LEWISTON (NY)
WGRZ
February 7, 2018
By Ron Plants
The Buffalo Catholic Diocese says a priest who is a member of the Barnabite Order at Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston was removed from active ministry as part of a harassment investigation.
Lewiston, NY — A priest who served at a shrine in Niagara County is now accused of sexual harassment. It’s a difficult situation for a religious order at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine.
It was a quiet winter afternoon at the Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Lewiston, but for the staff and members of the Barnabite Fathers, religious order has been a trying time as they found out that one of their fathers was accused of sexual harassment.
A source confirmed to 2 On Your Side a report that a woman filed the complaint against Rev. John Paul Bahati. The 48-year old priest was featured in a spring 2015 article of the Barnabite Messenger newsletter as a new arrival at the shrine and he is said to be from the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. He studied in Rome and became involved with a religious radio program and as a spiritual leader in his home country.
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