Diocese Issues Lengthy Defense to Whistleblower’s Claims

Palm Beach Post
January 28, 2016

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/crime-law/disapointed-diocese-issues-lengthy-defense-to-whis/nqFJC/

For the second time this week, the Diocese of Palm Beach issued a powerful rejection of claims made by a priest that he had been “frozen out” of the church after informing authorities that a colleague showed pornographic material to a minor.

Widening its defense against the assertions of Father John Gallagher, the Palm Beach Gardens-based diocese on Thursday defended its record in reporting and combating sexual abuse by priests since 2002, when the second bishop in four years departed over a sex scandal.

Bishop Gerald Barbarito, of the Diocese of Palm Beach, leads the St. Edward Catholic Church consecration in January 2015. Assisting him during the sprinkling rite is Deacon Martin Serraes.

“As a Catholic Church, we apologize for the grave harm that has been inflicted on any victims by clergy or church personnel. Words alone cannot express our sorrow, shame and disappointment for the past,” the statement said. “The church is indebted to victims of abuse who have come forward. Their witness has allowed the healing process to begin and has made the church safer for all families.”

Citing a national training program, the diocese said since 2002 it has had 30,000 clergy, religious and lay people complete the “Protecting God’s Children” workshop and said it put the same number through background screening.

The statement headlined “Disheartened diocese provides multi-page response to allegations made by Fr. Gallagher,” said the diocese reveals allegations of sexual abuse to the state attorney’s office and followed protocol in the case cited by Gallagher involving a visiting priest from India, Jose Palimattom.

Father John Gallagher thumbs through documents he has collected since blowing the whistle on a pedophile priest. Gallagher says has been punished by Catholic Church for reporting the priest, an assertion the Diocese of Palm Beach vociferously denies. (Allen Eyestone / The Palm Beach Post)

Gallagher, however, said he had been locked out of his parochial house at Holy Name of Jesus Christ Catholic Church in West Palm Beach several months after the January 2015 incident involving Palimattom, who was convicted. He said he was passed over for promotion at Holy Name and transferred to a Stuart church after he refused to put the priest on a plane rather than report him to law enforcement. Gallagher could not be reached Thursday for comment.

Earlier this week, the diocese responded to the charges by saying that Gallagher was a liar in “need of professional assistance.”

“Father Gallagher was not in any way demoted or removed because of the incident,” the diocese said Thursday.

Father Jose Palimattom, booking photo by PBSO, after his arrest in January 2015.

It was Gallagher who “ignored” church protocol for reporting sexual abuse against a minor, the statement said. Those guidelines mandate that sexual abuse allegations be immediately reported to an abuse hotline and then to the diocese.

The diocese also said Gallagher invited Palimattom, whose screening made no mention of past sexual abuse. After his arrest, Palimattom told investigators he had been reprimanded for a relationship with a minor male in India.

Staff writer Joe Capozzi contributed to this story.