WILMINGTON (DE)
The News Journal
February 6, 2018
By Xerxes Wilson
Sex abuse victims’ advocates think the unprecedented indictment of a former Delaware Catholic priest in a decades-old child rape case could embolden more victims to seek justice.
John A. Sarro, 76, a former priest with the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, was indicted last week by a New Castle County grand jury on charges of first-degree unlawful sexual intercourse and second-degree unlawful sexual contact, according to court records.
It’s a rare instance where prosecution of a sex crime comes decades after the alleged abuse, but the Delaware Supreme Court has upheld similar convictions as recently as 2010.
Sarro is accused of fondling and raping a girl who was less than 16 years old between 1991 and 1994 when the abuse allegedly occurred during his time at St. Helena Parish in Bellefonte.
He is set to be arraigned later this week and characterized the incident that led to the charges as “an accident” in a brief interview with The News Journal last week.
His indictment is the first time the state has brought criminal charges against any of dozens of local priests who were accused of molesting children.
Judy Miller heads the Delaware chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, and said the victim’s courage to seek prosecution may push others to reach for justice.
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