PENNSYLVANIA
Times Leader
March 17. 2014
By Mark Guydish – mguydish@civitasmedia.com
SCRANTON — Carlos Urrutigoity has become the problem priest the Diocese of Scranton can’t get away from, despite a distance of about 4,700 miles.
Bishop Joseph Bambera issued a statement over the weekend distancing the diocese from news that Urrutigoity has been promoted in his current diocese in Paraguay. That news was posted online by the watchdog group, Bishopaccountability.org. The diocese rebutted media accounts that said then-Bishop Joseph Martino had “allowed” Urrutigoity to “transfer” to Ciudad del Este diocese in 2004.
Controversy surrounding Urrutigoity began in 2002 when The Times Leader first reported two priests from the Society of St. John in Shohola, Pike County, had been accused of sexually molesting minor males. The names of the priests later became public as then-Bishop James Timlin revoked the rights of Urrutigoity and The Rev. Eric Ensey to publicly practice as priests in any capacity.
The two were evaluated at a facility in Canada, and according to reports later made public during a lawsuit by an alleged victim, the facility recommended both be barred permanently from public practice as priests. Such a move is not the same as defrocking, or removing a person completely from the priesthood, a rare action.
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