Priest who served at St. Francis left note admitting abuse before his Feb. death

OHIO
Toledo Blade

BY NOLAN ROSENKRANS
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Catholic church leaders are looking for other potential victims of a now-deceased priest who once served at St. Francis de Sales High School and who they confirmed abused a minor 14 years ago.

The Rev. James H. Roth, 61, died Feb. 11 at Hospice of Northwest Ohio after taking a high dose of insulin. Though his death has not been confirmed as a suicide, he left a note admitting to the allegation, said the Rev. Ken McKenna, provincial of the Toledo-Detroit Province of the Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales

The survivor, who is now an adult and was not a St. Francis student, reported the abuse to the Oblates in January. Father Roth, who was at the time of the accusation working for a Catholic school board in Toronto, was immediately removed from his position, police were informed, and an internal investigation initiated, Father McKenna said.

Father Roth was in a drug study for diabetes, and the drug warned of side effects that included depression and suicidal thoughts, according to the Oblates. Coworkers had noticed mood changes. Father McKenna said it’s unclear whether the drugs impaired his judgement, or if revelation of the abuse led to his death.

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.