Catholic Priest Barred: Allegations He Abused Girls Studying to Be Nuns

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBY1UNKYUD.html

BOSTON (AP) - A Roman Catholic priest accused of molesting girls who were studying to become nuns can no longer perform sacraments or other priestly duties, the Boston Archdiocese announced Tuesday. snip

Robert V. Meffan allegedly described himself as "the second coming of Christ" and encouraged the girls to be "brides of Christ." He was suspended in 1993 after the first allegations were made against him. The acts allegedly took place in the 1960s.

Meffan was accused of recruiting girls to become nuns and then molesting them, according to documents made public in 2002.

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[atreides1]

1. How Much Do You Want To Bet

Father Bob can still take communion.

[lolly]

2. Not necessarily . . .

Only if he didn't vote for Kerry.

If he voted for a Democrat, then he'd better not expect to get Communion. :eyes:

[DaveSZ]

3. Ugh

I can't believe these guys are trying to tell Catholics how to vote.

-To be fair, most priests are not like this guy though.

[meow2u3]

21. Father can take communion--sacrilegiously!

For all non-Catholics, it's an act of sacrilege to take Communion while in the state of mortal sin (an offense that kills the soul). For that rogue priest to molest girls compulsively without making the effort to reform (for pedophiles, the only way to reform is to keep away from kids) would be to remain in mortal sin, and this is what that priest is doing.

Trouble is, more is expected from Catholics that from members of other religions. Hence, the anti-Catholic sentiment when they fail to live up to such lofty standards.

[Ironpost]

4. catholic

I'm sure glad my parents were Baptist, this kind of sh*t would have brought down some shit. excuse me

[demdave]

5. Baptist, (with enough respect for another's faith to spell it correctly)

This happens in any organization where adults have power over children.

New York Times, November 11, 1998
Police say pastor and wife kidnapped and brainwashed girl to be family servant
By The Associated Press

BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- A former pastor and his wife allegedly kidnapped a baby girl from a children's home, then raised her while brainwashing her into believing God wanted her to be their family's servant.

For nearly 20 years, the girl served the couple and their four children, police say. And all the while, she was being physically and sexually abused by the couple, according to an indictment.

``I don't think she ever really knew it was wrong,'' said police Capt. Blaine Wade in nearby Bristol.

The alleged abuse was discovered when the woman, now 20, was hospitalized after a suicide attempt last year


Congregation backs Baptist minister


By Peter Demarco, Boston Globe Correspondent, 11/4/2002

INCHESTER - Congregants rallied around their pastor, the Rev. Lawrence French of First Baptist Church yesterday, saying his tenure should not come to an end despite a ruling that he sexually molested three boys decades ago.


Emerging from their first Sunday service without French, nearly a dozen churchgoers said they backed a decision by church elders to retain the minister, even though The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts found that he had molested three boys between 1960 and 1982.

With the full support of the 100-member congregation - half of whom attended yesterday's service - French could conceivably remain as pastor if he chooses, despite the finding that he was culpable.


Minister flees law after sex abuse charges




The Associated Press


(May 1, 2002) — SYRACUSE -- A Baptist minister charged with sexual abuse escaped dozens of deputies who surrounded his house only to be arrested early Wednesday at a local motel.

The Rev. David Gardiner was to be arraigned Wednesday in Salina Town Court on charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child. Onondaga County Sheriff Kevin Walsh declined to provide details about the charges.

Gardiner, 42, is pastor of the Liverpool Baptist Church, a small congregation with about 50 members, said Greg Sigworth, the church's deacon.


Pastor held on charges of sex abuse
Baptist minister accused of molesting young girl. Gardiner found at motel.
Thursday, May 2, 2002

By Sue Weibezahl







The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department kept a church and attached house surrounded for six hours Tuesday night, assuming the suspect - a Baptist minister - was inside.

After hostage negotiators, SWAT teams, snipers, detectives, reconnaissance specialists,deputies and K-9 units failed to bring the suspect out, they went in and realized the Rev. David Gardiner was long gone.

They found Gardiner about 4 a.m. He had registered at the Super 8 motel about a mile away, using his own name.

