Sunday, December 02, 2007

Things your priest gets up to on holiday

Guns, porn oust priest | Herald Sun

A very strange story of an Adelaide priest who (allegedly!) has been carrying guns in Afghanistan and collecting what sounds like gay porn on his computer.

I see that he got a mention in a SMH article earlier this year:

Father Tony Pearson, a Catholic priest who allows Shiite Hazaras in Adelaide to hold their annual Moharram ceremony on church premises, says the isolation and uncertainty of the temporary protection visa system has ravaged the morale of Australia's small Afghan community. ....

"When Afghans are given a fair go, the vast majority are found to be hardworking and moderate in their view of Islam," Pearson says. "But our Government chose to make an example of them to deter others. Some victims of that policy have suffered grave and unnecessary psychological damage."

Another paper reports:

Prior to voluntarily standing down, Father Pearson was heavily involved in the Archdiocese of Adelaide's Aboriginal Catholic Ministry and the Otherway Centre in Pirie St as chaplain. He is a frequent traveller to Afghanistan, having visited the country up to six times in recent years.....

"Tony Pearson's trips to Afghanistan have been private trips, in his own time and funded by him. Consequently, there has been no requirement or obligation for him to advise the church in respect of them," she said.

I wonder what will happen if his hosts in Afghanistan find out about the photos on his computer?

I am also curious as to how the Catholic church works out holidays for priests, at a time when everyone knows there are not enough to go around.

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