In Wisconsin, a priest accused of sex abuse has joined a schismatic group, the Evangelical Catholic Church (sic). Joseph Collova was suspended by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, but it’s unclear whether he was formally laicized. However, the archdiocese says that by being ordained in another religion, he is excommunicated.
Collava was never criminally charged and a civil suit was dismissed because of the statute of limitations. Even so, the leader of this new church, who claims he was a sex abuse victim himself, welcomed Collova.
So what do you do? If he abuses someone in the future, who gets blamed? Or more bluntly, sued? You can bet someone will try to make the argument that the Catholic Church (the real one) should have prevented him from engaging in ministry in a different religion. Sorry, the Church is universal, but not all powerful.
