Priest with "established" allegations of abuse in residence at a New Orleans parish

By Becky Ianni, Zach Hiner
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
March 27, 2019

https://bit.ly/2Ue6NtZ

The Dominican Province of St. Joseph has posted a list of those friars "credibly accused" of the sexual abuse of a minor. This list included the name of a man with an allegation that was "deemed to be established by the lay Provincial Review Board." The friar is currently in residence at a New Orleans parish.

Fr. Richard Raphael Archer was removed from public ministry in 2002, according to the Dominicans.  Yet the website of St. Dominic Parish in New Orleans, which has an attached school that serves children pre-K through 7th grade, shows that the priest is "in residence." In fact, in 2017 the New Orleans Archdiocese celebrated Fr. Archer's 65 years as a priest.

The Dallas Charter promised zero tolerance for those clergy who sexually abuse a child. We believe that zero tolerance means that the Church, or a religious order like the Dominicans, should not assign a priest who was removed from ministry to a parish, especially one with an elementary school attached. The community is best served by keeping those with a history of abusing minors, particularly those who are still recognized as clergy, from any position where they may have access to children.