FREEPORT (ME)
Portland Press Herald
December 1, 2017
By Eric Russell and Megan Doyle
The message to be delivered to parishioners at St. Jude comes after a former priest with a history of transgressions is charged with assaulting a 9-year-old boy there in 1998.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland said Thursday that it plans to encourage members to come forward with any information about suspected sexual abuse by a church official, in light of new criminal allegations against a former Jesuit priest.
James Francis Talbot was indicted this week on charges of gross sexual assault and unlawful sexual contact involving a 9-year-old boy at St. Jude Church in Freeport in 1998. Talbot was a longtime teacher at Cheverus High School in Portland when he also served at times as a priest in Freeport.
Two people involved in the case confirmed for the Portland Press Herald that Talbot, now 80, settled a lawsuit in June with the same alleged victim. The lawsuit describes how the alleged victim went through severe depression, loss of faith and thoughts of suicide as an adult. It also argues that church leaders and Cheverus officials should have prevented Talbot from ever having access to the boy.
Dave Guthro, spokesman for the diocese, said in an email that the Rev. Daniel Greenleaf, the parish pastor, “will be talking to the parishioners at St. Jude in Freeport to address the situation.” Guthro said Greenleaf would provide them with information about how to come forward with information about sexual abuse by clergy members, but he did not know whether the message would mention Talbot.
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.