“I am not going to be involved in public ministry as a priest any longer,” he said. “There are certain persons in authority in the Church that want me gone, and I shall be gone.”
According to EWTN News, he made the announcement in a June 17 post on a website under the title of his new ministry “Black Sheep Dog,” and a related YouTube video clip. He outlined his reasons for leaving, saying 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.
Fr. Corapi was placed on administrative leave in March following allegations of misconduct. The allegations were made by a former female employee who accused him of taking part in sexual encounters with several adult women and engaging in habitual drug use. In a March 19 statement, Fr. Corapi said the allegations were entirely false.
Fr. Corapi is best known for his remarkable conversion story. He was once a wealthy businessman who became addicted to cocaine and was eventually left penniless and living on the streets. He returned to the Church and was eventually ordained a priest in the Texas-based Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. He went on to become an internationally known speaker and author who appeared regularly on Catholic television and radio programs.
Promising to be back on radio under a new name, he forgave his accuser, describing her as "the one person that I can honestly say I did more to help and support than any human being in my entire life.”
He went on to say that he has forgiven her and hopes 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 called the process used following the allegations "inherently and fatally flawed, but the bishops have the power, apparently, to operate anyway they see fit.”
Both his canon lawyer and his civil lawyers concluded that he would not receive a fair and just hearing in the Church. “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 . . . . The case may be on hold indefinitely, but my life cannot be.”
Fr. Corapi plans to continue his ministry within and outside the Church.
“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.”
He also announced that he has written an autobiography under the title, The Black Sheep Dog which is almost ready for publication.
He promises that his distinctive booming voice will continue to be heard on the airwaves.
“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.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Fr. Corapi Leaves Priesthood
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
After being suspended in the wake of unproven allegations made against him, the popular speaker Fr. John Corapi has 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. “There are certain persons in authority in the Church that want me gone, and I shall be gone.”
According to EWTN News, he made the announcement in a June 17 post on a website under the title of his new ministry “Black Sheep Dog,” and a related YouTube video clip. He outlined his reasons for leaving, saying 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.
Fr. Corapi was placed on administrative leave in March following allegations of misconduct. The allegations were made by a former female employee who accused him of taking part in sexual encounters with several adult women and engaging in habitual drug use. In a March 19 statement, Fr. Corapi said the allegations were entirely false.
Fr. Corapi is best known for his remarkable conversion story. He was once a wealthy businessman who became addicted to cocaine and was eventually left penniless and living on the streets. He returned to the Church and was eventually ordained a priest in the Texas-based Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. He went on to become an internationally known speaker and author who appeared regularly on Catholic television and radio programs.
Promising to be back on radio under a new name, he forgave his accuser, describing her as "the one person that I can honestly say I did more to help and support than any human being in my entire life.”
He went on to say that he has forgiven her and hopes 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 called the process used following the allegations "inherently and fatally flawed, but the bishops have the power, apparently, to operate anyway they see fit.”
Both his canon lawyer and his civil lawyers concluded that he would not receive a fair and just hearing in the Church. “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 . . . . The case may be on hold indefinitely, but my life cannot be.”
Fr. Corapi plans to continue his ministry within and outside the Church.
“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.”
He also announced that he has written an autobiography under the title, The Black Sheep Dog which is almost ready for publication.
He promises that his distinctive booming voice will continue to be heard on the airwaves.
“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.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
“I am not going to be involved in public ministry as a priest any longer,” he said. “There are certain persons in authority in the Church that want me gone, and I shall be gone.”
According to EWTN News, he made the announcement in a June 17 post on a website under the title of his new ministry “Black Sheep Dog,” and a related YouTube video clip. He outlined his reasons for leaving, saying 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.
Fr. Corapi was placed on administrative leave in March following allegations of misconduct. The allegations were made by a former female employee who accused him of taking part in sexual encounters with several adult women and engaging in habitual drug use. In a March 19 statement, Fr. Corapi said the allegations were entirely false.
Fr. Corapi is best known for his remarkable conversion story. He was once a wealthy businessman who became addicted to cocaine and was eventually left penniless and living on the streets. He returned to the Church and was eventually ordained a priest in the Texas-based Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. He went on to become an internationally known speaker and author who appeared regularly on Catholic television and radio programs.
Promising to be back on radio under a new name, he forgave his accuser, describing her as "the one person that I can honestly say I did more to help and support than any human being in my entire life.”
He went on to say that he has forgiven her and hopes 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 called the process used following the allegations "inherently and fatally flawed, but the bishops have the power, apparently, to operate anyway they see fit.”
Both his canon lawyer and his civil lawyers concluded that he would not receive a fair and just hearing in the Church. “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 . . . . The case may be on hold indefinitely, but my life cannot be.”
Fr. Corapi plans to continue his ministry within and outside the Church.
“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.”
He also announced that he has written an autobiography under the title, The Black Sheep Dog which is almost ready for publication.
He promises that his distinctive booming voice will continue to be heard on the airwaves.
“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.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
