BishopAccountability.org

Delaware County Priest Deemed 'Unsuitable' After Drug Charges

By Max Bennett
Media Patch
August 20, 2018

https://patch.com/pennsylvania/media/delaware-county-priest-deemed-unsuitable-after-drug-charges


A longtime priest who served in Delco, the Main Line, and Philadelphia was deemed unfit for ministry after facing drug and theft charges.

A priest who ministered Delaware County has been found unsuitable for ministry after being accused of having drugs delivered to a Chadds Ford parish, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday.

Reverend Monsignor Gregory J. Parlante, 61, who most recently served at Saint Cornelius Parish in Chadds Ford and previously served in Radnor and Philadelphia, was placed on administrative leave in June 2017 after charges were filed in connection with the alleged drugs.

Parlante was charged in January 2017 with possession of a controlled substance; possession of drug paraphernalia; and felony theft by unlawful taking, according to court records.

The first two charges were dismissed after Parlante was accepted into the Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program for the theft charge in July this year, according to court records.

According to the Archdiocese in, May 2017 and after Parlante left the parish at his request, staff opened a package that was delivered to the parish life center with Parlante's name on it.

That package was believed to contain illegal drugs and the issues was reported to law enforcement, which led to a search warrant being executed, according to the church.

Both the parish and the Archdiocese cooperated fully with law enforcement during their investigation over the course of several months.

Parlante war ordered by Judge Kathrynann W. Durham to perform 64 hours of community service, make restitution to his former parish community for the theft of $5,500, and complete one year of probation, court records show.

Following the criminal case, the Archdiocesan Office of Investigations began investigating Parlante's actions.

The results led the Archdiocesan Professional Responsibilities Review Board, which makes recommendations regarding priests' suitability for ministry, to determine Parlanta was not suitable for ministry based on substantiated violations of the Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries.

Archbishop Chaput accepted that recommendation and informed Parlante last week of the final decision to deem him unsuitable.

Parlante, who was ordained in 1982, served various parishes in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, including:

  • Saint Stanislaus Parish, Lansdale (1982-1986);
  • Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Philadelphia (1986);
  • Bishop McDevitt High School, Wyncote (1986-1990);
  • Immaculate Conception Parish, Jenkintown (1987);
  • Archbishop John Carroll High School, Radnor (1990-1992);
  • Saint Madeleine Sophie Parish, Philadelphia (1992-1995);
  • Vocation Office for the Diocesan Priesthood at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary (1992-1997);
  • Our Mother of Sorrows Parish, Bridgeport (1997-1998);
  • Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Philadelphia (1998-2004);
  • and Saint Cornelius Parish, Chadds Ford (2004-2017).

The news comes days after a grand jury report on widespread alleged clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania was released. That report, which alleges that 300 Pennsylvania priests sexually abused more than 1,000 children, has resulted in a response from the Pope. "We showed no care for the little ones," he wrote in a letter released Monday. "We abandoned them."

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office established a clergy abuse hotline following the release of the report. That number is: 888-538-8541.




.


Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.