Lord have mercy. Let’s say he does gets 5 years and lives to see an eventual release. Where does a former priest go? To a monastery to live out his days?
I think that individuals who read the earlier version of the article are going to walk away being very disappointed with Fr. Justin Nolan & Adrienne Coleman. It may have been more appropriate to reach out to both individuals before running the article.
A partial solution to such problems might be to send subscribers (or at least the users who comment on the article) notifications when it is updated. Even if subscribers could sign up separately for those notifications, I would do it.
I’ve often wondered about some sort of penal colony type monastery where these men, ex priests, can go. Live out a life of penance and be compassionately ministered too. No contact with the outside world, no internet.
Don’t get me wrong, what’s he’s done is horrible, but after pleading guilty and serving time there has to be some mercy and a way for them to be ministered too. He’s clearly wounded and hurt and needs help coming back to God.
Father Gerald Fitzgerald, founder of The Servants of the Paraclete, rerecommended segregating a whole population with sexual problems on a deserted island.
I grew up Protestant and got involved with a youth group where, a few years after I graduated, the youth pastor very suddenly announced that he felt called to missionary work in Nicaragua and abruptly left with his family. A couple months later, the story hit local media that he had been accused of molesting a couple of former students. He later came back to the US and was promptly arrested. During court proceedings, they played a recording of a phone call between the pastor and his accuser, where the accuser called him out, and the pastor spoke of his regret and said he wished he could take back "what I did." Local media described members of the congregation in the courtroom listening to the recording, tearfully shaking their heads and saying "It's not true."
I've heard something along those lines from a Protestant friend of mine. And there are plenty of anecdotes of where a man was abusing a child, and the child's family member kept it quiet, or saw it and didn't report it. Whoever doesn't keep the habits of believing that anyone can fall, looking for the truth, and accepting suffering, will do the same. As is generally the case, when the adults refuse their cross, the children suffer worse.
Ugh, yes. It’s so sad. I say that as someone who really loves the FSSP. It’s especially concerning to read a fellow FSSP priest insist on his innocence. Talk about burying your head in the sand…
I feel sorry for them, though they're wrong. I don't know how I would react if a priest who I was close with, who I viewed as an upstanding man, a moral paragon, a great intellectual, and maybe one day a Saint, was in actuality consuming child pornography. Especially with trad parishes, with the number of families and children around. Saying they worked with or for him would have been a point of pride. Other trads would surely have asked them what it's like to work with such a famous priest. They probably have "Nothing Superfluous" on their shelves: I have it on mine too. I'm sure it's devastating. I might be in denial too. And then I'd blame myself.
EDIT: To be absolutely clear, I am not saying that their reaction is okay or reasonable. It is irrational. I'm just sorry that they're in such a state that they would act this way. "Do not put your trust in princes; they are but men, they have no power to save. As soon as the breath leaves his body, man goes back to the dust he belongs to; with that, all his designs will come to nothing."
EDIT #2: I see the article was updated to include statements that the letters were sent before he admitted his guilt. May God help them through all of this and everyone whose trust was harmed.
When hidden sins that the world argues are "victimless" come to light, we begin to see how far-reaching the damage has been and how many people have been hurt in these indirect ways that the world doesn't think of.
I think it would be important to understand "I have been hurt by this" and to take the feeling of betrayal to the Divine Physician (who we know understands), but it takes a while to understand "I have been hurt" in the first place (first comes denial because if we deny it then perhaps we can skip the cross), and a longer time to reach all the depths and corners of the hurt and sorrow and confusion, and present them again and again to God as they are stumbled-upon. And not to become cynical or despair.
With the update I am confirmed in my belief that "friendly letters" should begin (I think I was taught this in grade school, around the same time as cursive) with today's date on the top right.
WHY? WHY? WHY?!?! Why are his fellow priests sending letters of support for a man who is pleading guilty and acknowledging his crimes/sin? I cannot express with words how insane making that is for all of us victims of abuse. That victims quote is absolutely horrific and crushing to my spirit. Jesus, hold her close.
