Bothell ex-pastor who alleges abuse is leaving the priesthood
Seatlle, Washington --
The Rev. Lawrence Minder, who stunned his parishioners at Bothell's St. Brendan Church last year when he told them he was a victim of the Roman Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandal, is resigning from the priesthood.
Saying he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his abuse, Minder stated yesterday that counselors at an Arizona treatment facility told him recently he needed to separate from the priesthood to work through the issues underlying the disorder.
"It's been an internal conflict for the last three years to, in a sense, keep putting a best face on a situation that has no best face," he said.
On one hand, he felt a responsibility as pastor to "protect the fragile faith of the people" and to lead the parish through the larger sex-abuse scandal. At the same time, he was angry at "the scope (of the scandal) and lack of responsible leadership" of the bishops over the years.
Resigning from the priesthood, said Minder, who returned home from Arizona around Christmas, "is a step for my health and one that I was very reluctant to take. I love the priesthood, I love the church. It's a very meaningful way to live."
Read the article at The Seattle Times dated March 25, 2005
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The Rev. Lawrence Minder, who stunned his parishioners at Bothell's St. Brendan Church last year when he told them he was a victim of the Roman Catholic Church's sex-abuse scandal, is resigning from the priesthood.
Saying he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his abuse, Minder stated yesterday that counselors at an Arizona treatment facility told him recently he needed to separate from the priesthood to work through the issues underlying the disorder.
"It's been an internal conflict for the last three years to, in a sense, keep putting a best face on a situation that has no best face," he said.
On one hand, he felt a responsibility as pastor to "protect the fragile faith of the people" and to lead the parish through the larger sex-abuse scandal. At the same time, he was angry at "the scope (of the scandal) and lack of responsible leadership" of the bishops over the years.
Resigning from the priesthood, said Minder, who returned home from Arizona around Christmas, "is a step for my health and one that I was very reluctant to take. I love the priesthood, I love the church. It's a very meaningful way to live."
Read the article at The Seattle Times dated March 25, 2005
posted by God Almighty Himself at 5:34 PM
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