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Bishop: It's "Wrong" to Defrock Abuser Priests

Bishop Domenico Sigalini of Palestrina, near Rome, said to La Fede Quotidiana that he considers it a mistake to defrock a priest guilty of abuses: "Once he is defrocked and has, for instance, become …More
Bishop Domenico Sigalini of Palestrina, near Rome, said to La Fede Quotidiana that he considers it a mistake to defrock a priest guilty of abuses: "Once he is defrocked and has, for instance, become a gym teacher, can you be sure that he has changed his orientation?"
For Sigalini it is clear that sexual abusers have to pay, "but not even for a pedophile priest there should be a life sentence, for ever." He adds, "Do we not say that life sentences are inhuman?"
"I am not at all a protector of pedophile priests, but a bishop is first of all a father for his priest and in the case of abuse I am not obliged to report to the police. The parents must take care of this first, only after it's the bishop's turn."
Picture: Domenico Sigalini, #newsDxyzvkjjjr
BrTomFordeOFMCap
The Italians have a long way to go it seems. The English-speaking Catholic world has already been through all this. Being stripped of one's right to minister and present oneself as a priest ('defrocking') is often the only punishment that gets through to habitual abusers and more importantly it helps protect future victims! It's not perfect. I would be concerned though that a bishop wants to soft-…More
The Italians have a long way to go it seems. The English-speaking Catholic world has already been through all this. Being stripped of one's right to minister and present oneself as a priest ('defrocking') is often the only punishment that gets through to habitual abusers and more importantly it helps protect future victims! It's not perfect. I would be concerned though that a bishop wants to soft-peddle on his obligation to protect his own people from some of his clergy. He is father to all of them and he needs to actively protect the weak from the vicious.
Sixupman
There was a priest in the North of England, of Traditional orientation, who was, I believe, 'set-up' and was prosecuted in civil court!
Maritain17
No they shouldn't defrock them a millstone will do.
Ehnebic
There must be severe penance. They have damaged the Church with scandal and hurt all other priests, who are spit upon and blamed even though they are totally innocent. I'm still upset that Archbishop Weakland got away with stealing a half million dollars from the Milwaukee diocese, not to mention the countless souls he damaged with his false teaching.
ndhorner
sounds as if he is afraid of being defrocked himself