I completely understand your thinking, and I struggled with the same question when the abuse scandal broke. A few years ago, I spoke with a Priest friend who was ministering to a young man who had killed someone in a crime of passion and was consequently facing life in prison. His heartfelt reaction was that there were really two "victims" present - the victim of the crime and the perpetrator. This statement initially stunned me, until I realized he was thinking solely from a spiritual perspective. This gave some insight into how the abuse scandal occurred. Equally importantly, it revealed to me the danger in any measures seeking to avoid future such scandals if they encourage our clergy to think solely as dispassionate judges, with no thought given to "both victims". I came to believe that Priests are, by their disposition, training and ordination, oriented to convey the message of God's mercy to the suffering, and we should avoid changing that. I remain a staunch advocate for strict justice in clerical abuse cases, but I neither expect nor want that justice to come from our clergy, which I think would lead to a much larger spiritual disaster.
Yes, clergy are to convey the message of God's mercy to the suffering. But God is also a just judge. It isn't a contradiction for him, so if priests are to be an image of Christ for us, they need to be able to do both, in the appropriate forum.
Their victims certainly have to. You cannot forgive another person by rejecting justice. You forgive AND you report them. You pray for them AND you testify against them. The idea that one must give up the pursuit of justice in order to be merciful and forgiving is precisely what has led so many bishops to ask victims not to report clerical crimes. It's not like the virtue of mercy doesn't apply to the laity. It's not like the virtue of truth doesn't apply to the clergy.
Obviously there are two wounded people whenever one sins against another. And the path to healing is very similar for both: forgiveness and Confession mirror each other, both people need healing - except that obviously only the perpetrator is at fault, and only the perpetrator needs to do penance and reform his life.
I don't expect a cleric to be able to wade through reports on electronic storage of porn and figure out what's going on, but if a cleric knows his business, he knows that mercy without justice is mere laxity, and laxity is quite harmful to everyone.
The Fraternity’s statements about this matter have thus far been extremely disappointing. I hope they finally acknowledge Jackson’s crime and his guilt, along with announcing that they have initiated the process of laicizing Jackson... but I won’t hold my breath.
The response by trads online and the Fraternity (and continued statements by Frs. Jackson) is just one giant black eye for the FSSP and tradition in general.
> "It is incomprehensible to me that Fr. Jackson could be guilty of the crimes he has pled guilty to ..."
Sure, we all individually want to believe that we can read souls, and that we can tell who is an abuser or an addict or a living saint who would refuse a plea bargain rather than tell a deliberate lie, just by their aura or their horoscope or the way they hold up the Eucharist, in no particular order. This should be a reminder to us (or to me at least) to ask God for humility. It is vanity, at least in part, that inclines us to feel a wound to our own self-image; impossible that I could be fallible in judging another's soul, or, impossible that someone with whom I share a label, whose reputation is subtly joined to mine, etc.
Unfortunately, having been told in confession to Shhh, don’t even tell other priests that you are gay and everything will be Ok, I realized that it is far more likely vulnerable Catholics are groomed. These things manifest when a priest encounters someone who is trying to be devout + has a large secret to keep hidden. And to be honest, I bought into what I was being told over and over again before it occurred to me I was being asked inappropriate questions. It was probably 7 years after that realization before I ever told anyone.
Here we have front and centre the phenomenal disconnect in our society: We groom children for early sexual behaviour, we expose them to vile images, surround them with sexually perverse people to showcase the beauty of “diversity,” and yet when they are abused and launched on a trajectory of evil (such as being addicted to child porn) we vilify them as “beyond the pale.”
I remember Richard Hatch (also from RI) who was a contestant on an early season of Survivor being sexually provocative, acting out in bizarre and vulgar ways. In a later interview he mentioned being molested early, which was glossed over and subsequently buried. Countless criminals have reported the same. What are we suggesting by exposing toddlers to drag queens, or mainstreaming perversion, making sexual vice harmless entertainment? Woe to those who scandalise the little ones” was followed by a dire warning. It’s not an excuse or justification for bad behaviour, but an enormous red flag, indicating that grooming children sets them up for disaster.
