Priest who conducted elections-related exorcisms leaves Madison Diocese

[DonViejo]

Chris Rickert | Wisconsin State Journal 1 hr ago

A conservative Madison priest and blogger has left the Diocese of Madison after performing live-streamed exorcisms aimed at rooting out what he, former President Donald Trump and other Trump supporters have falsely claimed was widespread fraud in the Nov. 3 presidential election.

Rev. John Zuhlsdorf also claimed he had permission to conduct the exorcisms from Madison Catholic Bishop Donald Hying — an assertion Hying has said is false as well. The exorcisms have since been removed from YouTube. The National Catholic Reporter earlier reported on Zuhlsdorf’s departure.

In a statement on Jan. 14, the diocese said it and Zuhlsdorf had reached “a mutual decision” for Zuhlsdorf to leave.

“The Reverend Zuhlsdorf, who is in good canonical standing, will relocate from the Diocese of Madison to pursue other opportunities,” the statement said. “The Bishop of Madison is grateful to the Reverend Zuhlsdorf for his faithful support of the diocese’s seminarians and priests, thanks him for his many years of steadfast ministry serving the diocese, and wishes him the best in his future endeavors.”

more
https://madison.com/wsj/news/local/priest-who-conducted-elections-related-exorcisms-leaves-madison-diocese/article_edea011a-4415-5863-8b58-bd3513af09bb.html

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Controversial traditionalist Fr. Zuhlsdorf to leave Madison Diocese

Jan 16, 2021
by Christopher White

A popular traditionalist priest who performed live-streamed exorcisms falsely alleging widespread election fraud will no longer serve in ministry in the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin.

A statement sent to the priests of the diocese on Jan. 14 said Fr. John Zuhlsdorf will relocate to "pursue other opportunities" and noted it was a mutual decision reached between Zuhlsdorf and Madison's Bishop Donald Hying.

The statement also said that Zuhlsdorf, who has served in the diocese since 2014, remains in "good canonical standing."

"The Bishop of Madison is grateful to the Reverend Zuhlsdorf for his faithful support of the diocese's seminarians and priests, thanks him for his many years of steadfast ministry serving the diocese, and wishes him the best in his future endeavors," the email stated.

more
https://www.ncronline.org/news/media/controversial-traditionalist-fr-zuhlsdorf-leave-madison-diocese

[SheltieLover]

1. That this shitbag was popular is disturbing!

Gawd forbid they publicly terminate him, complete wuth defrocking.

Can't help but to wonder what "future opportunities" hold for this charlatain.

[Wawannabe]

7. This is bad but

The pedophillia is worse! More republican projection in my opinion.

The church isn’t handing the WIDESPREAD AND LIKELY ONGOING abuse very well at all so isn’t likely to punish other acts any more than they did the abusers.

Sickening!

[SheltieLover]

8. Of course they aren't!

Might cut into profits!

Religion us a sociopolitical control mechanism. Alwats has been & aways will be!

[Squinch]

2. And yet he "remains in good canonical standing." Wherein the Catholic Church reveals, once again,

that batshit crazy, not to mention hateful, is just fine with them.

And they scratch their heads and wonder why they are losing people in droves.

[vishnura]

3. The Catholic shuffle? Not the first time used.

[JT45242]

4. Not like he did something dangerous to the church -- like allow women clergy or priests to marry

As long as he doesn't commit the only two sins that the RCC worries about -- he'll just get shuffled from place to place.

If it were an order of nuns asserting that they should have full clerical status -- excommunication and steal their land.

If he had said that priests should take wives -- excommunicated.

You violate 501c3 laws that should take away the tax exempt status of your entire religious corporation, disobey your superiors, perform a ritual that is only to be used with proper authorization from a superior and put it on youtube -- you go to bed with no dessert.

Nice to see that the evangelical protestant right isn't the only group with whackos that do damage to their religion.

[Mc Mike]

5. There's nothing traditionalist about backing an anti-christ.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. Speaking as a Catholic, "Father Z" has long been an embarrassment

His blog often swayed away from topics of faith and in to inexplicable areas of conservative doctrine, like guns.

Honestly his faith based topics weren’t much better, focusing not on the gospel messages as much as a return to pre-Vatican II era Traditionalism.

From what I understand he didn’t even have his own parish and it showed; he never grasped the ideas of individual’s spiritual and real life needs.

Good riddance to bad garbage.