AmericanPapist Comments
It seems that Andrew Smith is implying that there have been other incidents of assaults on priests in LA. Hmmmm...
Should His Eminence have reported the crime when it happened? Probably, but he chose not to, and that was his choice. No scandal there. I'm not certain what's being gained in leaking the information five months after the fact. Nevertheless, the cardinal should have known that a lot of priests will yap about anything that's not learned inside a confessional. In my diocese, what priests are being (re-)assigned to parishes is usually known well in advance of when the news is formally made public. It's no different on other matters. I assume that those priests simply enjoy the attention a reporter or parishioners or whomever is willing to give them when they relay that information. Again, them doing so is no real scandal in my mind, but so much for obedience to the bishop when ordained.
Now, of course, there are plenty of priests who don't speak when instructed (implicitly or explicitly) not to. My former priest refused to reveal to my parents where he was being re-assigned last May, and my brother will frequently say, "I can't talk about it" when discussing certain church matters. But again, like Thomas says, even among priests, there will be some who don't keep quiet. And all you need is just one to talk and the private matter is no longer private.
I don't believe it.
Commenting by HaloScan
