Priest jailed for exorcism death

[Keevan_Colton]

A Romanian priest has been jailed for 14 years for conducting an exorcism that led to the death of a nun who he believed was possessed by devils.

Irina Cornici, 23, died after being starved and chained to a cross at a secluded convent in the north-east.

The ritual in 2005 was led by Daniel Petru Corogeanu, 31, the priest at the Holy Trinity convent in Tanacu village.

He and four nuns were convicted of manslaughter. The nuns got jail terms ranging from five to eight years.

Nicoleta Arcalianu got eight years, while Adina Cepraga, Elena Otel and Simona Bardana were given five-year sentences.

All the defendants plan to appeal against the verdict in a case which has shocked Romania.

The Orthodox Church, which described the Tanacu incident as "abominable", has promised reforms, including psychological tests for those seeking to enter monasteries.

It banned Corogeanu from the priesthood and excommunicated the four nuns.

In 1999, when the Vatican issued its first new guidelines since 1614 for driving out devils, it urged priests to take modern psychiatry into account in deciding who should be exorcised.

After hearing the sentence, Corogeanu said: "We will appeal and hope that it will succeed. We didn't expect this sentence, but this is the judge's decision. We will pray to God for help."

Dozens of Corogeanu's supporters packed the courtroom and several burst into tears when the verdict was announced, AP news agency reported.

Auntie

[Norseman]

The Orthodox Church, which described the Tanacu incident as "abominable", has promised reforms, including psychological tests for those seeking to enter monasteries.

It banned Corogeanu from the priesthood and excommunicated the four nuns.

Auntie

Quite frankly it looks like some guy who should never have become a priest to begin with got carried away with some nuns in some seriously twisted shit. I am pretty damn sure that chaining a nun to a cross is not considered procedure for possessions.

Then when people found out about it they arrested the culprits, the courts convicted, and the Church duly condemned this incident and excommunicated the people involved.

There sure are some crazy people involved, but as far as I can tell from the article the priest and the four nuns are the only ones that didn't do what they were supposed to in this incident.

[Shroom Man 777]

The fact that people actually cried when that scum was sentenced to eight pitiful years in jail...is sickening. Probably a bunch of brainless old conservative moldy farts holding prayer rallies...ugh.

[General Zod]

The Orthodox Church, which described the Tanacu incident as "abominable", has promised reforms, including psychological tests for those seeking to enter monasteries.

So, they promise psychological tests for monastery members? According to what guidelines, I wonder? It's not like people who want to lock themselves away from regular human society for the rest of their life are exactly paragons of psychological health. . .

[Norseman]

The Orthodox Church, which described the Tanacu incident as "abominable", has promised reforms, including psychological tests for those seeking to enter monasteries.

So, they promise psychological tests for monastery members? According to what guidelines, I wonder? It's not like people who want to lock themselves away from regular human society for the rest of their life are exactly paragons of psychological health. . .

Really? Introverts are psychologically unhealthy? There are a lot of us who'd love to get away from regular human society, not least because it'd mean fewer idiots. So give me a friggin break! Argue against the Church if you want, but leave people who want to get away from it all alone, there's more of them than you might think.

Pet peeve but I get pissed when someone suggests that there's something wrong with wanting to get away from it all.

I mean to remember this case from a while back, and from description of things the young woman was seriously disturbed. By that I mean that it sounds like she was trying to enter a convent to get away from her own mental problems, not the world. I think that even a basic psychological examination would have revealed a lot of her problems.

As for the people that cried for this nutter being locked up, well let me put it this way: the priest got defrocked and the nuns got excommunicated. At this point conservative church members will generally reject your teachings quite thoroughly. This sounds more like a charismatic guy who convinced a bunch of young foolish people that he was this great guy; think a television preacher who gets busted and you got it.

That said... the Romanian Church condemned it, used their harshest penalties on the people responsible, and began work on reforms of the system. All I can say is well done! The Romanian Church seems to have its shit much better together than a lot of American churches where this mess would be hushed up and/or excuses made even by the people at top.

[General Zod]

Really? Introverts are psychologically unhealthy? There are a lot of us who'd love to get away from regular human society, not least because it'd mean fewer idiots. So give me a friggin break! Argue against the Church if you want, but leave people who want to get away from it all alone, there's more of them than you might think.

Pet peeve but I get pissed when someone suggests that there's something wrong with wanting to get away from it all.

Right, because people who want absolutely nothing to do with other human beings and lock themselves up from the rest of society so they can spend the remainder of their life fellating a magic sky pixie are somehow normal.

That said... the Romanian Church condemned it, used their harshest penalties on the people responsible, and began work on reforms of the system. All I can say is well done! The Romanian Church seems to have its shit much better together than a lot of American churches where this mess would be hushed up and/or excuses made even by the people at top.

If they had their shit together they wouldn't be encouraging nonsense like sanctioned exorcisms in the first place.

[Redleader34]

Zed, I'm going to call you out on this. Sometimes people dislike the soicety thery are in. Hel I hate the socety that I am in, withs its crap TV, la of accountabitly, celebration of idiots (Lol brittany spears shaved her head! Alert the Media!!) Null focus on the important things ,(Science education Math education, going down the shitter) And you can't controol someone's feelings on a belief in a diety,. Hell as long as you don't go around and oppress other's rights you could workship a old pentum 2 ofor all I care..

[General Zod]

Zed, I'm going to call you out on this. Sometimes people dislike the soicety thery are in. Hel I hate the socety that I am in, withs its crap TV, la of accountabitly, celebration of idiots (Lol brittany spears shaved her head! Alert the Media!!) Null focus on the important things ,(Science education Math education, going down the shitter) And you can't controol someone's feelings on a belief in a diety,. Hell as long as you don't go around and oppress other's rights you could workship a old pentum 2 ofor all I care..

Why the fuck are people equivocating introversion with complete and total isolation in this thread? Is this some type of kneejerk reaction by the completely socially inept? Shit, I'm probably fairly introverted by most people's standards but I don't consider a desire for total isolation normal by any means. If it were society wouldn't be able to function. Oh, and you mistyped my name.

[Dark Hellion]

You still interact with people Red, you interact with a lot of people of widely varying beliefs, such as ZOD, who you just argued with. People living in the modern monastic lifestyle do not interact with anyone that isn't directly superior (and impossible to disobey), directly inferior (and will always obey) or who agrees nearly wholeheartedly with all the main tennants of the religion. This isn't the old school Jesuits and Dominicans, who argued science, philosophy and astronomy with Galileo on the streets of Rome. This is true seclusionary society. If they don't want to interact they literally never have to. It's socially retarding and psychologically damaging.
And the I want to be an introvert BS is just that, BS. You don't really want to get away from society, you like the perks, you just want to bitch about the flaws. It's high school behavior. Grow up, deal with it, change it if it pisses you off, don't hide away.