Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY | Wed May 16, 2012 9:32am EDT

(Reuters) - Leaders of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ religious order knew that their most famous priest had fathered a child for many months before they acknowledged it this week, a top Vatican official told Reuters on Wednesday.

The once influential religious order, still in crisis following revelations that its founder was a sexual abuser with two secret families, suffered another major blow on Tuesday when American Father Thomas Williams admitted to having fathered a child with a woman in Rome.

The question left hanging was how long the order's leaders knew about Williams's secret life and why they continued to let him preach, teach and appear on television around the world, particularly in the United States.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/16/us-vatican-legionaires-idUSBRE84F0JL20120516

[Angry Dragon]

1. No problem ......... his god will forgive him

and the church will hide him
and the church will attack any one else that does not follow the idiot rules

[trotsky]

2. No worries.

I am told liberal Catholics are hard at work changing the church from within. Should happen any day now.

[eqfan592]

3. Actually, I think we've recently been told that it was not really a priority.

And you can make of that what you will...

[rug]

4. This guy fathering a child with a woman in Rome is a priority of yours?

[eqfan592]

7. The post I replied to said this:

"I am told liberal Catholics are hard at work changing the church from within. Should happen any day now."

When recently asked about changing the church, you said this: "That's not my priority."

Thus leading me to post this: "Actually, I think we've recently been told that it was not really a priority."

I believe this should clear up any confusion.

[mr blur]

5. And, we made it to reply #3 before the first attempt to derail the topic.

About average.

[rug]

6. I peg it at #1.

[Goblinmonger]

8. No, you pegged it at 0

and you want to deflect from any criticism of your church. That this is your SOP is clear to all that read this group regularly.

[rug]

9. No, I pegged it correctly.

It appears you want to deflect any criticism of criticsm of the Catholic Church.

Any thread at random establishes that SOP quite clearly.

[laconicsax]

12. Are you sure he doesn't want to deflect criticism of criticism of criticism of the RCC?

What about criticism of criticism of criticism of criticism of the RCC? Who's deflecting that?

[opiate69]

14. ...

[rug]

15. It's hard to discern criticism among the spasms of knee jerking.

[cbayer]

10. This story is as old as celibacy itself.

Priests have fathered children. Nuns have given birth.

Does anyone really care? IMO, this is light years different than the issues around child abuse.

[trotsky]

11. The thread in common is the coverup by the church.

If the church had turned over its child molesters to the authorities in the first place, it wouldn't be the horrible scandal it is today. But instead, it has shown a history -- one that continues to this day -- of deceit, coverup, and defiance.

So yeah, I care. A lot of people do.

[dimbear]

13. Williams specific area of expertise was 'moral theology.' That explains it all.

Vatican correspondent, right. In some senses of the word.