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1. In Melbourne's cold weather?
   
   It pays to advertise, but in cold weather what's to advertise.

   Posted By: DEAN WILLIAMS

2. A bit strange, is there any more information as to what occurred? Is this person still a priest?

   Posted By: Alan

3. I think not a bit strange, but very strange, and inappropriate behaviour...........and in a park where children might play ! A $400 fine is not much but a conviction was recorded. I hope this priest gets the message.

   Posted By: paul

4. As the offence was committed on a Saturday, what is the point of the added detail that the park is "next to a school"? Apparently to give the false impression that children were involved. Whereas apparently there were no children present, and there was no more likelihood of any child passing nearby than in any other park, regardless of the proximity of a school.
   
   And in fact it appears from the street directory that the nearest school is a kilometre away from Miller Park (off Mountain Hwy near the Dandenong Ranges), which is quite a large park.
   I'd say there would likely be very few people hanging around there on a winter's morning in Melbourne's chilly eastern mountain suburbs; least of all small children.
   
   Inappropriate behaviour certainly, but isn't singling out this offence as "immoral and obscene" putting it a bit too strongly, considering the many more serious crimes which no doubt come to the attention of Ms Justice Wahlquist? Or even what we read in the papers every day?
   

   Posted By: Ronk

5. What's wrong with his backyard if this was such an innocent action !!!!!
   
   He is sick sick sick. Just another member of the catholic community that uses the church for their own nefarious intentions.
   
   It's about time that the church realised this and did something about it, instead of covering it all up.
   
   Tiida
   

   Posted By: Tiida

6. What an excuse ! He could be earning $250,000 as a spin doctor for the NSW Govt in the Premiers' Dept. He might even save them electorally with an excuse like that.

   Posted By: Michael Webb

7. Tiida, your comment is one of the most absurd and desperately stretched attempts I have ever seen to condemn the Church based on one isolated relatively minor offence by an individual.
   
   Fr P committed the offence in his own free time at a place distant from any church. How on earth do you deduce that he "used the church for his nefarious intentions"?
   
   There is no evidence that the Church even knew about the offence, let alone tried, let alone succeeded, in "covering it all up"?
   
   Who on earth are you accusing of saying that the offence was "an innocent action"?
   
   And if he had done it in his own backyard as you demand, (typically presbytery backyards are very small and right next door to a church and a Catholic primary school) he WOULD have involved the Church.
   
   If you're so desperate to attack the Church, at least pick some subject with a minimally rational basis. Otherwise you simply expose yourself as a Catholicophobe ratbag.
   
   
   

   Posted By: Ronk

8. Dear Dear Ronk, the man is a Catholic priest. This is how he is using the church for his own needs. Pretending that it was for health. What a laugh.

   Posted By: Noel1

9. Noel, your comment makes no sense. If a priest robbed a bank, without even telling anyone there he was a priest, or pleading the fact in his defence, would he be "using the Church for his own needs"??
   
   If a truckie sunbathed naked in his own time, would he be using the trucking firm for his nefarious needs??
   
   If anything, I would say that this episode demonstrates abuse of and prejudice against the Church by the magistrate. As the case apparently came down to the police's word against a priest's word, the magistrate apparently decided that police are more credible than priests.

   Posted By: Ronk

10. As a matter of interest, who is Ronk? I give my name why not give your legal name,baptismal name!

    Posted By: Davidanthony Davies.

11. Congratulations, Davidanthony, you can state your legal baptismal name. What do you want for doing that, a medal?
    Do you have any actual comment to share with us apart from your name?
    
    Why do you not equally demand the legal baptismal names of the four out of six other commenters on this article who obviously have not given their full legal baptismal names?
    It's rather disturbing that you are so interested in "who is Ronk?" Why is this information so important to you?
    How do we KNOW what YOUR "real" name is?
    And why does it matter? The important thing is the content of the comments, not who said them.
    
    I have revealed here a lot more about myself than you have about yourself. I don't know any "Davidanthony Davies", that tells us nothing. Do you think your name is famous?
    
    I have been called Ronk since I was a child, Unusual I know, but I like it and I don't plan on changing it, and it's just as "real' as your name. And it's a lot less confusing than some other commenter's names; there are no other Ronks here! ("Praise the Lord", I hear some sigh! ;-))

    Posted By: Ronk

12. I think that many Europeans (priests or not) think that sunbathing is a means to good health. Who left the priest 'alone'? By saying that, I mean who declined to keep him happily and sociably busy on a Saturday? Who failed to help him to navigate Aussie culture? Who failed or declined to make a social call on him with either a cake, some nice wine, or whatever?
    Being a priest is not easy, and sometimes I think some of them go a little 'looney'. That is why they need our prayers, help and support. Criticism is good and healthy, but maybe we should be treating and thinking of priests in the same way that we believe they should be treating us. That may include: not making too many assumptions, having some empathy and compassion and being able to reach out with joy and love.
    I really enjoy reading all the debates that are going on down there in the catholic community. I am an ex pat Aussie living in Japan, and I just blundered across this website. I originally came from the parish of OLA in Cheltenham, Victoria and was well-educated by the Brigidine sisters in Mentone.
    Having lost touch with Australia, I somehow or other, I had the impression that the catholic church had suffered greatly down there in Oz, from either a lack of priests, or a lack of interest by the laity ... but you all sound well, strong and vitally passionate about your church and your role in it.
    Take good, good care all of you, and God bless always,
    anne winter
    
    

    Posted By: Anne Winter

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