The CathNews
June 21, 2010
http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=22030
The Church's law provides for various punishments when her sons or daughters go astray, but in the case of priest sexual abusers, perhaps the most serious canonical punishment is not always the best one, according to one canon lawyer.
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This suggestion was made by Father John Beal of the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, when he addressed participants at a one-day seminar May 25 on canon law and sexual abuse.
Father Beal cautioned that turning a priest-sexual predator loose in society by separating him from the clerical state might solve the internal problem for the Church, but could serve to worsen the issue as a whole, particularly when the chance of a successful civil trial is minimal.
The canon lawyer made this observation during the question-and-answer session that followed his address on "Crime and Punishment in the Catholic Church: An Overview of Possibilities and Problems."
He was the third canon lawyer to address the seminar, which was sponsored by the U.S. episcopal conference and the Canon Law Society of America.
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