A Derby, KS man is on a mission to block a former sex offender from attending church. According to the Derby Informer, Joshua Kippenberger, is trying to get a church parishioner banned from St. Mary Catholic Church in Derby, because he is on the sex offender registry.
The church, which has arranged for the man to be chaperoned and sit in a special section of the church, is refusing to ban him. The Director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Wichita said the Diocese is not going to forbid the man from attending mass, adding that “our guidelines are stricter than the parole office.”
In the meantime, despite overwhelming empirical evidence that sex offenders have an incredibly LOW recidivism rate, the vigilante was quoted in the article as saying that pedophiles “will never be cured and they are never, ever, under any circumstances, safe to be in the proximity of children for even the most fleeting of moments.” It sounds to us like Mr. Kippenberger could benefit from some education on the subject!
Despite the pressure, St. Mary is doing the right thing and we offer our kudos to them!
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To write a letter of support and appreciation to St. Mary Catholic Church in Derby, their address is 2300 E Meadowlark Rd, Derby, KS 67037.
“…the vigilante was quoted in the article as saying that pedophiles “will never be cured and they are never, ever, under any circumstances, safe to be in the proximity of children for even the most fleeting of moments.”
What exactly does this guy think is going to occur in a “fleeting moment,” particularly in a public setting (i.e. church)? Specifics, please…
Upon reading this, a couple of things stick out to me. First and foremost, how can parishioner Kippenberger claim to be a christian (the last time I checked, Catholics are still Christians) if he is unwilling to forgive the man in question? Any so-called christian who is unwilling to to forgive, including clergy, is just another hypocrite (the number one religion in Amerikkka).
Secondly, and a personal peeve of mine, why can’t people mind their own f#cki^g business?
I just hope that the priests there use the incident for inspiration in their homilies. Of course, self-righteous people like that really don’t listen to sermons, because they already KNOW that they are better than everyone around them.
Sounds like Joshua Kippenberger is a real expert in the subject of sex laws and science. I guess he is living proof that you can’t cure stupidity. Someone should message him reading material on Facebook so that he can get an education.
I’ll bet that some of these that are making the most noise have skeletons in their own closet.
I noted that the vigilante claims that his brother was molested by a church member at a different church. I would bet THAT particular perpetrator was NOT on a sex offender registry at the time. He was probably an upstanding member of the church at the time. That is the irony of the fears about registered sex offenders. They aren’t the ones children need protection from. An assault of a child is MOST likely to come from someone who has no criminal record. I would also bet that the reason they knew that this man was on the registry was because he informed the priest BEFORE attending Mass for the first time, just like that state’s law apparently requires. TV evangelist Joyce Meyer often mentions that some of the most unforgiving people are church going Christians.
It is my opinion that we have to take some of the blame. Obviously this person has not been educated on the diagnosis of pedophilia. A very small percentage of registered citizens actually fall into this category. Although there is no cure, there are other measures that people can use to help them not reoffend. Just like schizophrenia there is no cure but they are free in society. They take medication and they seek long term counseling. They have a safe support system that they can call. Pedophiles are also now being treated with medication and counseling. They to must have a support system or person who they can call if they feel like they are going to reoffend. There are also 12 step programs that meet regularly to help them deal with their problems. Just like AA and NA they learn the tools to help them deal with their addictions. We must educate society about the difference between a sex offender, a sexual predator and a pedophile. Thank you.
And yet courts decide, with no psychological exam or so-called “expert witnesses,” that all sex offenders who break any law with the word “child” in it are pedophiles and sentenced to “therapy.” Isn’t paraphilia a DSM-V diagnosis worthy of Social Security payments? We should all apply en masse!
wouldnt that fall under a violation of the 1st Amendment? NOT against the church, but against this guy. Couldnt this guy get a restraining order against the vigilante for harassment? That way this guy could go and worship as he pleases (even under supervision)
What is the churches position on this vigilante trying to impose his will on the church?
I think if someone sought a restraining order against the vigilante’s protest THAT would violate the first amendment.
The church is supporting the person required to register. They are not going to kick him out and are not letting the vigilante impose his will on the church.