There is much to be praised in the decision of the Colorado Catholics. They could have asked for a lot, but chose to let go of their indignation. Very Christian conduct. We can all learn from this decision.

These boys should do community service to the church and the members they offended.

It's nice to see forgiveness on the part of the Catholic church. Hopefully, however, appropriate disciplinary action will be meted out with justice and mercy toward the offending missionaries. Although forgiveness is always at the forefront of any such activity, accountability follows close on its heels.

Too bad charges were dropped. How is this a lesson for other missionaries. YOu can get away with anything???? HOpefully the Church will not be so lenient. I think one of the rules for excommunication is holding the church up for embarrassment or ridicule. Well the elders certainly did that.

Score one for the Roman Catholic Church.
Subtract one for the boys on a Mormon mission.

The Catholic Church is showing great kindness in not pressing charges. I just pray that these young men, and all other missionaries who hear about this, have learned an important lesson. If the missionaries did break the statue, I hope they will pay for its repair. If they didn't break it, I would still love to see these former missionaries help raise the money to repair the statue. Thanks is certainly owed to the Bishop for encouraging his congregations to forgive these boys.

For all of you on here who are disappointed in the case being closed, can you tell us exactly what law was broken? You have no proof that they broke anything. I'm not supporting these elders but they cry to punish them by some sort of court is ridiculous.

As Gen Conf is coming up, how many people standing outside on the sidewalks holding garments up and destroying them will be held in contempt of the law? None. They aren't breaking any law.

Non-believer, your "thought" about what constitutes excommunication is not even close. Please don't open your mouth and let us all know the foolishness inside.

These boys did something stupid and dumb in most people's eyes. Illegal, no. Community service? For what? help raise money to repair it? Seriously, you are joking right?

These types of comments are what truly show a lack of maturity on the part of the public. I don't even understand how you come to the conclusions that you have posted on here. Just plain insanity showing through.

This kills me to say it and I hope my Bishop and Stake President don't find out who I am; But really, is that what 'raising the bar' translated into? I don't mean to say that 3 out of 50,000 will set a precedent...but where was the Bishop and Stake President of these three young men? It scares me to death and confuses me greatly to think that our 'raising the bar' translates only into morality issues, but somehow leaves alone the 'moral' aspect of human behavior. These three turkey's didn't just develop into insensitive, idiots.

Really.

Are these three cases an example of where a Bishop over rode his own sensibility of right and wrong and decided the mission would 'do them good'? And yet, how many really good young men have been kept off a mission because their 'immorality and poor virtuous conduct' negated their otherwise shining 'moral' character. I'm confused because somewhere, somehow, we have found ourselves on a slippery slope.

Yes, we agree.
You are confused, though mostly just underinformed.

Like a lot of the people who have posted on this issue, today and earlier, you are making big judgments about something you have little information on, and zero responsibility to judge or decide.

To the Catholic Bishop - thank you. A calmer, wiser head and heart in the midst of clamoring voices.

To the members of the parish - we join our voices in apology.

To those of you who are honest - it's a rare missionary, 19 and 20 yr old youths for the most part, who can't look back and find choices that were made in the moment that look pretty foolish with hindsight. Fortunately, most of us didn't have the Internet to publish our occasional antics. Thanks to the Lord for allowing us to serve in spite of our youth and lack of wisdom.

Sounds like "Taking Offense" knows something the rest of us don't know. Maybe they're a relative of one of the missionaries and have one side of the story. While we don't have proof that "they" didn't break anything, since the charges were dropped, we also won't know whether they did break something. But, if they did, that is a destruction of property offense, and is against the law, which should go to court. Simply burning burning garments, unless they are stolen, is not a destruction of property offense. And how do you know if they did anything illegal or not, as the charges were dropped? You talk about a lack of maturity, but I think anyone who reads your post will see who is the immature one.

Sad.
Sad
Sad
Sad
Sad
Saaaad.

How very kind of the good Bishop! A true Christian act! Thank you.
How sad these missionaries brought shame to my church! I pray they learned a very valuable lesson.

In the 50 plus years I've been a member of the church, I dont recall such comments coming out of the mouths of members. The case was dropped. Its a non issue.If I had broken the statue, I would be over there fixing the thing.I was a missionary once. Probably did some stupid things too. Missionaries are out to proclaim the gospel and set good examples,but you should not expect perfection from missionaries. We probably should not even expect missionaries to live the gospel 24/7.We have a army of youung men and women trying to do the right thing most of the time.If they fail at it sometimes then we remind them and move on.

