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Bishop names accused priests

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http://www.bangordailynews.com/news/t/news.aspx?articleid=145694&zoneid=500
 

Bishop names accused priests

 

BANGOR -Bishop Richard J. Malone has reversed his position on keeping secretthe names of priests removed from ministry due to accusations of sexualabuse before June 2002.

Previously, Malone publicly identified priests only after the Vatican had adjudicated their cases and disciplined them.

Thismakes the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland one of 15 of the 195dioceses in the country that have a policy of releasing the names ofpriests whose sex abuse cases are pending in Rome.

Malonenamed four diocesan priests who have been removed from ministry butwhose names have not been released previously. He declined to name thecommunities where they are living. They are the Revs. George W.Beaudet, 67, of Maine; Frederick A. Carrigan, 72, who lives out ofstate; Michael L. Plourde, 56, of Maine; and Ronald N. Michaud, 60, ofMaine.

Thebishop said at a press conference Saturday at St. John’s CatholicChurch in Bangor that because it was taking the Vatican so long to act,he had become increasingly concerned about the potential risk of are-offense in the cases of former priests who had not been identifiedto the public.

Thatfear became a reality last year for the Roman Catholic Diocese ofWilmington, Del., when a 77-year-old priest removed from ministry in1993 but whose name had not been made public was arrested in Syracuse,N.Y., on charges of sexually abusing a boy there over a five-yearperiod.

"Becauseof that, I have consulted at length with my advisers," Malone said, "and I am now convinced that the time has come to release the names ofthe remaining priests who were removed from ministry due to abuseallegations, whose offenses were admitted or sufficiently established."

Membersof the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests criticized Malone,saying that his releasing the names did not go far enough. Theorganization called for the bishop to tell the public where the men areliving.

"Kidswill be safe when we know who the perpetrators are and where they areliving," Harvey Paul of Windham, the S.N.A.P. coordinator of Maine,said in a press release e-mailed Friday to reporters. "The first lineof defense in protecting vulnerable children from sexual predators isidentification and notification.

"IfBishop Malone is serious about protecting kids," he continued, "he willpublish the names and whereabouts of all priests and church workers whohave been credibly accused of abusing children on the diocesan Website."

Malone said Saturday that the diocese has notified law enforcement officials in the communities where the men live.

"Thechurch is not a sex abuse registry as is the state," he said. "Thechurch has its way of proceeding and the state has its way, and I don’tthink there’s any law enforcement agency that would release the namesand addresses of people who have been accused but have not beenconvicted of crimes. Some of them have been accused but not convicted.

"Noneof these men use aliases, so I don’t think it’s that difficult for thepeople in a given community to find individuals if they choose to dothat," he added.

Maloneagain apologized to victims and others harmed by the scandal. He alsoencouraged those who have been victims of clergy sexual abuse to reportit to the diocese or the police.

"Ipray each day, and I hope you will join me, to ask that our heavenlyfather will give us the wisdom, strength and resolve to confront thecrimes and sins of the past without fear," he said Saturday. "Only byadmitting failures and taking corrective action can trust and moralcredibility be restored."

Malone set aside March 21 as a day of prayer and penance for Maine Catholics.

The bishop also released the disposition of two cases previously sent to the Vatican.

PeterP. Gorham, 79, of Maine and Francis J. Kane, 79, who lives out ofstate, were ordered to lead lives of prayer and penance. Both men havebeen restricted from ministry for a decade. Due to their ages and illhealth, they will continue to receive retirement and health carebenefits in accordance with a decision made in 2002 by the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops. They may not present themselves aspriests, wear clerical clothes or celebrate Mass in a church.

Thebishop announced last March that Christian Roy, 58, and John Shorty,59, had been permanently removed from the clergy, would not receive apension or health care benefits from the church and were prohibitedfrom celebrating Mass. At the same time, John Audibert, 66, removedfrom St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Madawaska in early 2002 as the clergysex abuse scandal in Boston was making national headlines, was orderedto lead a life of prayer and penance.

