Corapi's departure from priesthood leaves questions unanswered

June 20, 2011

The stunning announcement by John Corapi that he is leaving the Catholic priesthood has raised a series of questions about the man who had earned national attention as a preacher.

Corapi, who had been suspended from ministry after being charged with misconduct, announced on June 17: “My canon lawyer and my civil lawyers have concluded that I cannot receive a fair and just hearing under the Church’s present process.” In a rambling public statement he denounced the absence of due-process protections for accused priests, said that he was leaving the priesthood, and promised to continue speaking out publicly under a new title as “The Black Sheep Dog.”

“My topics will be broader than in the past, and my audience likewise is apt to be broader,” Corapi said. He did not indicate whether he intended to continue speaking as a Catholic, or whether he would seek to appeal to a different clientele. The “Black Sheep Dog” web site had been registered nearly a year ago by the corporation that markets his books and tapes, and announced as the title of a forthcoming autobiography.

Father Gerard Sheehan, the head of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), of which Father Corapi has been a member, revealed that the canonical investigation into the misconduct charges had been complicated by Corapi’s decision to file a civil lawsuit against his accuser, claiming breach of promise. (Corapi charges that his accuser, a former employee, had received a settlement under which she agreed not to speak critically about his corporation.) Because of the lawsuit, Father Sheehan reported, key witnesses in the canonical investigation were unable to speak freely.

By leaving the priesthood, Corapi seems to have derailed the canonical investigation and avoided the possibility of a final disciplinary judgment by the Church. The nature of the charges against him has never been revealed. Although it is widely assumed by commentators that he was accused of sexual misconduct, it is also possible that the complaints included concerns about the handling of the considerable income Corapi derives from his public appearances, books, and tapes.

Father Corapi lives with his staff in Montana, in a diocese where—even before his suspension—he did not have faculties to minister publicly as a Catholic priest. Father Sheehan, his SOLT superior, revealed that the society had asked Corapi to leave his solitary business and live with the other members of his religious community. Father Sheehan remarked, “that would have meant leaving everything he has.”

In his surprise announcement, Corapi said that Bishop William Mulvey of Corpus Christi, Texas, forced SOLT to take disciplinary action against him. (A former head of the same diocese, retired Bishop René Gracida, indicated his sympathy for Corapi in a blog post.) While insisting that the investigation was unjust, Corapi said that he would defend the bishop’s right to take that action, and suggested that Bishop Mulvey was not ultimately the source of his problem. “There are certain persons in authority in the Church that want me gone,” he said mysteriously, “and I shall be gone.”

 

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Further information:

• Father Corapi’s Bombshell (National Catholic Register)
• Fr. Corapi announces he's leaving the priesthood (EWTN)
• The Black Sheep Dog (new Corapi web site)
• A Few Thoughts on Father Corapi's Announcement Yesterday (Bishop Rene Gracida)