This was stomach-churning. Lord have mercy on the victims of CSAM. The testimony of that one woman was just gut-wrenching. We could not offer enough prayers and sacrifices for those poor children. (I do pray for the perpetrators as well, as extraordinarily difficult as it is.)
I do hope Father Jackson is sincere. I know our God will forgive him even if the world chooses not to.
It is not the Tridentine Rite that is the problem here. It is that some communities present themselves as so disciplined or so holy and charitable (a problem for progressive parishes too) that the people have lost the ability to credibly question their priests. Friends, even the holiest of priests fall and need our support with prayers and accompanying them in all of their struggles. That is the joy of the Eucharist. Jesus Christ did not leave us to our misery on earth alone, and he wants us to support one another. I work with A LOT of former Catholics in the Northern VA/DC area. Unfortunately, there are times where I suspect the priest in confession was trying to sus out who is devout + also has a secret they want to hide. Those individuals are most at risk of being preyed upon, while the average Catholic has no idea something dark is hiding in the confessional.
I overheard a conversation once where some openly stated they didn't follow safe environment rules at their parish for that exact reason - "this is only a problem for those people over there, not us." That's exactly what predators want to hear before they move in on a target.
How does a person slip into such an "addiction"? I mean, booze and smokes are easy to understand, they are everywhere, legal and many fine people partake of them. But kiddie porn? I wouldn't even know, lest dare to try to find out where to even find it. What in the heck was this guy thinking?
Algorithms for pornographic content work the same as others like YouTube or streaming entertainment services (or even your shopping cart on Amazon) - they suggest things based on previous activity. Even if not actually depicting minors, legal content emphasizes youth in a really disgusting way. On mainstream platforms there are coded hashtags or descriptors. There is CSAM on all the major social media platforms. There are people who are supposed to moderate it but from what I understand there's not enough of them and they burn out quickly (makes a lot of sense.) And you only have to be a little bit of a conspiracy theorist to think that maybe the higher ups don't care that much because the site traffic is profitable for them and they aren't likely to face repercussions.
At some point, yeah, you have to look for it on purpose. But it's also hiding in plain sight.
Dr Omar Minwalla has done some work on the idea of the "secret sexual basement" which is worth reading.
We all have one, and we need to let the Lord Jesus in there with a flashlight.
I'm heartened to read the comments here where people are aware that no matter how nice or holy or orthodox a priest or community is, sexual abuse can and does still take place.
Sexual predators are in every community. They are experts in hiding and assuming protective camouflage. They are experts in exploiting a community's weak points and uncertainties, and using them as leverage to hide their own activities.
The recent case of that idiot priest who was obsessed with demons and exorcism - "Isn't Father amazing? Aren't we blessed to have him?" - who groomed, ran off with, and has now legally married an 18 year old girl should give us all pause for thought.
I am embarrassed for Father Abbott Phillip Anderson and all of the monks and supporters of Clear Creek Abbey. He shows such a lack of integrity that he wants the greatest leniency possible for his old “friend” of 50 years, Father Jackson. Clericalism at its finest. Perhaps he should blame the children for being so seductive in the thousands of videos that Father Jackson downloaded. Now I understand why it was so easy for Father Abbott to blame a married woman who was sexually harassed by one of his priests… after all she was beautiful and that is more than a “traditional” priest can handle. It is time to side with victims and ask for mercy for them, not for pervert priests who definitely couldn’t handle a job in the real world. Come down from your pedestal, Father Abbott. I respectfully ask that the courts give Father Jackson the same mercy and leniency he gave the children victimized by child pornography - zero.
I met this man more than twenty years ago. He ate with us and spoke to us, a small group of Catholic home-schooling families, over about 90 minutes. I remember him telling us that the OK City (or was it Tulsa?) bishop had called him to his office to give him a mission. He replied, "as long as it is not to start a school". But that was the mission the bishop was to assign to Jackson.
As with many you have quoted, based on my short time with him, I initially doubted the early reports.
Thank you for the thorough reporting. I'm sure it was not fun to write, but I appreciate your work.
