Dear Joe:

Just a brother, not a priest!

Your comment about anonymous answering of questions gives me the opportunity to clarify to all our readers how these Q&As work.

All questions that are posted are either answered on these forums, or rejected. I do not ever answer submitted questions privately.

If a question is disingenuous, hateful, anti-Catholic, or otherwise abusive, and there is no educational benefit that can be gained by our readers in posting the question and my answer, the question is rejected. Also questions may be rejected if the person is making too many followups since this is not a discussion board.

Otherwise I answer all questions publicly. And if someone points out that I am wrong in an answer, I publish that rebuke publicly, and correct myself as appropriate.

Anyway, to your question.

As for the former "Father" Anthony Cipolla, as I understand it, he has been involuntarily laicized, which means he has been returned to the lay state and is no longer clergy. He remains a priest, of course, but without license to exercise the power of Orders and is "automatically deprived of all offices and roles and of any delegated power" (CIC 292), except he is allow a confession of a person in danger of death (CIC 976).

He was accused of molesting a child, but claims he is innocent. I do not know whether he is innocent or not. From what I read, however, he is certainly arrogant and disobedient. That alone can cause the bishop or Pope to defrock him (laicization).

In 1988 Cipolla was banned from ministry, from identifying himself as a priest, dressing like a priest, calling himself "Father", or saying Mass for anyone but himself. He flagrantly thumbed his nose at the Bishop and did these things anyway. His rebellion was not quiet but very public, including concelebrating Mass on EWTN (EWTN did not know of his suspension) and conducting ministry from California to Bosnia. It was for this reason that he was laicized. His rebellious and disoedient behavior made him a danger to the faithful. Given those circumstances, he deserves laicization regardless of whether or not he is guilty of child molesting.

St. Teresa of Avila once said, "The more we see failure in obedience, the stronger should be our suspicion of temptation."

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary