(Spectre III #13) - After a return from exile Craemer was instated in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Bishop Anselm warned him about preaching his own personal view of religion. Craemer said he preached only what God revealed to him, and Anselm knew he'd start trouble, but said he'd met few men of such faith as Craemer. Craemer heard the confession of Jim Corrigan, the Spectre, and was candid about carrying out vengeance for the Lord. Craemer said blood would never wash away evil, and asked him to consider the scope of bloodshed in the world, such as the civil war in Vlatava. Jim was intrigued by this idea, and went there as Spectre to decide who was guilty and punish them, definitely not getting the message that Craemer was trying to send.

(Spectre III #14) - Phantom Stranger visited Father Craemer to discuss what he'd spoken to the Spectre about. Craemer said iw was confession, and he had a vow to not disclose what was said. The Phantom Stranger still couldn't convince him to talk when he revealed that the Spectre had massacred all of Vlatva, and now wondered if the entire world was guilty enough to be destroyed. To make Craemer understand what the Spectre was he told him the story of how the Wrath of God had killed the Egyptian firstborn. Craemer knew the Spectre was now tied to a human soul, which he hoped would make a difference. Stranger said Cramer was responsible for what happened in Vlatva, and warned him that Spectre's god was one of vengeance.

(Spectre III #16-18) - Father Craemer called Ramban, the leader of Israeli superteam Hayoth, and said he'd recently spoken to the Spectre, and feared he gave him bad council. Ramban had recently encountered Spectre, and said they should compare notes. Madame Xanadu visited Craemer and Ramban, telling them that Phantom Stranger had assembled a team of mystic heroes to defeat Spectre, but knew they'd fail. Madame Xanadu was taking a different tack, along with Ramban and Father Craemer she summoned the soul of Jim Corrigan, hoping to reach the Spectre's human side, and knowing he'd been unstable since his anchor Amy Beitermann died. Father Craemer reached out to Jim, and Corrigan realized that he was very tired of his responsibility, and that he wished the world was gone so he could go into eternity. Craemer convinced him that there were other good souls like Amy Beitermann, Jim, revitalized, took back control of the Spectre form Eclipso, and entrapped him in the heart of darkness. He destroyed Eclipso's moon palace, and turned the heart of darkness into dust. The Spectre said his judgment was that he could only judge humanity on a case by case basis. The Archangel Michael appeared, and said Spectre had been tested, but passed. He would never have been allowed to destroy the world without God stopping him, and Heaven wanted Spectre to continue his work. Later Jim went to Craemer to have a long talk.

(Spectre III #19) - Father Craemer and Jim Corrigan discussed the nature of evil, and Craemer thought that which empowered the soul was good, and that which stunted spiritual growth was bad. This led to a discussion of power and whether it led to corruption.

(Spectre III #21) - Craemer had a nightmare where he was made Pope, and no longer allowed to speak his mind. Spectre learned that Coast City had been destroyed by Mongul, and millions perished. He asked Father Craemer how he could have been unaware, and Craemer said that maybe the Spectre was not always needed to achieve balance.

(Spectre III #22) - Jim told Craemer that Superman had been sent by the US government to control Spectre, but as the Spear corrupted him with its curse, he had the willpower to give it up. Craemer said Spectre never had a boring day, and Jim wondered if he had the same willpower Superman demonstrated.

(Spectre III #25) - Azmodus confronted Father Craemer, who was decorating his church for Christmas, and told him he was going to kill him since he was Spectre's new anchor to the human world. Craemer knew Azmodus inflicted misery because he was miserable, and told him his sins were not too great for God to forgive. Azmodus paused, for he knew Craemer was right. He slunk away, and said he could not bear to be forgiven, that he had to live his mission of misery

(Spectre III #26) - Spectre helped Father Craemer decorate for Christmas, and asked him what he wanted for a Christmas present. Craemer wished that on Christmas Eve there would be no murders for once, or more realistically a Patrick O'Brien novel. Craemer forgot how literal Spectre was, and the Wrath of God announced to NYC that any murderer who killed that night would suffer eternal damnation. Eduardo Ramirez was fatally shot in a gang initiation, so Spectre brought his soul back into his body and transferred his pain into the gangbangers. He didn't want to disappoint Craemer, but all the men would be dead the next day. Spectre merged with the city to disable any object used as a weapon, but he strained his powers to the breaking point by entering the soul of every New Yorker, and he was overwhelmed, sinking to the ground. Eduardo's shooter was just a boy, and he went to Craemer's midnight mass, seeking solace from Craemer. Craemer told Spectre the boy was truly penitent, and did not deserve to die. Craemer asked Spectre to save Eduardo's life so he needn't punish Juan, but the Spectre said mending lives was not part of his mission. Craemer told him to try using his powers constructively, and Spectre was moved, saving Eduardo, forgiving Juan, and making the other gangbangers into babies so they'd have a second chance at life. Spectre told Craemer that he had given him the gift of opening his eyes.

(Spectre III #28) - Azmodus burned down Father Craemer's Church of the Holy Sepulcher, saying he wanted everyone Spectre knew to know despair. Bishop Anselm suspended Craemer for being too theologically creative, and Spectre blamed Azmodus for that as well, but Craemer told him not everything was about him.

(Spectre III #29, 30) - Azmodus brought Spectre to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher to finish him off. He summoned Clarissa to kill her father and Clarice in front of Spectre, knowing he was too weak to avenge anyone. Craemer made Clarissa realize she was a pawn, and Azmodus opened up a pit to Hell, swallowing Craemer. Spectre reached in and saved him, and Craemer's words did affect Clarissa, who refused to do Azmodus' bidding. Azmodus cast her soul into Hell, and was confronted by Madame Xanadu and her sendings. They occupied him briefly, but he absorbed the sendings into himself, and knowing he couldn't kill Xanadu he turned her into stone. Craemer implored Spectre to enter the souls of NYC as he had on Christmas Eve to regain hope. Azmodus was convinced the darkness he would find would end him, but Spectre said he had to acknowledge the light that fought against the darkness. With his doubts removed Spectre was ready to fight Azmodus. Azmodus moved the fight to Hell, and told Spectre he could defend himself, or try to save his friends from the demons that surrounded them, but would fail at either endeavor. Spectre returned Xanadu to flesh, and she cast a protective seal around Spectre's friends. Azmodus kept drawing strength from Clarice's body, and Clarice asked to be returned to her aged form and go to her reward so Spectre could vanquish Azmodus. Spectre agreed, and severed his bond with the body The soul of Amy brought Nate to Hell, and he shot Azmodus with his own cursed bullets, sowing his doubts and causing Caraka and Sekuba to turn against each other. Azmodus realized that Clarice's soul was his beloved Devi, and realized he'd tormented the one soul he loved. Spectre split Azmodus in two, casting Sekuba into a deep pit in Hell, and allowing Caraka to begin making amends for his actions through the cycle of rebirth.

(Spectre III #31) - Father Craemer stood in front of a tribunal to determine if he'd be allowed to stay a priest. They objected to him referring to God as she, and he said God had no gender, and that all souls had a male and female aspect. He also admitted that he heard the word of God in the works of man in the science and arts. Amanda Waller, Ramban and Xanadu had gotten word of the tribunal, and arrived to speak on his behalf. Waller talked about him doing God's work with the worst of the worst in the Suicide Squad, and Ramban and Xanadu said he'd saved Earth from both Spectre and Azmodus. Craemer was flattered, but said the tribunal was ecclesial, not civil. Spectre also showed up to speak for him, and showed the council the visions of Heaven and Hell he'd seen that day to confirm that he was a servant of God. Craemer thanked Spectre, but he realized he couldn't speak his personal vision of God while claiming to represent the Roman Catholic Church, and gave up his collar. He told Spectre he would no longer be his confessor, but he could consider him a spiritual advisor and above all a friend.

(Spectre Annual II #1) - Jim Corrigan brought Father Craemer to the place where he died to talk. Jim remarked that it wasn’t always a park, and remembered when the area was nothing but waterfront warehouses. He said his desire to return to life was fueled by love for his fiancé Clarice and a desire for vengeance against Gats Benson, but when Craemer asked him what the stronger pull was he couldn’t answer. Jim recounted his origin and the vengeance he dealt, saying the punishments he came up with for criminals were inspired by the sermons of his fundamentalist father. He fit into the role of the Spectre quite easily, until death and vengeance were the only things that fueled his existence. Jim was bringing this all up because his siter Louisa had just died. He visited her just as her spirit left her body, and she asked why he was bothering her, saying she was on her way to glory. Jim replied that he just wanted to see her one last time, and she reminded him he hadn’t spoken to her in 50 years, and he shouldn’t pretend he meant anything more to her dead than when she was alive. Jim told Craemer he wasn’t a good man before he died, and wondered if he’d gotten any better since. Craemer told him he had a hard life, which made him a hard man, but he still had the chance to be good and make friends with people if he was willing to be less hard on himself.