Thank you for this story, which nonetheless relates only a portion of the damage inflicted on the Church by Mr. Jackson and some of his confreres in the FSSP and at his former parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) in Littleton, CO. One only has to have read the parish bulletins during his tenure (and continuing to this day) or listened to the homilies and talks (formerly posted on the parish website), to see that OLMC consists of a flock that is being led by its priests into virtual schism. Barely a week goes by that the parish bulletin does not contain a "priestly reflection" criticizing Pope Francis, to the point of insinuating heresy. Criticism of the papacy is of course fair game, but not in this forum, and not with the degree of tendentiousness that characterized Jackson's pastorate, and that has been carried on by his successors. The parish is also led, explicitly and implicitly, to reject the Second Vatican Council, tout court. During Covid, Jackson defiantly led the parish to reject all legal mandates for social distancing and other preventive measures, and mocked Denver's own cathedral for complying with these rules. Most egregiously, for the past two years, Jackson has allowed his former parishioners to labor under the illusion that he was the victim of an implausibly orchestrated frame-up -- a rejection of the truth that endangers souls, and which has been a source of division and scandal in the Church of Denver, and far beyond. While Jackson had the right as a criminal defendant to plead not guilty, his higher duty was to his former parish (not to mention the one to which he was transferred in Rhode Island), and to the Church at large, to not let this go on. I trust the report here that the current pastor of OLMC has worked to bring the parishioners to accept the truth. But conspiratorial thinking is how the wind blows at OLMC, and it is a dereliction of duty on the part of the Archdiocese of Denver and the FFSP not to step in and put a stop to it.
Lord have mercy. Let’s say he does gets 5 years and lives to see an eventual release. Where does a former priest go? To a monastery to live out his days?
If a monastery would take him. The monastery's lawyers and insurance company would not likely urge that course of action.
I think that individuals who read the earlier version of the article are going to walk away being very disappointed with Fr. Justin Nolan & Adrienne Coleman. It may have been more appropriate to reach out to both individuals before running the article.
A partial solution to such problems might be to send subscribers (or at least the users who comment on the article) notifications when it is updated. Even if subscribers could sign up separately for those notifications, I would do it.
I’ve often wondered about some sort of penal colony type monastery where these men, ex priests, can go. Live out a life of penance and be compassionately ministered too. No contact with the outside world, no internet.
Don’t get me wrong, what’s he’s done is horrible, but after pleading guilty and serving time there has to be some mercy and a way for them to be ministered too. He’s clearly wounded and hurt and needs help coming back to God.
Father Gerald Fitzgerald, founder of The Servants of the Paraclete, rerecommended segregating a whole population with sexual problems on a deserted island.
In the Middle Ages some monasteries had prisons for criminal clerics.
He will start a YouTube page called Church Militant
Blackpilling to see six people in the sentencing support letters still assert his innocence.
I grew up Protestant and got involved with a youth group where, a few years after I graduated, the youth pastor very suddenly announced that he felt called to missionary work in Nicaragua and abruptly left with his family. A couple months later, the story hit local media that he had been accused of molesting a couple of former students. He later came back to the US and was promptly arrested. During court proceedings, they played a recording of a phone call between the pastor and his accuser, where the accuser called him out, and the pastor spoke of his regret and said he wished he could take back "what I did." Local media described members of the congregation in the courtroom listening to the recording, tearfully shaking their heads and saying "It's not true."
That was an eye opener for me.
Quite.
I've heard something along those lines from a Protestant friend of mine. And there are plenty of anecdotes of where a man was abusing a child, and the child's family member kept it quiet, or saw it and didn't report it. Whoever doesn't keep the habits of believing that anyone can fall, looking for the truth, and accepting suffering, will do the same. As is generally the case, when the adults refuse their cross, the children suffer worse.