Malone said that there are six other cases pending in Rome:

  • TheRev. Thomas Lee, 78, of Maine, who stepped down in 2003 as pastor ofSt. Philip Parish in Lyman, has maintained his innocence. His requestfor a trial under canon law has been granted.
  • TheRev. Leo James Michaud, 55, was removed in 2002 as the pastor of St.Joseph’s Catholic Church in Ellsworth. Although there was no proof ofsexual abuse with a minor, the bishop said Saturday that othermisconduct that did not involve minors caused Malone to decide Michaudshould not have public ministry.
  • TheRev. John Harris, 51, of Canada was disciplined in 1999 after he wasaccused of launching a sexually explicit Web site. He was removed fromministry in 2003 after allegations surfaced of nude swimming, boatingand hot-tubbing with minors 20 years earlier. No allegations of sexualabuse were made against Harris, the bishop said Saturday.
  • TheRev. Marcel L. Robitaille, 68, was the pastor of St. Francis of AssisiCatholic Church in Belfast in 1993, when he was accused of sexuallyabusing his three brothers and a nephew and removed from ministry.
  • TheRev. Michael Doucette, 60, was removed from ministry along withAudibert in early 2002. He was pastor of St. Agatha Catholic Church inSt. Agatha and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sinclair when he wasremoved from ministry by former Bishop Joseph J. Gerry. Several of hisvictims have spoken publicly about the abuse they suffered.
  • TheRev. Raymond Melville, age unknown, left the priesthood in 1997 whilepastor of Holy Name Catholic Church in Machias. Accusations that hemolested boys in various locations became public in 2002 when a lawsuitwas filed.

Thecases of the following priests, which have not been previously madepublic, have been referred to the Vatican for possible disciplinaryaction:

  • TheRev. George W. Beaudet, 67, was removed from ministry in 2000 whenaccusations dating back to 1979 were made. Additional accusations weremade in 2002. He served in the following parishes: Notre Dame,Waterville; St. Joseph, Portland; St. Theresa, Mexico; St. Mary,Westbrook; St. Gerard, Grand Isle; Notre Dame, Skowhegan; St. Patrick,Newcastle; St. Peter, East Millinocket; and St. Anne, Dexter.
  • TheRev. Frederick A. Carrigan, 72, was accused in 1991 of sexual abusedating back to 1972 and his ministry was limited. He was removed fromall ministry in 2002 and was listed as retired in a 2003 diocesandirectory. He served in the following parishes: St. Mary, Bath; St.Joseph, Gardiner; St. Mary, Bangor; St. Thomas, Dover-Foxcroft; St.Peter, East Millinocket; St. Matthew, Hampden; and St. Gabriel,Winterport.
  • TheRev. Michael L. Plourde, 56, was removed from ministry in 1994 after hewas accused of abusing two minors in incidents dating back to 1976. Heserved in the following parishes: Holy Cross, Lewiston; St. Joseph,Biddeford; St. Hyacinth, Westbrook; St. Agatha, St. Agatha; St. Joseph,Sinclair; Holy Family, Daigle; St. Mary, Augusta; St. John, Winslow;and at the former Augusta Mental Health Institute.
  • TheRev. Ronald N. Michaud, 60, was accused in 1989 of sexual abuseoffenses that occurred in 1973 in Maryland. He has been restricted fromministry since 1989. He served in the following parishes: St. Ignatius,Sanford; St. Andre, Biddeford; St. Hyacinth, Westbrook; St. Joseph,Sinclair; and Holy Family, Daigle.

The Vatican has ordered that the following men lead lives of penance and prayer:

  • PeterP. Gorham, 79, first was accused in 1995 regarding an offense datingback to 1953. He retired in 1996. He served at the following parishes:St Joseph, Gardiner; St. Dominic, Portland; St. Joseph, Waterville; St.Mary, Bangor; St. Denis, Fort Fairfield; Sacred Heart, Lubec; and St.Joseph, Ellsworth.
  • FrancisJ. Kane, 79, first was accused in 1986 and his ministry was limited thefollowing year. In 1997, he was removed from ministry and retired. Heserved in the following parishes: St. Joseph, Portland; Christ theKing, Hebron; St. Mary, Biddeford; St. Joseph, Lewiston; St. Joseph,Eastport; St. Ann Mission, Pleasant Point; St. Tomas, Dover-Foxcroft;St. Mary, Biddeford; and St. Bartholomew, Cape Elizabeth
Anonymous, Bangor, ME, - 01/29/07
To, Helene, Van Buren, ME I disagree with you that all sex offendersshould have to register, there are a few that did a one-time mistakewith a consensual teenager. Like in the case of the Stephen Marshallincident, when that young man who was dating that girl and he was 19and she was just shy of her 16 birthday and now he is dead. I don'tbelieve all of them are threats, so when the average joe/jane goes onthe website People/society cannot differentiate from the predators fromthe person who made a bad one time mistake with a teenager, a lapse injudgment once. But those priests should have to do it because they werein a position of authority and took advantage of kids.

