CONNECTICUT
Patch
[with poll]
In response to the recent arrest of a priest on child porn possession charges, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Connecticut maintains that the Church still has a thorough background check process for priests in place.
By Julian McKinley
The Catholic Church in eastern Connecticut was rocked this week after one of its parish priests, the Rev. Dennis Carey of St. Paul in Chains parish in Waterford, was arrested on a felony charge of possession of child pornography.
Carey has since posted a $150,000 bond and remains at liberty while his case is pending.
There is no evidence, however, that Carey had any inappropriate contact with any children of the parish, which is an assertion made by his attorney and supported by the police and state’s attorney’s office. He reportedly said he was addicted to child porn over the past two years and that, since his arrest, he will seek help.
Meanwhile, Waterford Patch published a story today in which a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Norwich asserts that Roman Catholic Church is still a “model” institution for protecting children.
Since 2001, when sex scandals plagued the church in the U.S. and worldwide, the institution enacted a strict screening process, during which both priests and lay workers are subjected to background checks.
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