The Church Is Doing Society A Favour - Local Priest

August 30, 2007 — A witness at the Cornwall Public Inquiry believes the church is doing society a favour when it continues to employ clerical abusers. Father Frank Morrisey agreed when it was suggested that if convicted priests were fired and became taxi cab drivers, no one would be looking after them. Morrisey says most of the time, they are forbidden to wear the roman collar but there are no mandatory restrictions. Victim's group lawyer Rob Talach asked Morrisey his thoughts on what should be done with these men.

I protest

Cornwall AM 1220

30 August 2007

Commentary by Lorne Wiebe

Why stop now? My "people" have been protesting ever since the "diet of worms" so here I go again. This week we have heard testimony from the Catholic Church at the Cornwall Public Inquiry that, just like Vegas, if it is said in the confessional, it stays in the confessional, even if what is told to the priest is potentially criminal. Even if a person would confess to abusing somebody. Will the priest go to the police? Nope. Not supposed to under Roman Catholic Canon Law. How the church can justify that is beyond me. Nowhere in scripture are Christians given the right to go above the law, unless man's laws contradict God's laws. Turning someone in to authorities for breaking man's laws does not contradict anything but good sense. In fact, the moral thing to do is to protect other possible victims and to help restore the perpetrator by facing the consequences of their actions. Shielding confessors from justice is not the role of any church. But what do I know? I'm a Mennonite. Tomorrow, so-called clerical abusers who are allowed to remain inside the church.