Lori Hall, Holden, ME, - 01/29/07
What a mess... the Church is doing the disciplining? A life of penanceand prayer after repeated abuseof a child? It would be hysterical if itwasn't so utterly ridiculous. Just because they are sanctioned by thechurch... say 4 hail Mary's and dip your face in holy water... does notmean they are cured. You cannot cure an obscene attraction to children.If the church sees fit to sanction them, they should be registered assex offenders. What horrific pull the Vatican has within our legalsystem...

Anonymous, Trenton, ME, - 01/29/07
The Bishop has made the point that the priests in question have notbeen laicized (what my Protestant friends would call de-frocked). Theyare therefor still priests living under their vows to the Catholicchurch who have been removed from ministry, that is they are no longeractively involved in priestly duties. If the previous writer hadbothered to read the whole story he/she would have seen that thediocese has notified law enforcement officials in the communities wherethe men live. Bishop Malone said further that, The church is not a sexabuse registry as is the state. The church has its way of proceedingand the state has its way, and I don't think there's any lawenforcement agency that would release the names and addresses of peoplewho have been accused but have not been convicted of crimes. Some ofthem have been accused but not convicted.

Helene, Van Buren, ME, - 01/29/07
All sex offenders should need to be registered. It's a matter of publicsafety. Please remember.. it's not the catholic religion. There aremany sex offenders in all walks of life. They are Dr's... lawyers..priests.. teachers.. And yes.. these are well respected people in ourcommunities. You just never know, and we all have the right to be safe.

Linda, Newport, NC, - 01/29/07
What bothers me more than anything else is the age of these men whenthey are finally outed by the church or in the news. How many abuseshave these nasty men comitted between the time they became priests andwhen they are finally slapped on the hand for ruining childrens lives,then set free to continue molesting. The Catholic Church needs to get agrip and stop protecting perverts that should be hung for their crimes.

Anonymous, Windham, ME, - 01/29/07
They haven't been convicted of a crime so they can't be put on the sexoffender registry. Let them be prosecuted for a crime and then do it.Complain all you want about things that the Church and the bishop havein their control, but it's not fair to complain about things that arenot.

Mike, Portland, ME, - 01/29/07
Anonymous - if you read the article carefully, you'll notice that allof the priests listed have not been convicted of a sex crime. Onlyallegations have been placed against crimes that may have occured many,many years ago. Because of this, the priests will not have to registeras a sex offenders. If they do end up getting convicted of a sex crimein a court of law will they have to register just like any otherperson. The church is being very proactive in this unfortunatesituation by trying to expidite the process to bring justice wherejustice is due. Just remember Anonymous, in America, everyone isinnocent until proven guilty....

Linda, MDI, ME, - 01/29/07
At least we have the peace of mind in knowing that although thesepreditors have escaped justice in this world, they will, withoutquestion, stand face to face with God one day, and His judgement issure to be severe! How deranged must one be to hide behind a bible inorder to violate a child, or anyone. These are the kinds of people whoturn others away from God and from all religion. What a sorrowful dayit will be for them when they look into Gods eyes and see the holinessand the healing that they could have chosen instead of choosing tomolest and hurt others! These people are beyond hope and should reallybe put to death.

annonymous, Bangor, ME, - 01/29/07
This is a list of truly repulsive individuals who should be on theMaine sexual offenders list. And by the way, just what is a life ofpenance and prayer anyway? Sounds like a very serious punishment to me.Get the Vatican on it quick and it should be resolved by the year 2030.

Anonymous, Bangor, ME, - 01/29/07
How fair is it that the child molesting priest don?t have to registeras sex offenders and be on the Maine WEBSITE? Now that they are nolonger priest does that mean they are going to prey on our young, Notfair how the Church is handling this, are they not part of society andhave to answer to the same laws as the common person?

Bishop names accused priests

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