Wow you obviously haven't been in any leadership role to judge so foolishly and harshly those silly boys Bishop and Stake President. My Stake President of all the Stake Presidents I have ever known has the highest bar for missionaries you can have and yet there have been boys sent home from their missions on his watch......you ask questions, you make sure they are fulfilling their covenants, you make sure they know the gospel and maybe a few other things, then you send them out hoping and praying that they will use the sense they were taught to use and follow the commandment they have been taught, but they are adults and have their agency and will do what they do. The huge majority of them fill honorable missions.

So my point is....don't make a comment if you don't know what you are talking about. I hope your Bishop and Stake President do find out who you are so thay can inform you about how hard their callings are and the huge responsibility they have.

It was very generous of the Catholic Bishop to do that which he did not have to do. I don't think anyone in the LDS church would've been offended had he continued in the pursuit of charges against the three young men.

I love how the critics of the church complain that we're sending out mindless drones, and then when an incident like this happens, they complain that we're not sending out mindless drones. Always willing to change positions on the fly when they think it suits their argument.

Whether or not they are the ones who broke the statue, the three did openly mock the Catholic church inside Catholic holy grounds. Part of that mockery included the broken statue. Though mockery be not a crime, it is a sin. IMO, as a sign of repentance, the three should help in seeing that the statue is repaired. Considering the money they would have spent on lawyers defending themselves, not to mention travel costs as court dates would've been held in Colorado, it's almost the least they could do at this point.

What they did was ridiculous and pathetic. They do deserve community service because they obviously didn't get what the mission was all about and no this is not what they meant when they raised the bar. I teach missionaries how to be missionaries and if any of mine ever did this, i'd hunt them down and make them pay for it. Seems like they forgot their purpose to me.

Interesting that neither comments regarding "Too Confused" addressed the comment made. Who ever he/she is, they specifically said 3 do not determine the actions of 50,000...And speaking of 'judging', you two need to read your own posts. It was you two, or in the case of "we", (are you multiple personalities??) who were doing the judging. No one said anything about breaking the law. No one said the call of a B or a SP was easy, you said that. Wow. Maybe it was you 'two' who need to not judge. As I read the post it was clearly a series of questions regarding who is/was manning the guard post. Frankly, that is a good question. The Elder's behavior was reprehensible. So are you saying that those theatrics by the three were morally responsible? Or are you saying that their non-criminal behavior was completely understandable simply because 'everyone sins'? Or 'everyone makes mistakes'? Maybe it is you and your multiple personalities that need to talk to someone. You want to excuse irresponsible behavior because you were a missionary and did dumb things yourself? That is ridiculous. They were representatives of Jesus Christ. Not 'just' some immature 19/20 year old.

Actually, it suprises me this is the first event I've ever heard of in a major media story involving misconduct by LDS missionaries. This tells me the missionaries around the world are stellar ! Think of how many times do we read about US soldiers (young men of comparable age) misbehaving in various media articles. Kudos to all the Elders for making such stories seldom.

Has the Catholic church ever apologized to anyone for burning people alive who mocked their church throughout the centuries ?? It's because of the Reformation that now Catholic bishops turn the other cheeck instead of burning herotics.

I have read through these comments and since it is now Easter as I write this, I wonder what Christ would do? Isn't that what really matters here. I believe Christ is disappointed when any of his children are hurt or hurts someone else. He also stated. He who has not sinned, let him cast the first stone. What was the result. Go and sin no more I believe was the answer.
If laws of the land were broken, then restitution must be made so that repentance can happen. That is between the offender; the offended; and Christ. Leave it at that and get back to your own perfection.

Amen my brother!

Enjoy your Easter everyone! May we all remember and celebrate it for what it truly represents!

This incident saddened me greatly. I was immediately embarrassed and humbled at the same time. The young men involved know what they did and its up to them to undergo the repentance process proportionate to their acts. We don't get to determine what they need to do or not do. Their church leaders will be held accountable for how they handled these young men pre-mission and post mission, and again, that is not our call. Finally, the Catholic Priest who asked for forgiveness in this matter is to be applauded. He set a fine example for all of us.

The way I see it, I'm pretty sure the statue was already broken. And seeing that in the heat of the moment, for the fun of it, they took pictures and did what they did. That was then humorous and in hindsight, they realize now that wasn't a good idea. We've all made dumb mistakes as young adults. The good thing is we are human and with human nature we like to have fun and learn. I've seen worst things that were done than this. True, no law was broken. Just feelings were hurt is as far as it goes. Apparently I feel the statue will get repaired now that it's known it needs it, but not because the missionaries broke it. They'd know better not to do that. It's good the Catholic Bishop wanted to forgive. That's something we all need to do is forgive and let it go and move on. Lessons are learned everyday, and it's a good thing we are still learning. Stop the judgments and instead appreciate the things we've learned. I don't believe they need to be disciplined and returned home. Just a lesson learned would work and they'd continue doing great missionary work.

