Skip to main content.
Related sites:
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
Web religionnewsblog.com
Home | Site Menu | About RNB | RNB Store | Cult FAQ | Cult Experts | Apologetics Index | Cult Information Search Engine
Order of Saint Charbel:

Pope acts on Little Pebble priest

The Daily Telegraph, Australia
Nov. 22, 2005
Amy Coopes
dailytelegraph.news.com.au
  • Article Tools  • Share This Story

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 12886 • Posted: Tuesday November 22, 2005  

Click here... More articles on this topic: Order of Saint Charbel

A New South Wales priest excommunicated from the Catholic Church has been stripped of his holy orders and responsibilities by the Pope because of his association with William Kamm’s religious sect.

Kamm, known to his followers as The Little Pebble, was last month jailed for at least three-and-a-half years for indecently assaulting a then 15-year-old member of his outlawed Order of St Charbel, at Cambewarra, near Nowra on the south coast.

Malcolm Broussard, who has been with the sect for 20 years, is a self-proclaimed bishop and major superior residing in the Cambewarra community known as Gethsemene.

One of Kamm’s staunchest supporters, Mr Broussard was ordained to the priesthood on May 20, 1978, in Houston Texas, for the diocese of Galveston-Houston.

He was excommunicated from the Catholic Church in June 2003 for attempting to have himself consecrated as a bishop without papal consent within the sect.

Mr Broussard has issued repeated calls for support for Kamm, and following his conviction has urged his followers to “go forward” against the “dark forces of evil”.

The Chancellor of the Diocese of Wollongong, the Reverend Father Peter Comensoli, today confirmed Pope Benedict XVI had decreed Mr Broussard also be stripped of his priestly title, responsibilities and rights for his “ongoing obstinacy” within the order.

The decree, served personally on Mr Broussard, ordered he be “dismissed from the clerical state”, meaning he can no longer call himself Father, say mass, give sacraments or take confession.

He also is no longer allowed to wear priestly dress or enjoy other rights afforded to the position, Fr Comensoli said.

“The Pope’s now saying something very specific about the status of Malcolm in terms of his priesthood,” he said.

The decree had been issued some time ago, Fr Comensoli said, but the church had not made it public out of respect to Mr Broussard.

“It’s just been an ongoing obstinacy of those who have been involved with Little Pebble in refusing to accept the authority of the church. They have claimed that what they are saying (in terms of their beliefs) will be, in time, verified by the church. But it won’t.”

The church had no control over Mr Broussard’s continued ministry within the order, Fr Comensoli said, and had effectively distanced itself from him altogether.

Mr Broussard refused to comment on the decree, today issuing a statement condemning those who acted against Kamm, a “prophet of God”.

“The Little Pebble continues to maintain that he is innocent of all the charges levelled against him,” he said.

“As time passes, the conspiracy surrounding the Little Pebble will be exposed by God’s All-Powerful Hand.”



Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe: Religion News Blog RSS feed  |  Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe by topic: Order of Saint Charbel
more cult news articlemore religion news More articles about Order of Saint Charbel

Like this story?

Today's Most Popular Articles

Doctor Says...

Share this

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:




Article and Site Tools

» PermaLink to: Pope acts on Little Pebble priest
   Need a shorter link? You can remove everything after the final /
» More news articles + news archive on Order of Saint Charbel
» More religion and cult news

Subscribe (RSS / Email) [What is RSS?]
» RSS News Feed - All Topics: Religion News Blog RSS Feed
» RSS News Feed - Single Topic: Order of Saint Charbel
» Headlines by Email: Daily Religion News Blog Headlines

More Article Tools
• Bookmark / Tag: Del.icio.us
• Bookmark / Tag: Furl
Save this article
Email this article
Print this article [Temporarily out of order]

More Information
Books about Order of Saint Charbel
Relevant books (and other goodies)

more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.