From jsonline: A Waukesha County Catholic priest has been found guilty of indirectly violating the seal of confession, and will spend the next year in prayer and penance, his parishioners at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Oconomowoc were told Saturday. The announcement regarding Father David Verhasselt, to the packed church just before Mass, prompted some parishioners to leave in protest, some in tears.
"This thing has just ripped my heart out," said David Wiesehuegel, whose family has attended St. Catherine's for two decades. "He's a beautiful man, a great priest."
Verhasselt did not return emails or calls seeking comment. He has been on leave since April 2010.
An inadvertent violation is one in which the priest reveals a penitent's sin, but not necessarily his or her identity, said archdiocese spokeswoman Julie Wolf. Such situations are extremely rare.
Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki, who determined Verhasselt's guilt as part of an administrative penal process, spoke with parishioners after Mass.
Before Mass, his Vicar of Clergy Father Patrick Heppe, read a letter from Listecki, saying: "When a penitent approaches a priest for the sacrament of penance and confesses his or her sins, a sacred trust is established. For the sake of the integrity of the sacrament, what is confessed must be held in strictest confidence."
http://www.jsonline.com/features/religion/priest-guilty-of-indirectly-violating-seal-of-confession-0o4kh33-143070546.html
And Monsigor Kevin McAuliffe,of the Las Vegas Diocese,who stole thousands of dollars from the Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, as far as we know,has not received any punishment or public reprimand from the Diocese or from the Bishop, Joseph Pepe.
Instead,McAuliffe gets a slap on the wrist by the legal system in Las Vegas and nothing from the diocese. In fact, his picture is still up on the web page of Las Vegas priests: http://www.lasvegas-diocese.org/priests.php
McAuliffe still has not reported to prison, though he due date is quickly coming up.
It would be nice to know that the Diocese of Las Vegas actually did something to McAuliffe, like having him do community service or sent to a monastery for some quiet time and penance. But the Las Vegas Diocese has not said anything about how McAuliffe is spending his time before reporting to prison.
I guess McAuliffe just broke the laws of society, not of God, unless you count that little commandment of thou shall not steal.
Only ONE in Dementia Care?
8 hours ago
In the Milwaukee Archdiocese the pedophile priests were awarded $20,000.00 each when asked to leave the church.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of justice is being meted out when the Church turns on it's own Good Priests, as it did to Father Dave, and rewards the evil doers??