KENTUCKY
The Courier-Journal
Claire Galofaro, The Courier-Journal; 6:21 p.m. EDT April 17, 2014
A dying Catholic priest was sentenced to spend 15 years in prison Thursday for molesting a boy four decades ago, despite his plea that the jury consider his age and his illness, then be merciful.
James Schook, 66, was convicted of three counts sodomy and one count indecent or immoral practice for molesting a teenage altar boy for years in the 1970s, beginning when he was 13. The jury could have chosen a minimum sentence of two years, or a maximum of 25.
Schook’s sentencing ends a sordid chapter in the local Catholic sex abuse crisis. The Archdiocese of Louisville, like others across the nation, has for years been accused of protecting pedophile priests and the church’s reputation — at the expense of children.
Schook, a Roman Catholic priest with end-stage melanoma, was tried this week for abusing two boys. The jury convicted him in only one of the cases.
“I’m sad that it had to come to this,” said Colleen Powell, a member of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, who joined Schook’s victims at the trial. “These two guys went through all this turmoil, it took this long. They are heroes, absolute heroes for coming forward and holding Mr. Schook’s feet to the fire.”
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