said previously that Fr Despard must “fulfil certain requirements” before he can be reinstated. [A spokesman informed us the same thing, and said that Fr Despard has a bad attitude. Lol]

https://www.motherwelltimes.co.uk/business/priest-protest-staged-outside-bishop-of-motherwell-s-residence-1-5049159

AMDG

2 comments:

  1. anyone know what Fr. Corapi is up to these days?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I remember reading his book several years ago, it was truly shocking! We can only pray for him and hope his sufferings draw him closer to Christ and his priestly vocation.

    ReplyDelete