ARKANSAS
The Courier
by Laura Bean
Father James Melnick was relieved of his responsibilities as pastor of St. Augustine Church in Dardanelle, St. Andrew Church in Danville and associate pastor for Hispanic Ministry at St. John Church in Russellville for sexual misconduct. He is currently suspended from active ministry by the Arkansas Diocese.
Bishop Anthony Taylor, Roman Catholic Bishop of Little Rock, told area churches on Saturday and Sunday he received credible allegations of sexual misconduct against Melnick and was able to act quickly enough to prevent him from leading Mass on Sept. 20.
“Later that day, we were able to interview some of his victims and verify multiple acts of sexual misconduct with multiple adult victims during the period of less than a year,” Taylor said in a news release. “Since there were multiple victims, we seem to be dealing with predatory behavior, not romance.”
Melnick allegedly admitted to the misconduct. Taylor encouraged victims to report the incident.
“I know that his misconduct has harmed some of you directly, and if you have been a victim of his misdeeds or know someone who has been harmed by him here or elsewhere, I ask that you contact the diocese to report the incident for your own good and for the good of the Church,” Taylor said.
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.