Catholic and Loving It! blog - James Preece - 19.5.2011
http://www.lovingit.co.uk/2011/05/revealed-the-terrible-crime-of-fr-cleevely.html
I have heard from several sources, that Fr Philip Cleevely would sometimes (or often, depending on the source) stay up too late and be difficult to wake up in the morning. A crime I am often guilty of myself...
This is put forward as an "explanation" for his being evicted from his home, named and shamed in The Tablet, made to miss the beatification of the founder of his community, excluded from a Papal visit to his own home and forced to start a new life in another country.
Presumably the idea is that Canada is on a time zone he can handle?
Seriously? After more than a year this is the best you can come up with?
Let's get some perspective!
For three years, the Cardinal Archbishop of Barcelona has refused to act against a priest in his diocese who boasts openly of having financed abortions.
Now, the priest is a subject of a new book in Catalonian, “Fr. Manel: Closer to earth than to heaven”, which describes the ever-growing popularity of his charitable work with Spanish celebrities. In addition to repeating his claim of having paid for abortions, Fr. Manel Pousa says he has performed “blessings” of homosexual unions, and endorses the creation of female “priests”, according to reports in the Spanish media.
He also states that he regards clerical celibacy as optional, and says he has a girlfriend—but claims that their relationship is celibate.
Although Pousa has never retracted any of his statements, his prelate, Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, has only given Manel a verbal “warning”, leaving him in his place to continue his leadership of his parish and his other activities.
[link]
If priests who finance abortions and admit to having a girlfriend are given nothing more than 'a verbal "warning"' then do you seriously expect me to believe that Fr Cleevely has had his entire ecclesiastical career called in to question because he finds it hard to get up in the morning?
Obviously.
