Men of Melchizedek - Protecting Abuser Priests In & Out of Prison

[hoipolloi]

Just when you think you've heard everything. The AP has reported on a group formerly called Opus Bono Sacerdotii, now called Men of Melchizedek. From the AP story:

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The visiting priests arrived discreetly, day and night.

Stripped of their collars and cassocks, they went unnoticed in a series of tiny Midwestern towns as they were escorted into dingy warehouses and offices. Neighbors had no idea some of them might have been accused sexual predators.

For nearly two decades, a small nonprofit group called Opus Bono Sacerdotii has operated out of unmarked buildings in rural Michigan, providing money, shelter, transport, legal help and other support to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse.

And while powerful clerics have publicly pledged to hold the church accountable for the crimes of its clergy and help survivors heal, some of them arranged meetings, offered blessings or quietly sent checks to this organization that backed the abusers, The Associated Press has found.

Catholic leaders say the church has no official relationship with the group. But Opus Bono successfully forged networks within the church hierarchy.

 

Former leaders of Opus Bono Sacerdotii (OBS) included the recently ousted Cardinal Eduard Perrone, removed from his Detroit parish after allegations of sexual abuse. Perrone is an arch-conservative, Latin-Mass kind of guy.

OBS morphed into the Men of Melchizedek after the Michigan AG busted OBS for breaking state law governing non-profits.

 

[CTRLZero]

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powerful clerics have publicly pledged to hold the church accountable for the crimes of its clergy and help survivors heal, some of them arranged meetings, offered blessings or quietly sent checks to this organization that backed the abusers

I hope there is a complete list of this group's supporters made public.  Looking forward to more of the story.

[bea]

That is HORRIFYING.
My dad was a Catholic priest for 17 years and was so worried, years later, about how he missed this. How they all missed it - but the priest was the highest authority. They had the bishops and archbishops and the cardinals, but that was administrative. Paperwork. Day to day, the priests had no supervision.
Which is why a lot of these abusers went into the priesthood, I imagine.

[Syriana]

On 8/4/2019 at 6:28 PM, bea said:

That is HORRIFYING.
My dad was a Catholic priest for 17 years and was so worried, years later, about how he missed this. How they all missed it - but the priest was the highest authority. They had the bishops and archbishops and the cardinals, but that was administrative. Paperwork. Day to day, the priests had no supervision.
Which is why a lot of these abusers went into the priesthood, I imagine.

Predators, - and these people are predators - get away with it because they're clever.  Serial offenders of almost every type are clever, they have to be or they'd never get away with it for an extended period of time - it takes brains and skill to operate in the open and not get caught.  Part of that process is finding the right environment (so a role where trust is inherent, access to preferential target easy and oversight minimal would be ideal) but the ability to portray the right impression to the rest of the community and to their peers is also essential.  Unlike a lot of serial offenders, paedophiles seem to find each other and band together, it's sick but there you have it.  How they manage to ferret out who they can trust I'll never know.

Those who genuinely missed what was happening fell victim to the skill of the predators in their midst, they bought the cover story along with many other people - that simple.  Those who chose to ignore the warning signs on the other hand...they need to have a good hard look at themselves.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Syriana