TEXAS
Beaumont Enterprise
By Dan Wallach Published Thursday, December 17, 2015
The Diocese of Beaumont has placed a Port Arthur parish pastor on leave pending a civil and church investigation into possible physical abuse, the diocese has confirmed.
A website, www.bishop-accountability.org/abusetracker, posted information about the suspension of Father David Placette, pastor of St. Catherine’s Parish in Port Arthur.
In a statement attributed to KBMT, Bishop Curtis Guillory is quoted as saying, “I have placed Father Placette on administrative leave from all priestly ministry, pending both civil and ecclesiastical investigations into this matter. Because the matter is now under investigation, I am unable to provide additional information. at this time.”
Barbara Dorris, outreach director of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, based in St. Louis, said even though Catholic bishops had promised transparency in connection with priest abuse, the manner in which Placette’s case is handled is opaque.
“We don’t know why he was removed. This is not open and transparent. When did the diocese learn? When did the the police learn?” Dorris 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.