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Frazzled Fran wrote:

Hi, guys —

I hope this is the right place to ask this sort of question:

A priest in our local parish is committing adultery. It's been going on for long enough that this information is a well-known public secret. Everyone and their grandmother knows about it but the priest in question is very unconcerned about it since most people are too weirded out to bring it up.

The head priests, whose duty is to deal with that sort of problems, aren't doing anything about it. They know it's happening, (enough people have gone to them in private), but nothing is being done. I don't know if they're scared or they think they've sat on the knowledge — for too long — to suddenly act now or . . . I don't know.

The point is: While the culprit is scot-free, this unsavory and poorly concealed act is ruining other relationships inside our community because some want to discuss it and others want to forget it.

It's causing tension and ruining everything.

Since it's the Church that needs to act on this sort of offense, and this obviously isn't going to be resolved locally, I'd like to write to the Vatican about it. I've heard you can do that.

Google only throws up information about how to write to the Pope but, since I'm not entitled enough to think he will deal with this personally, I'd like the mailing address of the Vatican department that deals with this type of stuff.

Yours sincerely,

Fran

  { Who do I turn to and what is the mailing address for the Vatican office that handles this stuff? }

Bob replied:

Dear Fran,

I don't know if anyone has already contacted your bishop. You didn't make that clear but you want to start there.

I would go directly to the diocese, with a letter signed by other parishioners, who are witnesses to this scandal and demand action (removal/investigation) be done. This is the jurisdiction of the local bishop. If nothing happens on that level, then you may proceed over their heads to the Vatican.

The best way to do that is to contact the Apostolic Nunciature at the Vatican embassy in Washington D.C.:

On Final Note: The only Catholic media organization that would help you with leverage, if the assertion is found to be true, would be Church Militant. They have been very aggressive on exposing and rooting out scandalous traitors to the faith and the Church.

If nothing comes of your efforts, talk to them.

God bless you,

Bob Kirby

Mike replied:

Dear Fran,

I would first take Bob's advice and if you get no satisfying results, try writing to those in the Vatican. This web page on my site should help:

Hope this helps,

Mike
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