West Palm Beach Priest Claims Bishop Retaliated against Him for Reporting Fellow Priest with Child Porn to Police

By Adam Horowitz
Farmer, Jaffe, Weissing, Edwards, Fistos & Lehrman, P.L.
January 26, 2016

https://www.pathtojustice.com/west-palm-beach-priest-claims-bishop-retaliated-against-him-for-reporting-fellow-priest-with-child-porn-to-police/

Father John Gallagher, a priest of the Diocese of Palm Beach, is alleging that he was retailated against by the Diocese of Palm Beach because he told law enforcement authorities that a fellow priest, Rev. Jose Palimattom, showed pornographic material to a minor. According to Father Gallagher, the Diocese of Palm Beach retailiated against him for being a whilestblower and exposing the priest’s illegal conduct. Gallagher alleges that the Diocese’s Bishop Gerald Barbarito denied him a promotion, demoted him, urged him to resign from the priesthood, transfered him to another parish, and locked him out of his parochial residence at Holy Name of Jesus Christ Catholic Church in West Palm Beach.

In January 2015, Palimattom, a 48-year old Catholic priest assigned to Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in West Palm Beach, was arrested in for having child pornography on his cell phone and showing the images to a minor. According to police records, the priest asked a 14-year old boy from his parish to help him delete pictures from his cell phone. In so doing, the boy discovered dozens of images of nude pre-pubescent boys on the priest’s cell phone with tags such as “little boys.” According to Father Gallaagher, the victim that night told a friend who reported it to a church employee who told Father Gallagher. Gallagher then set up a meeting with Father Palimattom and a retired law enforcement officer. According to Gallagher, Rev. Palimattom confessed which prompted Gallagher to report the incident to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office. Palimattom was eventually sentenced to six months in jail and one year of probation for showing obscene materials to a minor.

According to Father Gallagher, he twice attempted to report Father Palimattom to the Diocese of Palm Beach but no action was taken by the Diocese. He also says the Diocese of Palm Beach’s retaliation against him began soon after he called law enforcement. Gallagher says the Diocese of Palm Beach would have preferred to put Rev. Jose Palimattom “on a plane” back to his native India rather than him report the child pornography to law enforcement. In April 2015, Gallagher said Diocese of Palm Beach Gerald Barbarito denied him a promotion he was owed and in fact demoted him with no explanation. Gallagher was soon transfered from his position in West Palm Beach to a parish in Stuart, Florida. Gallagher also claims he was asked to resign from the priesthood. Gallagher reports that he later had health complications, including a heart attack. While Bishop Barbarito did visit him in the hospital, Gallagher contends that the Bishop refused to anoint him or bring him Communion. When Gallagher got out of the hospital, he alleges that that locks had been changed on his parochial residence and a new priest had moved in.

Sexual abuse attorney Adam Horowitz, who has handled numerous sexual abuse against the Catholic Church in the State of Florida, stated: “Many Dioceses in the Catholic Church have a long and troubling history of trying to keep a lid on matters which cause scandal to the church and punishing those within the church who let the Church’s secrets out. In this case, Father Gallagher should be commended for his action in bringing Father Palimattom to justice. If in fact Father Gallagher is being retaliated against for exposing a priest with a sexual interest in children, it is a shameful example of the Catholic Church failing to protect kids and putting its own reputation ahead of the safety of children.”

Rev. Palimattom is a priest of the Franciscan Province of St. Thomas the Apostle in India who came to the Diocese of Palm Beach from India in late 2014 for a two-year assignment. Under church rules, Rev. Palimattom was under the supervision of Diocese of Palm Beach’s Bishop Gerald Barbarito at the time of his arrest.