From: CEvans1950@aol.com
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 10:49:04 EDT

Hello,

Here's where the Catholic Church SEEMS to be doing the right thing.... but as usual it is but evasive crap. You'll notice that they are now nullfying this miscreant's ordination... they want to make believe he never was a REAL priest.... talk about weaseling around.

You will also notice the financial concerns/incentive they have for this action.... They truly have not a particle of an idea of how to conduct themselves honorably... instead they weasel around like a used-car-salesman caught rolling back odometers. All slippery squirming and no real acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

These clowns continue to insult everyone's intelligence... do they really think that this sort of whitewash nonsense is A) not transparently obvious B) in any way honorable?

Even the madman Do of Heaven's Gate was morally head and shoulders above these useless, dishonest, corrupt scum. I'd sooner follow David Koresh into a Waco inferno than ally myself with this batch of turds.

Sincerely,
Caroline

Texas Pedophile Loses Priesthood
.c The Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The Vatican has taken the rare step of returning convicted pedophile priest Rudolph ``Rudy'' Kos to lay status - stripping him of his priesthood and barring him from any church ministry.

Kos can no longer be called reverend or father, though he remains a Catholic, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported today. The Catholic Diocese of Dallas asked the Vatican to act.

The Vatican did not, however, take the step of nullifying his ordination, which would mean that Kos never was a validly ordained priest.

Friends said Kos was unaware of the Vatican's decision Tuesday.

Kos, 53, is serving a life sentence in prison for molesting altar boys. The scandal led to a record $119.6 million verdict against the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, the largest clergy sexual abuse award in U.S. history.

The suit was brought by 10 former altar boys and the parents of an 11th who committed suicide. Three plaintiffs have settled for $7.5 million, and the remaining eight are close to reaching a settlement, the newspaper said.

In a criminal trial later, Kos was convicted of sexual assault and indecency charges for molesting four boys more than 1,350 times between 1987 and 1992 while he was assigned to St. Luke's Catholic Church in Irving and St. John's Catholic Church in Ennis.

Kos, who pleaded guilty to some assault and indecency charges, was suspended from his priestly functions and benefits in 1993, shortly after accusations surfaced.

The Vatican's action also relieves the Dallas Diocese of financial responsibility for Kos if he ever is released from prison, the Rev. Robert Williams said.

AP-NY-07-08-98 0630EDT