And I always thought that Fr Corapi was well left of centre!

I have kept well out of commenting on the Corapi debacle, for many reasons not least of which is, that, despite all the press releases and statements issued, I still have my doubts as to what went on and whether it was wrong or not. That is not a naive statement; there are many contradictions involved and it could be that the full truth may never be known. I also believe that, in such cases, especially when a priest is involved, one should hold back and steer clear of the feeding frenzy.

Fr Corapi guilty? - not for me to judge!

How do I square that attitude when I appear more than willing to go to town on a Bishop for failing in his duties? Well, firstly, I make certain that I know the facts and that they are as solid as they can be. Secondly, it is not particularly hard to criticise the Bishops of England and Wales as they are so very adept at failing to comply with the teachings of the faith and of the Holy Father. They do not leave too much room for doubt!

Secondly, the nature of the scandal or alleged scandal is important. If a priest has embezzled sums of money from the church, that is one thing but, if a number of allegations are made of a sexual nature, it behoves one to refrain from comment lest gratuitous sordidity creeps into the affair. We must be careful that we do not become shroud wavers, voyeurs that stand around at a car crash waiting to see a bit more blood and carnage.

I also hold fast to the very English (British?) element of good manners that requires us to never, ever comment on a person's personal dress or their hairstyle, lipstick colour or any intensely personal aspect. I will and do comment on the way a priest might dress but I would never personalise it to a named individual. I suppose that I am sounding very righteous; I apologise for that - I mean to sound right rather than righteous.

There is another element here - what do we know of the mental state of an individual that we criticise? What demons are they nursing in their soul that may render their actions eminently forgiveable?

I do not wish to be an apologist for Fr Corapi; I actually always regarded him as being rather too liberal for my tastes but I admired him greatly for what he did and said, it had resonance with me, the fact that he very obviously modelled himself on the great Archbishop Sheen endeared him to me. As far as I am aware, he did not celebrate the EF Mass (all the footage I have seen of him as a celebrant shows him offering the OF Mass). I never regarded him as a traditionalist.

I felt (and still do) that we need more men like Fr Corapi, good communicators, sound theologians, unafraid to speak the truth (I recall how he handled the tricky subject of masturbation in one of his talks; it was clear, concise and did not mince words, good stuff!)

So, I keep my mind clear and free of judgement and pray for him and those around him. He is a priest, an alter Christus and will always be so.