The Bishop's actions sets a great precedent--certainly knowing more about the situation than most. I find it odd for some to question his decision. Why not follow suit with similar generosity? The banter from these polarized opinions seems to disregard the Bishop. I must simply still thank him. This could very well be making the best out of an extremely disappointing situation. Let's continue to make the best possible scenario between two organizations.

Regarding comments by What would Christ do? AMEN!!!
Restitution? Of course!
Accountability? Clearly!
Repentance? Oh, I do hope so!
Forgiveness? Required of ALL!!
Redemption? My heart and soul depend on it, as I'm certain all of ours do. And most of all (on this Easter morning) My profound and deepest gratitude for the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Let's all keep things in perspective, shall we?

These are still 19-21 year old guys. Most out on thier own for the 1st time. They do dumb stuff. This is a wild example, yes. They thought it was funny, since they thought no one would know. BUT, since someone did find out they look stupid, irresponsible and insensitive. Anyone out there ever fit that description when they think no one will ever find out?

All of us!

As for some bishop or stake president screwing up by letting these guys get out there - you must be out of your mind. They cannot predict how one will use his free agency or react to peer pressures etc. But, I guess if you believe everything is the way that it is "suppossed" to be in the Zion Bubble, those leaders screwed up!

I'm a non-believer and I still have more common sense on the subject when I should just be laughing. Amazing!

"Vengence is mine, saith the Lord." We would all do well to remember this scripture. As well as the verse about us being required to forgive everyone. Obviously Bishop Tafoya understands these. As has been stated numerous times, these young men are being punished by the LDS Church for their actions. Being sent home early from a mission is not small matter. The Lord will also mete out His consequences on these young men.

"Gimme a break," you show wisdom when others are running around shouting, "Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness, the sky is falling." Lest we forget, these are just young boys, gaining maturity and wisdom in so many ways by their service to their fellow man, yet still immature in many ways.

But they are still young boys, subject to childish mistakes, and lapses in judgment. They probably did not realize how serious their actions were ... how disrespectful ... in this instance they just resorted to the boys-will-be-boys, and for a mad minute their immaturity took over. They deserve nothing beyond a good no-nonsense, in-your-face talking to, perhaps community service cleaning or helping restore a Catholic church near them. They need to learn that what they did may have seemed simple and funny to them, not intending to do any real harm .. but others found their actions disrespectful. They need to be set straight, not condemned.

Some of you are so self-righteous in your indignation. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

To Get Real,

OK, here is a "first stone" - you are wrong. These young men are, above all, men! They should be punished.

And yes, I am casting the first stone because I QUALIFY!

Strong statement there guy.

Very interesting that the only ones that continue to pound this far beyond it's media value are those who oppose the church.

The Catholic Church shows it true Christianity by forgiving the trespassing missionaries, as does the LDS Church by apologizing and seeking forgiveness.

The only ones who can't let this go are those who are against the church and everything it stands for. With every fiber of their being, they want to make the church look bad-usually to justify their continued wallowing in unbelief.

Get a life people. Get a life! And give us a break from your anti-LDS rants. Very tiresome.

Yes, a very nice gesture of the Catholic church to not pursue charges. I'll bet the LDS church has promised to foot the bill for restoration costs for the statue - as well they should. And I hope the missionaries will have to pay for as much of it as they can.

Uhhh Jesse Try this one. Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Good Luck

So where was "the bar" for missionaries raised to? Have not heard of such behavior in the past... or were those elders just short and walked under?

The good news is the church (missionaries) is made up of people -

The bad news is the church (missionaries) is made up of people -

All imperfect !

to all of you who say these missionaries should be punished, or the church should pay for the costs of fixing the broken statue, I'm sorry but no where do I read that the missionaries are the ones who broke it.

Do you have some special knowledge that all of us don't have?

Restitution for what? Holding something that they didn't break? I'd say the investigation was closed because they were asked if the broke it and they said no.

I'm truly amazed at the concept to throw stones on these pages from people who don't know the whole story. I hope that if I'm ever before a jury of my peers, that you people are called upon to render a verdict in my case. I wouldn't trust your judgment any further than I can throw a heifer.

It's no wonder that we live in the most wicked of times on the planet. Look at the venom espoused on these pages with no accountability for the nonsense.

I'm sure someone will come fire right back at me for my post; so be it.

I challenge anyone to show where the missionaries are the ones who broke it.

Why are the LDS members so seemingly shocked by the Catholic Church's Christianity? Hasn't it had a longer run than the LDS Church? The good, the bad, and the ugly are there for consumption and tools for your own bias. It's nice that people of different faiths can interact and show their stupidity about each others faiths and beliefs. If we can all let this incident go that would be best for all involved and those of us on the periphery that are offended by each others nonsense can return to normal. It is after all Easter, a remembrance of the shining example and true prophet of the Lord's love for man.