(Spectre III #36) - Jim met with Craemer in a bar after he had been briefly separated from the Spectre-Force by Neron. Jim told Craemer he feared using the Spectre's power because he felt it had been corrupted by Neron.

(Spectre III #39) - Craemer became an Episcopalian, seeing their more inclusive views as being in line with his beliefs. Jim came to talk to Father Craemer, convinced after seeing Shadrach's void of a soul that there was no reality, only his own delusions. Craemer said he was the most self-obsessed human he'd ever met, and if nothing else proved it it was that he shouted at God after his death, not trusting in the Lord's ways. Craemer said that as a spirit he likely saw a more real reality then he did in corporal form.

(Spectre II #45) - A mob cornered two gay men and killed one of them, so Spectre arrived and removed the killers heart, leaving the others to wait for the police. Kane noticed that Jim let them off easy, and Jim talked about his prejudice against homosexuals. Kane said he'd better not let his views color how he dispensed justice, and Jim was troubled with this, so he went to see Craemer. Craemer reminded Jim that although Leviticus condemned homosexuals, there were plenty of dos and don'ts in the Bible that people ignored everyday. Craemer asked what Jim would do if he came out as gay, and Jim left in a huff. After confronting his own prejudices Jim visited Craemer and apologized for running off, realizing he didn't care about Craemer's sexuality, only that they were good friends.

(Spectre III #52) - Jim visited Craemer, telling him he was worried about losing control of the Spectre again. Craemer said he had split vision because he was evolving as a person, something the Spectre was incapable of.

(Spectre III #55, 56) - Craemer saw Spectre on Court TV executing people on trial, and warning those who didn't fear the justice system. Spectre sensed Craemer praying for him, and Jim visited him. Craemer said he was losing it, and Jim admitted he might be right. He confessed to shooting Julia Edmonds in the 1920s. She tried to have him killed, and he used to believe in eye for an eye justice, but was no longer sure. Jim also blamed the Edmonds for souring him on women, and Craemer said he had to stop blaming others for his own actions. Jim lost control of the Spectre-Force, and it lashed out at Craemer, so Jim forced it to fly off before more harm could be done.

(Spectre III #58, 59) - Nate Kane had killed Julia Edmonds, a dying woman, rather than see the Spectre put her through hell. The police didn't believe his story, and he called Richard Craemer to vouch for him. Craemer confirmed Spectre's existence and the fact that he was out of control. The officers investigating Kane felt out of their depth, and ruled Edmond's passing a death by misadventure.

(Spectre III #60) - Jim told Craemer that God was missing from Heaven, and in his quest to find him the Source directed him to look withing. Spectre and Jim were spending more time apart as separate entities, so Cramer suggested they enter each other's souls. Spectre and Jim both realized they ahd questions about God's righteousness because of the way he'd treated them.

(Spectre III #61) - Spectre had a vision of God devouring his creation, including Archangel Michael. God said his creation was to do with as he pleased, and justice was just human delusion. He showed Jim a visiuon of his grandfather meeting the Spectre, who cursed him to steal something from his life. God appeared to Jim as his father, and he learned that he had an abusive religious upbringing, and lived in shame over conceiving Jim out of wedlock. Jebediah was weak Jim thought, but not evil, and forgave the abuse he'd suffered at his hands. Jim said God's creations were as flawed as he was, and he vanished. Craemer told Jim that God had clearly not died because the world still existed, but his old conceptions of God were dead.

(Spectre III #62) - Corrigan decided to give up the mantle of the Spectre, at last seeking peace in death. Craemer arranged for his bones to be buried in a small grave, and performed a funeral service, with all of the friends Corrigan met as the Spectre attending. The Spectre-Force vanished and Jim ascended to Heaven, seeing Amy waiting for him. Craemer told Phantom stranger he still had many questions about his beliefs after meeting Spectre,a nd the Stranger said it was good to question one's beliefs.

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