PENNSYLVANIA
Standard Speaker
BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER (STAFF WRITER)
Published: May 2, 2013
Diocese of Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera issued a statement Wednesday on a Tioga County verdict convicting a priest from Wilkes-Barre of sexually abusing an altar boy for six years.
Thomas Shoback, 66, who once served as an assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s Church in Hazleton, was found guilty Tuesday of nine counts, according to a news report from WETM-TV in Elmira, N.Y. In his statement, Bambera said Shoback “is permanently removed from ecclesiastical ministry and his status as a priest will be referred to the Holy See for a final determination.”
The Holy See is headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church in Vatican City. The diocese cooperated with the investigation and prosecution of the criminal case against Shoback, a diocese news release said.
“At this time, I express my personal sorrow for the pain endured by those who suffered this abuse and extend my apology for any way in which the Church, and particularly its bishops, priests and deacons have failed them,” Bambera said. “I also reaffirm my personal commitment to exercise vigilance in our protection of children and young people and offer my sincere gratitude to all who worked so diligently to resolve this case.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.