While the Church undeniably has to take all complaints very seriously (there seems to be little sense of responsibility for the most part still, except with some contrition from Pope Francis), I would not want to place myself in the seat of playing judge.
Recently, in a book by an African Goan on child sex-abuse allegations against a prominent priest in East Africa, one naturally felt the hurt and pain that the complainants would have gone through. But, on the other hand, the descriptions of the man, his work and his actions, also makes one feel for the accused -- who seemed to be a good priest struggling with sexual demons he just simply couldn't control. Frankly, had I been in his position, I do not know what would have been my own stand. Does this reopen the celibacy debate? Would there be a conflict between controlling the Church's property and going beyond celibacy? At the very least, the issue of how priests (and the rest of us) cope in a very sexualised world needs to be taken up. FN On 25 February 2017 at 06:31, Roland Francis <roland.fran...@gmail.com> wrote: > If you read Goan Voice UK's death notice today of 86 year old Fr Anthony J > Rebeiro in the US, you might say a silent prayer for the dead priest like > you would for someone ending life far away from where the person once > called home. > > But then before the notice ends, Eddie Fernandes like the librarian he > always will be, connects it to a small item about the priest that prompts > you to read more. It certainly did me. > > Fr Rebeiro was from Nagpur Maharashtra, a small town that has spawned many > illustrious Goans who had brilliant careers as doctors, professors, top > police and army men and leaders of the Church. Anthony Ribeiro was one of > them. Ordained in Rome, and later a Rhodes Scholar simultaneously > graduating with three different masters degrees from Oxford, a polyglot > with more than 5 languages, the man's intelligence is unquestioned, the > path to a wide road opened to him. > > Going to the US however, he was caught up in the wide net of sexual abuse > and pedophilia for which the supervising clergy of that diocese ending up > with Cardinal Bernard Law became infamous for what was to become an > ignominious and massive cover up of serious crime. > > There is much documented in the archives of the Boston Globe about Anthony > Ribeiro's misdeeds and the pleading letters and accusations made about this > priest to his supervising Bishop who did nothing but transfer him in the > position of the chaplain of a hospital and a chaplain to some armed forces > unit. > > Anthony Rebeiro abused across all ages. A married woman with a devoted > husband and three young children, a 12 year old girl coming to him for > confession and a small boy donning his alter server's clothing, were three > of them. > > No matter what he did, and no matter what sorrow he may have lived with or > forgiveness sought from his god, he could have before he died, stood up > before his victims and apologized. Instead, he went to his end with all > these accusations on perpetual record about him, with no admission of guilt > on his part. The loss of his pension and his medical benefits from the > church was apparently too much for him to contemplate losing, one concludes. > > The letter from the married woman's husband to the bishop of his diocese > was particularly heart-rending. This was a family with three small children > who were devout followers of the church and thought, mistakenly it turns > out, that from it they would get some justice. > > Sorrowfully I say, "Better he had drowned himself with a millstone around > his neck......" > > Roland Francis > 416-453-3371 -- _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ _/ Frederick Noronha http://about.me/noronhafrederick http://goa1556.in _/ P +91-832-2409490 M 9822122436 Twitter @fn Fcbk:fredericknoronha _/ Hear Goa,1556 shared audio content at https://archive.org/details/goa1556 _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
