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Here is the latest on (Fr.) John Geoghan.

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Pedophile Ex-Priest Is Killed in Prison
By ROBERT O'NEILL, Associated Press Writer

BOSTON - Former priest John Geoghan, a convicted child molester who became a central figure in the Catholic church's sex abuse scandal, died Saturday after another inmate attacked him in prison, a state corrections spokeswoman said.

Geoghan was injured in an incident with another inmate about noon and died shortly after being taken to Leominster Hospital, said Department Of Correction spokeswoman Kelly Nantel.

The other inmate had been isolated and the incident was under investigation.

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The rest of the story can be read at:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...ap_on_re_us/church_abuse_priest_killed_9

There seems to be two kinds of people who never have a chance even in prison culture: serial killers, especially those who eat their victims (Jeffrey Dahmer), and pedophiles (John Geoghan). Is there a pattern here?

Joe

I think that there is somewhat of a limit on the crime you commit in the eyes of prisoners. Child molestors and child killers are usually held apart from the rest of the prison population because they are threatened by their fellow inmates.

One of my fahter's students wound up in jail aftering molesting his daughters. He was beat up frequently because the inmates depised his crimes.

I guess its ok to murder adults and rob banks and what not in the eyes of inmates, however, if you harmed children (or eat your victims), you have gone way too far.

That's my impression.

We should pray for the soul of that de-frocked priest, his victims, and for the soul(s) of those who killed him.

-uc

Thank you UC, you are right let us pray...

Michael

UC wrote:
Two reasons for this. One is that although they are in prison because of their crimes, they miss their own children. The other is that a great number of prison inmates have been abused in some manner as children (not just sexually). Killing a serial killer is usually just "bragging rights" or fulfilling a contract.

Glenn

I'm pondering God's justice. Surely, his death is God's justice at work. Yet, one wonders why God took so long. To bring His Bride to repentance?

Dan Lauffer

But maybe this former priest had a change of heart and reconciled with God?

It's hard to know what to think in this situation.

God is Mericiful.

Sounds more like prison justice.

The ones who should be worried are those church leaders who covered up this kind of behavior. You know, the turkey dancers. Or bringing back perverts to serve as priests while nobody was looking ...

For personal reasons I followed Geogahn's story closely; his crimes came to light in the mid 90's. A man who had been molested by him tracked him down and spoke to him by phone, getting him to admit to his acts; Geoghan didn't know the conversation was being taped. The man who confronted him was doing so as a part of his therapy; he didn't originally plan to make the tape public. During the conversation Geogahn confessed to his acts, apologised, offered to help the young man pay for therapy. He ended th econversation by telling the vctim he would pray for him when he said the Rsary with his wife and children that evening. The victim , who was later interviewed and play the ape on National Public Radio, stated that the last remark, "I'll pray for you" was what made him angry and decide to go public. At one point there was a national ring of "the victims of John Geoghan" that numbered >100 persons. I leave to each to decide of Geoghan had repented; hopefully he did. What i find puzzling is the amount of shock and surprise that the average Catholic showed when the sex-abuse scandals hit the news. Growing up Catholic in South Texas, it was common knowledge among most altar boys that some priests were very "touchy-huggy"; we used to joke about it. As far as Geoghan's murder being an act of divine justice, just bear in mind that many times thugs have appointed themselves as God's agents; th epogroms of 19th century Russia, th eInquisition, the Salem witch trials- that reasoning is a slippery slope.

My question is if he was supposedly in protective situation or isolated and so was the man that killed him, then how did this happen?

I think this fits this conversation it is from Renewal Ministries:
What are we to make of all this? While these are sad and dark days, they are also very hopeful days. For the first time since the corruption of the post Vatican II times set in, there is the hope that honest and vigorous repentance and reform may come about. It is not because the Church leadership willingly took this path, but because the world is forcing us into it. That is shameful but not without precedence. When God�s people in the past didn�t judge themselves he would send for "outsiders" to carry out the chastisement that was needed. And who of us has not experienced this at least in some measure in our own lives?

And while these are dark days, there have been dark days before, very similar to what we are experiencing today, that God has brought the Church through. Catherine of Siena, writing in the 14th century, gives us an example of how to deal with such situations as she confronted the sexual corruption among clergy of her day. On the one hand, she made very clear our need to honor, respect and value the dignity of the priesthood as an amazing gift from God, and at the same time not to cover-up moral corruption when it appears. Catherine shares what she senses God the Father showing her about the situation (the reference numbers are chapters in Catherine�s book, "The Dialogue" in the Paulist Press edition):

"I have told you, dearest daughter, something of the reverence that ought to be given my anointed ones no matter how sinful they may be. For reverence neither is nor should be given them for what they are in themselves, but only for the authority I have entrusted to them. The sacramental mystery cannot be lessened or divided by their sinfulness. Therefore, your reverence for them should never fail� not for their own sake, but because of the treasure of the blood." (118)

"For those who are not corrected and those who do not correct are like members beginning to rot�But those who are in authority today do not do this. In fact they pretend not to see (119)�They will never correct persons of any importance�They will, however, correct the little people (122)� And do you know why? Because the root of selfish love is alive in them, and this is the source of their perverse slavish fear�They believe they can succeed through injustice, by not reproving the sins of their subjects� Another reason they will not correct others is that they themselves are living in the same or greater sins. They sense that the same guilt envelops them, so they cast aside fervor and confidence and, chained by slavish fear, pretend they do not see." (119)

