FLORIDA
Sun Sentinel
Kate Jacobson
Sun Sentinel
A day after a local priest accused the Palm Beach Diocese of kicking him out for reporting sexual misconduct, church officials fired back and called the priest a liar.
Father John Gallagher said officials from the Palm Beach Diocese strongly suggested he take a leave of absence after he reported a visiting priest had shown child pornography to a 14-year-old boy after Mass.
But Church officials said they did no such thing, and said Gallagher’s accusations are “a complete misrepresentation.”
“Father Gallagher is blatantly lying and is in need of professional assistance as well as our prayers and mercy,” the diocese said in a statement Tuesday.
Gallagher said he contacted the Sheriff’s Office about the Rev. Jose Palimattom’s interactions with the boy, and church officials were angry at him for not coming to them first.
“[The Church’s] response was, ‘We used to put people like this on the plane,'” Gallagher said. “I said, ‘that’s fine, but the Sheriff’s Office is on its way.’ They asked how much they knew.”
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