Ugh, yes. It’s so sad. I say that as someone who really loves the FSSP. It’s especially concerning to read a fellow FSSP priest insist on his innocence. Talk about burying your head in the sand…
I feel sorry for them, though they're wrong. I don't know how I would react if a priest who I was close with, who I viewed as an upstanding man, a moral paragon, a great intellectual, and maybe one day a Saint, was in actuality consuming child pornography. Especially with trad parishes, with the number of families and children around. Saying they worked with or for him would have been a point of pride. Other trads would surely have asked them what it's like to work with such a famous priest. They probably have "Nothing Superfluous" on their shelves: I have it on mine too. I'm sure it's devastating. I might be in denial too. And then I'd blame myself.
EDIT: To be absolutely clear, I am not saying that their reaction is okay or reasonable. It is irrational. I'm just sorry that they're in such a state that they would act this way. "Do not put your trust in princes; they are but men, they have no power to save. As soon as the breath leaves his body, man goes back to the dust he belongs to; with that, all his designs will come to nothing."
EDIT #2: I see the article was updated to include statements that the letters were sent before he admitted his guilt. May God help them through all of this and everyone whose trust was harmed.
When hidden sins that the world argues are "victimless" come to light, we begin to see how far-reaching the damage has been and how many people have been hurt in these indirect ways that the world doesn't think of.
I think it would be important to understand "I have been hurt by this" and to take the feeling of betrayal to the Divine Physician (who we know understands), but it takes a while to understand "I have been hurt" in the first place (first comes denial because if we deny it then perhaps we can skip the cross), and a longer time to reach all the depths and corners of the hurt and sorrow and confusion, and present them again and again to God as they are stumbled-upon. And not to become cynical or despair.
Indeed. Healing isn't always instantaneous or nice. But even if it leaves scars, Christ will be there next to us.
James Jackson truthers can be found in the combox of the Remnant and similar places that see the world in an alternate reality.
With the update I am confirmed in my belief that "friendly letters" should begin (I think I was taught this in grade school, around the same time as cursive) with today's date on the top right.
WHY? WHY? WHY?!?! Why are his fellow priests sending letters of support for a man who is pleading guilty and acknowledging his crimes/sin? I cannot express with words how insane making that is for all of us victims of abuse. That victims quote is absolutely horrific and crushing to my spirit. Jesus, hold her close.
I completely understand your thinking, and I struggled with the same question when the abuse scandal broke. A few years ago, I spoke with a Priest friend who was ministering to a young man who had killed someone in a crime of passion and was consequently facing life in prison. His heartfelt reaction was that there were really two "victims" present - the victim of the crime and the perpetrator. This statement initially stunned me, until I realized he was thinking solely from a spiritual perspective. This gave some insight into how the abuse scandal occurred. Equally importantly, it revealed to me the danger in any measures seeking to avoid future such scandals if they encourage our clergy to think solely as dispassionate judges, with no thought given to "both victims". I came to believe that Priests are, by their disposition, training and ordination, oriented to convey the message of God's mercy to the suffering, and we should avoid changing that. I remain a staunch advocate for strict justice in clerical abuse cases, but I neither expect nor want that justice to come from our clergy, which I think would lead to a much larger spiritual disaster.
Yes, clergy are to convey the message of God's mercy to the suffering. But God is also a just judge. It isn't a contradiction for him, so if priests are to be an image of Christ for us, they need to be able to do both, in the appropriate forum.
Their victims certainly have to. You cannot forgive another person by rejecting justice. You forgive AND you report them. You pray for them AND you testify against them. The idea that one must give up the pursuit of justice in order to be merciful and forgiving is precisely what has led so many bishops to ask victims not to report clerical crimes. It's not like the virtue of mercy doesn't apply to the laity. It's not like the virtue of truth doesn't apply to the clergy.
Obviously there are two wounded people whenever one sins against another. And the path to healing is very similar for both: forgiveness and Confession mirror each other, both people need healing - except that obviously only the perpetrator is at fault, and only the perpetrator needs to do penance and reform his life.
I don't expect a cleric to be able to wade through reports on electronic storage of porn and figure out what's going on, but if a cleric knows his business, he knows that mercy without justice is mere laxity, and laxity is quite harmful to everyone.
