EDINBURG (TX)
The Monitor
December 6, 2017
By Lorenzo Zazueta-Castro
[Note: See also http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news3/2004_11_21_Egerton_StexasDA_John_Feit_8.htm]
EDINBURG — John Feit, a former priest, is accused of the 1960 murder of Irene Garza after she went to confession at McAllen’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Here is the latest from the trial:
Tuesday’s proceedings were highlighted by expert testimony by a former monk and former priest.
Richard Sipe is a former Benedictine monk who has written books about Catholicism and the sexual abuses arising from the Catholic Church’s requirements of celibacy.
Thomas Doyle was a Catholic priest in the Dominican Order. He co-authored “The Problem of Sexual Molestation by Roman Catholic Clergy” in 1986, alerting bishops of sexual abuse by clergy.
Each testified as experts in these fields to further drive the state’s argument that there was collusion between high-level church officials and authorities to keep the Garza case under wraps.
The day’s most damning testimony against Feit was that of Doyle, who read a letter he said was about “protecting the church.” The letter, written by one church official to others, addressed how to best maneuver around the the Garza case before Feit was moved to a monastery in Missouri.
Today, the trial is set to begin with Hidalgo County’s forensic pathologist, Norma Jean Farley.
Also expected to testify is Texas Ranger Rudy Jaramillo and another Texas Department of Public Safety lab technician.
It is possible that the state will rest its case today.
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