In the wake of being suspended over what he claims are unproven
allegations, popular speaker Fr. John Corapi announced that after 20
years in ministry, he's leaving the Catholic priesthood.
“I am not going to be involved in public ministry as a priest any
longer,” he said in an online post. “There are certain persons in
authority in the Church that want me gone, and I shall be gone.”
In a June 17 post on a website with the title of his new ministry “Black Sheep Dog,” and a related YouTube video clip, Fr. Corapi outlined his reasons for leaving.
He said that he feels unjustly accused, that the process of clearing
his name has been too sluggish and that there are authorities in the
Church who are intentionally trying to oust him.
The news comes as Fr. Corapi had been placed on administrative leave
since March by superiors within his religious order following
allegations of misconduct.
Fr. Corapi claimed in a March 19 statement that 3-page letter
submitted by a former, unidentified female employee was entirely
“false.”
The letter claimed that the priest took part in sexual
encounters with several adult women and engaged in habitual drug use.
A previous member of Texas-based Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy
Trinity, Fr. Corapi is an internationally-known speaker and author who
has appeared regularly on Catholic television and radio programs.
He gained a widespread audience with his conversion story. After a
prominent career as a wealthy businessman, his life spiraled out of
control due to a cocaine addiction, eventually leading to him living on
the streets. He later came back to the Catholic Church and was ordained a
priest.
On March 18, Fr. Gerry Sheehan, Regional Priest Servant for the
society, issued a statement defending the suspension, saying that he and
other authorities were “duty-bound to conduct an investigation in this
accusation.”
Fr. Corapi said in his online post Friday that he's “been guilty of
many things in the course of my life, and could easily and justifiably
be considered unfit to engage in public ministry as a priest.”
However, referring to the woman in question, he said that the
“present complaint that you have heard about is, as far as I know, from
the one person that I can honestly say I did more to help and support
than any human being in my entire life.”
“I forgive her and hope only good things for her. I am not going to
get into a back and forth or argument with the Church or anyone else
about this matter.”
He said that even though he loves the Catholic Church, the process
used following the allegations “is inherently and fatally flawed, but
the bishops have the power, apparently, to
operate anyway they see fit.”
“I cannot give a lengthy explanation of what has transpired, but I
can tell you that the most likely outcome is that they leave me
suspended indefinitely and just let me fade away.”
“My canon lawyer and my civil lawyers have concluded that I cannot
receive a fair and just hearing under the Church’s present process,” he
said. “The case may be on hold indefinitely, but my life cannot be.”
Fr. Corapi said that he'll move forward by continuing with ministry within the Church and
also outside of it.
“I shall continue, black sheep that I am, to speak; and sheep dog
that I am, to guard the sheep – this time around not just in the Church,
but also in the entire world.”
“Under the name 'The Black Sheep Dog,' I shall be with you through
radio broadcasts and writing. My autobiography, 'The Black Sheep Dog,'
is almost ready for publication.”
“My topics will be broader than in the past, and my audience likewise
is apt to be broader,” he added. “I’ll do what I can under the
circumstances.”