He was taken out in handcuffs about 4 a.m., nearly 11 hours after two deputies first went to the Liverpool Baptist Church at 122 Corkins Lane in Salina.

NASHUA (NH)
The Telegraph

By ANDREW WOLFE, Telegraph Staff
[e-mail]


A Baptist minister was sentenced Wednesday to 60 to 120 years in prison for sexually abusing two younger, female relatives, prosecutors said. Stephen Mattson, 47, formerly of 21 Linlew Drive, pleaded guilty to 46 felony sexual assault charges from Hillsborough and Rockingham counties, Deputy Rockingham County Attorney Thomas Reid said Thursday.

Mattson never headed any church, but he worked as a minister running special programs, sometimes including youth programs, Reid said. He formerly served at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Litchfield and Victory Baptist in Londonderry, Reid said. He also served at various Baptist churches Maine, Texas and Illinois.

Mattson kept moving his family every time suspicious of his sexual abuse surfaced, Reid said. Church officials were made aware of the abuse and hushed it up at least three times, he said.


Clearly, religions, like social services, need to be especially vigilant. It does no good to point fingers and ignore the problems. Hopefully we have gone through a period so horrifying in it's depravity and depth of conspiracy that these institutions will be more transparent and responsible.

[Ironpost]

7. spelling

has nothing to do with message. I am pulling 50 and never in my life have I heard or seen such behavior... thank yor

[demdave]

8. Well now you have, and I am sure it goes back to the beginning of time

As to the spelling, it shows a lack of respect to spell a proper noun in lower case. That makes it part of the message.

[Ironpost]

10. you are right

I have no respect for anyone who will take advantage of anyone. excuse me. bury head in sand

[demdave]

11. So I take it you will no longer spell Baptist with upper case B?

Now that you understand there is also abuse in that religion.

[Ironpost]

12. Please tell me

what abuse, as I said earlier, bury head is sand

[demdave]

14. Read my first reply

These were but a few of the stories I found with a quick google search.

[Ironpost]

16. I mean no disrespect

I said I have never heard of such in the baptist world but I have read a lot in your world.

[Ironpost]

13. hey my fellow duer

I don't mean to be mean but I have never heard of such behaviour except in your religion. and lots of it. thank you... bury head in sand

[Ironpost]

9. You must live in

a strange world. baptist...

[loathesomeshrub]

17. A youth minister from my husband's church

http://www.reformation.com/CSA/mccary1.htm

Chattanooga, Tenn. - A Baptist minister joined his two brothers behind bars Wednesday when a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing four boys in his prominent Chattanooga church.

The nine-woman, three-man panel convicted the Rev. Don McCary of 13 counts of rape and child molestation. He will be sentenced May 1 and faces a maximum 76-year prison sentence.

"Thank God he'll never hurt another boy again," said the mother of a 14-year-old victim. "We thought we were doing good by sending our boys to a place where they would learn about God, but he was using his position in the church for his sexual gratification."

McCary, 48, former youth and music minister at the 4,400-member Central Baptist Church of Hixson, a Chattanooga suburb, is the third member of his family to be jailed for molesting children. His two brothers, Ron and Richard, both also Baptist ministers, have been convicted of similar charges.

[saigon68]

20. Sorry, I don't mean to be rude

What does this story have to do with the Priest?

[PaDUer]

6. Of course..

Bishop Timlin = Casey's

[goddess40]

15. come on, no one got hurt - it was just a little hazing

After all boys will be boys

Doesn't work does it. Sorry, but the Catholic church has become somewhat of a sick joke. The Pope promotes Law after he protected known child molesters, which seems to condone both activities (the molesting and the covering it up)
The Pope says no to the war in Iraq and American Catholics thumb their nose at him.

[leesa]

18. Well thank God he wasn't a homosexual or pro-choice.

[Voltaire99]

19. "Brides of Christ"

I've always found that polygamic metaphor pretty creepy, particularly when you combine it with the institutionally-repressed sexuality in the Catholic orders. So Christ would have this huge, er, chaste harem?

Weird.