The Fraternity’s statements about this matter have thus far been extremely disappointing. I hope they finally acknowledge Jackson’s crime and his guilt, along with announcing that they have initiated the process of laicizing Jackson... but I won’t hold my breath.
The response by trads online and the Fraternity (and continued statements by Frs. Jackson) is just one giant black eye for the FSSP and tradition in general.
What a day for all this reporting of abuse and theft and murder and the pope suggesting to take it easy on criminals. This is rough!!
> "It is incomprehensible to me that Fr. Jackson could be guilty of the crimes he has pled guilty to ..."
Sure, we all individually want to believe that we can read souls, and that we can tell who is an abuser or an addict or a living saint who would refuse a plea bargain rather than tell a deliberate lie, just by their aura or their horoscope or the way they hold up the Eucharist, in no particular order. This should be a reminder to us (or to me at least) to ask God for humility. It is vanity, at least in part, that inclines us to feel a wound to our own self-image; impossible that I could be fallible in judging another's soul, or, impossible that someone with whom I share a label, whose reputation is subtly joined to mine, etc.
Unfortunately, having been told in confession to Shhh, don’t even tell other priests that you are gay and everything will be Ok, I realized that it is far more likely vulnerable Catholics are groomed. These things manifest when a priest encounters someone who is trying to be devout + has a large secret to keep hidden. And to be honest, I bought into what I was being told over and over again before it occurred to me I was being asked inappropriate questions. It was probably 7 years after that realization before I ever told anyone.
Here we have front and centre the phenomenal disconnect in our society: We groom children for early sexual behaviour, we expose them to vile images, surround them with sexually perverse people to showcase the beauty of “diversity,” and yet when they are abused and launched on a trajectory of evil (such as being addicted to child porn) we vilify them as “beyond the pale.”
I remember Richard Hatch (also from RI) who was a contestant on an early season of Survivor being sexually provocative, acting out in bizarre and vulgar ways. In a later interview he mentioned being molested early, which was glossed over and subsequently buried. Countless criminals have reported the same. What are we suggesting by exposing toddlers to drag queens, or mainstreaming perversion, making sexual vice harmless entertainment? Woe to those who scandalise the little ones” was followed by a dire warning. It’s not an excuse or justification for bad behaviour, but an enormous red flag, indicating that grooming children sets them up for disaster.
He says all the right things. I hope he means them. Nobody is beyond the Lord's mercy in this life.
This was stomach-churning. Lord have mercy on the victims of CSAM. The testimony of that one woman was just gut-wrenching. We could not offer enough prayers and sacrifices for those poor children. (I do pray for the perpetrators as well, as extraordinarily difficult as it is.)
I do hope Father Jackson is sincere. I know our God will forgive him even if the world chooses not to.
It is not the Tridentine Rite that is the problem here. It is that some communities present themselves as so disciplined or so holy and charitable (a problem for progressive parishes too) that the people have lost the ability to credibly question their priests. Friends, even the holiest of priests fall and need our support with prayers and accompanying them in all of their struggles. That is the joy of the Eucharist. Jesus Christ did not leave us to our misery on earth alone, and he wants us to support one another. I work with A LOT of former Catholics in the Northern VA/DC area. Unfortunately, there are times where I suspect the priest in confession was trying to sus out who is devout + also has a secret they want to hide. Those individuals are most at risk of being preyed upon, while the average Catholic has no idea something dark is hiding in the confessional.
I overheard a conversation once where some openly stated they didn't follow safe environment rules at their parish for that exact reason - "this is only a problem for those people over there, not us." That's exactly what predators want to hear before they move in on a target.
How does a person slip into such an "addiction"? I mean, booze and smokes are easy to understand, they are everywhere, legal and many fine people partake of them. But kiddie porn? I wouldn't even know, lest dare to try to find out where to even find it. What in the heck was this guy thinking?
Trauma repetition - only this time, they're in charge. It's like crack cocaine for a badly damaged person.