"I want to show you the wretchedness of their lives, so that you and my other servants will have the more reason to offer me humble and constant prayer for them. No matter where you turn, to diocesan or religious, priests or bishops, lowly or great, young or old, you see nothing but sin�the filth of deadly sin." (121)

"They get up in the morning with their minds contaminated and their bodies corrupt. After spending the night bedded down with deadly sin they go to celebrate Mass! O tabernacles of the devil!" (123)

"No, these wretches not only do not restrain their weakness; they make it worse by committing that cursed unnatural sin�The stench reaches even up to me, supreme Purity, and is so hateful to me that for this sin alone five cities were struck down by my divine judgment. For my divine justice could no longer tolerate it, so despicable to me is this abominable sin." (124)

Concerning the active practice of homosexuality, Catherine hears the Father say: "How abominable this sin is to me in any person. Now imagine how much more hateful it is in those I have called to live celibately." (124)

"And how can those who are so sinful bring their subjects to justice and reproach them for their sins? They cannot, for their own sins have left them bereft of any enthusiasm or zeal for holy justice�And sometimes when they recognize that these religious are incarnate devils, they send them from one monastery to the next to those who are incarnate devils like themselves. Thus each corrupts the other� Superiors are the cause of these and many other evils because they do not keep their eyes on their subjects�they pretend not to see their wretched behavior." (125)

Why is this corruption being revealed? So a true cleansing can take place. So proper authority may finally act. So we may pray. So all of us may examine our own lives as well. So, obstacles to the coming of a new springtime for the Church may be removed in all of us.

FROM http://www.renewalministries.net/crisis.html

Yup. And when we witnessed what was going on in the seminaries, nobody wanted to believe us. This was common knowledge 20+ years ago. The culture harbored many flames and queens. Some would migrated from seminary to seminary just to get in on the better pickings.

It wasn't surprise we finally showed, but relief that what we complained about for years finally got exposed.

When the Vatican sent its team of seminary inspectors to the Latin seminary I attended, the protectors came out in full force to make it all look like a fun place to be. Guitar sing-alongs and all. More like a scene from the Muppets. When seminarians attempted to meet with the apostolic delegate privately to discuss the culture of homosexuality, they were kept silent and away from the powers that be. Troublemakers they were. Hand selected seminarians were picked by the protectors to speak to the officials during any visit. The culture reflected more of a former Communist cover-up than an open and honest environment.

The sex abuse scandal was important in tearing down the wall.

We all knew that the grand scheme would come out in the open. There were just too many witnesses and victims who were mistreated in the halls of church justice. Many were permanently damaged by their experiences. The Church, which was once loved, became a bastardly beast. Being a bishop or priest meant never having to say you are sorry. Shame on them!

What happened to the pedophile priest in the jail only shows what sort of justice the street has for such people. It might not be Christian justice, but it was administered under a different set of criteria.

Joe

David,
"th epogroms of 19th century Russia, th eInquisition, the Salem witch trials- that reasoning is a slippery slope."

I fully understand your caution and I share it. However, there is another slippery slope that must be avoided. If God is God then all truth comes from Him. If we aren't careful we could wind up excluding God from all equations. That slope seems more dangerous, wouldn't you agree?

I confess, I don't know exactly how to formulate the equation but it does seem to me that God's apparent silence in the midst of all this corruption until the culture flushed it out is God's way of bringing the Church to repentance. When that process finally began God took care of one of the most visibly wicked by allowing His death.

Dan Lauffer

As Bishop Sheen said regarding Judas, "The greatest tragedy of all was that he could have been St Judas Iscariot" So the greatest tragedy here, is that Fr John Geoghegan will never become St John Geoghegan.

A complete tragedy for everyone involved.

When I first heard that this priest had been killed I cried. I was sexually abused while a student in a high school by a priest who taught Spanish. When I brought this situation to the attention of his Father Prior (the priest in question was an Augustinian) the Prior did a little checking and then had the priest moved to a parish in upstate New York. Bad move! Anyway, I wept because the Heart of Jesus was broken again; by this anointed one's filth and perversion against the little ones and by the act of murder against him. I, for one, could never stand in judgement as to the sinfulness of Father Geoghan's soul. That is up to God. I constantly see my own sins of which I weep and repent daily. He certainly deserved prison and to be put away for his crimes. However, I did ask the Sacred Heart of Jesus to be merciful to Geoghan and to remember any good that he did as a priest of God and to bring his murderer to repentance. He deserved to be in jail but not to be murdered. I weep because a man chosen by God to be His sacramental servant, to be His forgiving voice in Confession, to offer the Bloodless Sacrifice,to distribute the Flesh and Blood of the Lord Jesus, to anoint the dying, to join couples in Holy Marriage, and to pour the Water of Life over the font, came to this terrible end. I still weep as I write this. I pray for those who have been scandalized by his terrible actions and by those who experienced his perveted touches. I pray that somehow the Heart of Jesus was able to find enough in him to forgive him and, maybe someday, (like the Holy Thief on the cross who, despite his wickedness found forgiveness and , that day, a crown,) this poor priest will find mercy and the forgiving hand of Jesus.
Silouan, very sinful (and forgiven) monk

Monk Silouan,
God bless you. You are a much bigger man than I.
Sam

God bless you Monk Silouan, the prayers of a rightous man availeth much.

I am sure God rejoices in your heart that despite the turmoil of your youth, you chose to give your life in fullness to Him. The cahos and pain you suffered in your life, I feel sure, has brought healing to many souls.