As an ex-missionary I wish those three would have been severely punished, instead of a slap on the wrist, hopefully karma will catch up to them. the damage they have done may be irreversible (and I'm not speaking of property damage). Hats off to those who could forgive them, but I don't think it's wrong to want justice.

In the same spirit (of denial) as many of the LDS people on here, I challenge anyone to tell me I am NOT "without sin"!

Therefore, I cast the first stone... at these missionaries, who disrespected another religion, regardless of whether or not they broke the statue.

This has never been about property damage. It has always been about respect for the faith of others.

And that is something you LDS people cannot understand no matter how much you pray or fast or attend Church. You will never get it because you are built on a foundation of enmity toward other religions.

I hope people realize the damage that these missionaries can do, I still struggle from my mission experience. My first companion was akin to these missionaries, the disrespect from the elders was overwhelming. Our apartment was on the 31st floor, at one of our district meetings (my companion was DL) my companion thought it would be "funny" to throw water-balloons at the cars on the freeway below us...and almost everyone participated. Every time we went out proselyting after that, while my companion would talk of the gospel all I could see was him lying to the police about throwing the water-balloons.

Missionaries may be 19-21 but when you boldly wear the church and our saviors name on your chest a higher standard IS expected.

or...if you don't want to be disappointed DON'T expect much of anyone on your mission.

Now the question is how many people will NOT be receptive to the gospel because of the actions of these 3 elders?

Bring but one soul unto me, great shall be your joy in the kingdom of heaven...I wonder how joyful you'll be if you turn away many souls...think about that next time you want to do something stupid.

iasn't up to the people involved to determine if charges are filed? The victim. Yep!
This doesn't mean retribution is not going to happen. It just won't happen in a court of law.

The fact is that this is now over in the public view.. It is between the two parties.

Like it should be. Everything doesn't have to be presented for 'Enquiring Minds". It isn't our business in many cases.

Just like leaked grand jury testimony isn't our business (the leakers should be prosecuted to the full extenmt of the law.)

We seem to have become a nation/world of voyeristic people living off the misqueues and rumors of others

Have you ever heard of mercy?

Just wondering ... because it's a rather vital doctrine in the church. Try practicing it sometime because with what judgment ye judge, ye shall also be judged.

Really? You advocate tolerance for other religions and then you end with a prejudiced stereotype about LDS people. I mean, really?! Do you not know what it means to be logically consistent?

Really?

You are a lost child. You feel it is worse to pose with a broken statue(we still don't know who broke it) than to fornicate? I guess that is why you can't tell that the bar has been raised.

Dumb boys - and stress on the boys part. What they did was really dumb and stupid. And what te Catholic Church did had a bit of class. If forgivenss is a gift, then these boys got a wonderful gift. They still need to make restitution by performing service to the parish and it's people. Beyond that, the case should be closed, and kept between the boys and the Catholic church. I hope when my boys leave for their missions, this lesson of respect of all faiths and peoples will be a learned one, and not just a listend to one.

Assumming they did not damage the statues and just took pictures, this was just ignorant boys. They probably had no idea they could be charge for what they did. Maybe the MTC should teach PC and avoid the news classes.

I don't get it. Because you are a sinner, you can cast stones at other sinners? Is that what you're saying?

What the three did was a sin. In all of the articles written so far on this subject (far more than it deserved), I've yet to see where any LDS has argued the three should not repent for mocking another's religion. As I'm sure these three taught, repentance includes restitution. But even if these three did break the statue, death by firing squad seems a bit severe.

What I have seen is many LDS claim that paying to restore the statue, regardless of whether they broke it or not, would be an appropriate measure of goodwill in helping to restore relations between the Catholics and LDS in that local CO community.

They acted in a stupid manner, yes, but I don't recall where they physically harmed someone, nor do I recall the picture of the three with a sledge hammer. Nor do I recall their respective bishops and stake presidents quoted as saying these three had a history of going into religious sanctuaries and showing a complete lack of respect.

This barely made the Rocky Mountain News in Denver (four lines). It got slightly better coverage in the Valley Courier in Alamosa (seven sentances), where it actually happened, but that's like making headlines in Logan's Herald Journal. And don't worry, RMN comments read like DMN (or SLTrib) comments.

Yes, what they did was really dumb. I agree, they should make some sommunity/church service restitution.

It was dumb, and then they posted it on the einternet, to brag or what?!?

I admire the Catholic church Father for forgiving them.

yes that is true.

The Catholic church is smart in dropping this. The Catholic church also realize and knows that these young missionaries were just goofing off. When people are young sometimes they do silly things thoughtlessly. Perhaps everyone else on these blogs need to quit making judgments and throwing rocks and keep an eye on each of your own personal lives, and make certain as well that you are living an orderly life.