Child Abuse Scandal | Athanasius Contra Mundum

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Image result for Wuerl clericalism meme Today we are rejoined by Fr. Chad Ripperger, PhD, to talk about the abuse crisis in the Church in light of the revelations concerning former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the mass cover-ups carried out by bishops in Pennsylvania as revealed by the PA Grand Jury report, and the allegations against the Pope made by Archbishop Viganó. Instead of rehashing what has made the rounds on news, blogs and op-ed pieces, Fr. Ripperger discusses past Church legislation governing seminarians and clergy, and how the Vatican directed seminaries to deal with the problem of corrupt seminarians before Vatican II. He addresses the problem of homosexuality and the wider problem of a failure to keep chastity among seminarians, priests and bishops. Lastly, Father deals with the argument that everything is to blame on “clericalism” and shows that this is a veiled attack on the Catholic priesthood, and what the theology of the priesthood actually is. Not to be missed.

More resources for Fr. Ripperger
Sensus Traditionis
Sensus Traditionis Press
Society of the Most Sorrowful Mother

Episode Notes

Deliverance Prayers (With an imprimatur from the Archdiocese of Denver)

Our Lady of Sorrows
Diocese admits McCarrick violated minors
PA Grand Jury report shows Bishops covered-up
Archbishop Viganó alleges Pope knew about McCarrick
Modernism
Illud Horrendum Scelus of Pius V
Religiosorum Institutio
1917 Canon Law, Canon 2359, §2: “If clergy should engage in a delictum against the sixth commandment of the Decalogue with a minor below the age of sixteen, or take part in adultery, debauchery, bestiality, sodomy, pandering, incest with relatives or affines (kin) in the first degree, they are suspended, declared infamous, and are deprived of any office, benefice, dignity, responsibility, if they have such, whatever, and in more serious cases, they are to be deposed.”
Sacramentum Pœnitentiæ (Latin followed by English)
Rudy Kos

More episode notes will be compiled soon. I have to listen to it all again to make sure we link and source everything correctly.

A breaking news item, at the minute of this posting, is the resignation of Bishop Finn from the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph. According to a news report:

“Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph has resigned, nearly two and a half years after being the first U.S. bishop convicted of a misdemeanor in failing to report suspected child abuse by a priest in his diocese.

The Vatican confirmed Pope Francis’ acceptance of Bishop Finn’s resignation according to Canon 104 Article 2 in the Code of Canon Law in an April 21 statement, released at noon local time.

Article 2 of Canon 104, according to the Vatican’s website, refers to a situation when “a diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill-health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.” [source]

So essentially, the loss of prestige and the apparent damage of the conviction have led Finn to resign. Nevertheless, this raises several questions, particularly with the interesting history of the division in the Kansas City diocese, and the hate that was vented against him for years by the heterodox. Let us start in a few places. Continue reading →