A priest who admitted having sex with a teen boy 10 years ago has been returned to ministry in Melbourne, Australia. Now, Archbishop Denis Hart is in charge in Melbourne, and he’s generally regarded as a good bishop. Still, I’m not sure it’s appropriate for such a man to return to active ministry. Hart says that the priest, Father Barry Robinson, has undergone “intensive and successful treatment.”
Are homosexual priests who had sex with underage boys redeemable? Should they ever be returned to ministry? Is this the “unforgivable sin”? Are there other unforgivable acts too? I don’t have the answers but they are questions with important ramifications.
Update: The priest has resigned from the parish at his own request.
