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  Catholic Church Won't Tell Community Where Philly's Defrocked Priests Are Living

By Mike Carney
USA Today
April 4, 2008

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2008/04/catholic-church.html

The Philadelphia Daily News reports that 25 of 60 priests who are known to have abused children in that archdiocese are living in the community and collecting a church pension despite being defrocked because of their behavior.

"Kids are not safe," the Rev. Robert Hoatson, founder of a New Jersey organization that assists victims of clergy sex abuse, tells the News. "The church should tell people where these guys are living. Are they in Florida? Are they in Timbuktu? Where are they living? Neighbors around them should know where they are."

Church officials say they do inform authorities when a defrocked priest moves into their jurisdiction.

They also inform the bishop in that area he doesn't rejoin the ministry, according to Monsignor Timothy Senior. Under current laws, the church says it can't disclose the ex-priests' addresses or notify the public.

Although some of the defrocked priests still collect pensions, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese wouldn't provide any specifics. The defrocked priests aren't required to register under Megan's Law, which would track their whereabouts, because they haven't been convicted of a crime.

"It's very hard for us to determine where these priests are, and the church doesn't really help that much," Terry McKiernan, co-founder of BishopAccountability.org, says in reference the national scope of the issue.

The Philadelphia Archdiocese has helped 144 victims and has spent $1 million since 2007 on counseling and services, the paper says.

 
 

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