Algorithms for pornographic content work the same as others like YouTube or streaming entertainment services (or even your shopping cart on Amazon) - they suggest things based on previous activity. Even if not actually depicting minors, legal content emphasizes youth in a really disgusting way. On mainstream platforms there are coded hashtags or descriptors. There is CSAM on all the major social media platforms. There are people who are supposed to moderate it but from what I understand there's not enough of them and they burn out quickly (makes a lot of sense.) And you only have to be a little bit of a conspiracy theorist to think that maybe the higher ups don't care that much because the site traffic is profitable for them and they aren't likely to face repercussions.
At some point, yeah, you have to look for it on purpose. But it's also hiding in plain sight.
Dr Omar Minwalla has done some work on the idea of the "secret sexual basement" which is worth reading.
We all have one, and we need to let the Lord Jesus in there with a flashlight.
I'm heartened to read the comments here where people are aware that no matter how nice or holy or orthodox a priest or community is, sexual abuse can and does still take place.
Sexual predators are in every community. They are experts in hiding and assuming protective camouflage. They are experts in exploiting a community's weak points and uncertainties, and using them as leverage to hide their own activities.
The recent case of that idiot priest who was obsessed with demons and exorcism - "Isn't Father amazing? Aren't we blessed to have him?" - who groomed, ran off with, and has now legally married an 18 year old girl should give us all pause for thought.
I would just like to point out that he was our Scout chaplain.
I am embarrassed for Father Abbott Phillip Anderson and all of the monks and supporters of Clear Creek Abbey. He shows such a lack of integrity that he wants the greatest leniency possible for his old “friend” of 50 years, Father Jackson. Clericalism at its finest. Perhaps he should blame the children for being so seductive in the thousands of videos that Father Jackson downloaded. Now I understand why it was so easy for Father Abbott to blame a married woman who was sexually harassed by one of his priests… after all she was beautiful and that is more than a “traditional” priest can handle. It is time to side with victims and ask for mercy for them, not for pervert priests who definitely couldn’t handle a job in the real world. Come down from your pedestal, Father Abbott. I respectfully ask that the courts give Father Jackson the same mercy and leniency he gave the children victimized by child pornography - zero.
I met this man more than twenty years ago. He ate with us and spoke to us, a small group of Catholic home-schooling families, over about 90 minutes. I remember him telling us that the OK City (or was it Tulsa?) bishop had called him to his office to give him a mission. He replied, "as long as it is not to start a school". But that was the mission the bishop was to assign to Jackson.
As with many you have quoted, based on my short time with him, I initially doubted the early reports.
Thank you for the thorough reporting. I'm sure it was not fun to write, but I appreciate your work.
Thank you for this story, which nonetheless relates only a portion of the damage inflicted on the Church by Mr. Jackson and some of his confreres in the FSSP and at his former parish, Our Lady of Mount Carmel (OLMC) in Littleton, CO. One only has to have read the parish bulletins during his tenure (and continuing to this day) or listened to the homilies and talks (formerly posted on the parish website), to see that OLMC consists of a flock that is being led by its priests into virtual schism. Barely a week goes by that the parish bulletin does not contain a "priestly reflection" criticizing Pope Francis, to the point of insinuating heresy. Criticism of the papacy is of course fair game, but not in this forum, and not with the degree of tendentiousness that characterized Jackson's pastorate, and that has been carried on by his successors. The parish is also led, explicitly and implicitly, to reject the Second Vatican Council, tout court. During Covid, Jackson defiantly led the parish to reject all legal mandates for social distancing and other preventive measures, and mocked Denver's own cathedral for complying with these rules. Most egregiously, for the past two years, Jackson has allowed his former parishioners to labor under the illusion that he was the victim of an implausibly orchestrated frame-up -- a rejection of the truth that endangers souls, and which has been a source of division and scandal in the Church of Denver, and far beyond. While Jackson had the right as a criminal defendant to plead not guilty, his higher duty was to his former parish (not to mention the one to which he was transferred in Rhode Island), and to the Church at large, to not let this go on. I trust the report here that the current pastor of OLMC has worked to bring the parishioners to accept the truth. But conspiratorial thinking is how the wind blows at OLMC, and it is a dereliction of duty on the part of the Archdiocese of Denver and the FFSP not to step in and put a stop to it.