The Church when it has sovereignity over all of Rome had Castel Sant'Angelo, a prison into which it could place criminals convicted of crimes in the Papal States.
There were also place monasteries and convents which offered to those who chose to live a penitential life. This is the origin of phrase "get thee to a nunnery" as Hamlet instructed Ophelia.
But there didn't seem to be a twentieth century solution until now. Money, or if you prefer greed is the motivator. The leverage is financial support from the Archdiocese if you agree to take up residence at the Trinity Retreat House (Club Trinity).
NY Archdiocese tells suspect priests: leave or enter program : AP
NEW YORK (AP) _ New York priests suspected of sexually abusing children but protected from expulsion by Catholic law are being required to enter a lifelong supervision program or leave the church, according to the New York Archdiocese.
Since June, seven priests have been presented with the choice, and five of the men have chosen to leave the priesthood, said Joseph Zwilling, a spokesman for Cardinal Edward Egan.
Of course, they mean accept laicization (in tabloidese -- defrocked) rather than excommunication or a forced conversion to a non-Catholic faith.
The details sound a bit like "house arrest" when they are allowed to leave the premises provided they log it.
There's a uncharacteristic candor in this statement by the spokesman for the Archdiocese:
"we have to find something to do with them"
I have a little problem understanding what point the critics are making by demanding that the Archdiocese do something more for the priests who decline this supervised program and lose the "lifetime security net" (the phrase the
New York Times used) They don't suggest what other leverage the Archidiocese has over them. Like someone I knww, he just walked out of the rectory and never looked back.
By the way, where did defrock originate? Did Catholic priests ever wear frocks?
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