I wonder

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 “Morally I have sinned, and legally I have pleaded not guilty, but your honor, I submit to your legal judgment,” Beaupre said in broken English before he began to tremble and weep silently. “If this young man is suffering because of me, I’m sad.”

“Morally I have sinned, and legally I have pleaded not guilty.”    

Some of this is just so hard to stomach. 

“If this man is suffering because of me, I’m sad.” 

I have just posted and must comment on the media re convicted clerical molester Father Armand Beaupre.

If indeed Beaupre’s stint at an Ontario treatment centre was related to his depraved sexual proclivities he didn’t learn much did he?  Did he really think that the boy would benefit from sexual abuse?  Did he think the child would be a better Roman Catholic if he was molested by a priest?  Did he truly think that a little molesting would lead the boy ‘to know love and serve God in this world and be happy with Him in the next?’

I mention treatment centre.  Note that Beaupre was shipped off to a treatment centre in Ontario in 1986.  That was four years before sex abuse charges were laid.  The bishop of the day for Saint Paul Alberta Diocese was Raymond Roy.

Why did Roy decide to ship Beaupre off to a treatment centre in the mid 80s?  Did he know then that Beaupre was a molester?  It has that look does it not?  Perhaps the boy’s Grade 8 teacher spoke to the Bishop?

Was the treatment centre Southdown?  

What, I wonder, was Beaupre’s  diagnosis?  Alcoholism?  Psychosexual immaturity?  Ephebophilia?  ( was ephebophila even an ‘in’ diagnosis in the mid 80s?) 

What, I wonder was his “treatment”?

Whatever the diagnosis and treatment the decision by Bishop Roy was obviously that Beaupore was fit to return to active ministry.  So back he went, and within a few short years, the sex abuse charges.

I see that, according to the Canadian Catholic Church Directory, Beaupre was in Quebec City in the mid 90s.  It is known that around 1997 he was saying Mass. 

Beaupre was still in the Archdiocse of Quebec  in 2000.  His incardination is still listed as Saint Paul, Alberta, but there he is in Quebec. Reycled.

I wonder if by 2000 Beaupre had come to the conclusion that he had indeed “hurt”  his young victim?  I wonder if he had the slightest clue how much he “hurt”  the boy?

 I wonder why the judge found it hard to believe that Beaupre sodomized the boy?

I wonder why  Beaupre and his clerical ilk are not laicized. 

Yes, I wonder about a lot of things as I read my way through the filth .

Enough for now,

Sylvia

(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)

This entry was posted in Bishops, Canada, Clerical sexual predators, Ephebophile, recycled, Treatment centres and tagged , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

2 Responses to I wonder

  1. Rosalima says:

    Rosalima writes:

    I was horrified when I read your latest additions to he Fr. Armand Beaupre portion of the “accused” list of priests. I didn’t know whether to cry or just be revolted in disgust at what shame and disgrace those native boys and young men suffered at that French priest’s perverted hands.

    I have seen quite a number of those characters come and go over the years through, this very transient, diocese of St. Paul, Alberta.

    I read as well your additions to the Fr. Fernand Croteau priest, on your “accused” priests list. Fr. Fernand Croteau was known here as Monsignor Croteau.. His younger brother Fr. Edmond Croteau never achieved such an exalted title. They are both now in their early 80’s.

    When I read the above additions, I thought I might share with you some thoughts about another of those French priests here in this diocese.We had a Fr. Walter LaLiberty until nine or ten years ago. How time flies. He was from New England, I believe the State of Vermont. He was a diocesan priest here and studied canon law in Ottawa. He worked at the Marriage Tribunal in Edmonton; said Tribunal was reported in the now defunct Alberta Report Magazine, as cited by Rome for turning out the most number of annulments, of any Tribunal in Canada. Rome was not pleased.

    Then I got to know through one of my friends in the Thorhild parish, that Fr. Walter was their parish priest. Fr. LaLiberty in the eleven years he was at that parish, never offered private confessions. At Christmas and Easter he would do the “general absolution” thing. The people there forgot how to make a sacramental confession.My friend there used to cook the odd dish for Fr. Walter. But then she began to notice that Fr. Walter was always accompanied by “Danny”, his “close-friend.” Danny and Fr. Walter would come out to the parish on the weekends, and in the rectory, only one bed was ever used!

    It turns out that in real life Fr. Walter and Danny lived together in a very posh apartment on Jasper Avenue in downtown Edmonton. Jasper Avenue real estate is available for the well-to-do only.

    Before Luc Bouchard became bishop of this diocese, in late 2001, we were without a bishop for almost 2 years. During that time Walter LaLiberty administered the diocese. The priests of this diocese were then consulted by Rome as to whether or not they wanted LaLiberty as their new bishop, and the priests overwhelmingly said ‘no’ in their written communications with Rome. So in what appeared to be a knee-jerk reaction, unfortunately, Rome appointed Luc Bouchard as our Bishop. Bouchard was then seminary rector at St. Josephs in Edmonton.

    Once Bouchard was named, Fr. Walter became sick with what was called ‘a mysterious disease.’ Soon after, LaLiberty died. Rather than being buried as most priests when they die, Fr. LaLiberty’s remains were immediately incinerated. And, oddly enough, Bishop Bouchard, we’re told, flew down to Vermont to present Fr. LaLiberty’s ashes to his parents!

    At LaLibert’s funeral Mass here, Bp. Bouchard said that he would pray to Fr. Walter and the Blessed Virgin Mary for vocations for the diocese. It must not be working…

  2. Sylvia says:

    The Bishop prays to Laliberte?!!! He has beatified him and put him right into Heaven?!!!

    What kind of theology is this? It doesn’t sound too terribly Catholic to me.

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