JACKSON (MS)
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
November 21, 2018
By Sarah Fowler
A priest currently visiting the Jackson diocese has faced past accusations of sexual harassment.
The Rev. Maurice Nutt was in attendance and helped lead Mass Sunday at St. Peter’s Catholic Cathedral in downtown Jackson to open the cause for canonization of Sister Thea Bowman of Canton, the first African-American member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. The Catholic Diocese of Jackson posted photos from the Mass on its Facebook page. Nutt prepared the gifts for consecration alongside Bishop Joseph Kopacz.
Nutt, a Redemptorist priest, is “back and forth” between Jackson and New Orleans while he works as a consultant on the cause for canonization, according to Maureen Smith, spokeswoman for the diocese. Smith said the diocese was aware of the allegations against Nutt.
Nutt has previously denied any wrongdoing. He has not been charged with a crime. He is a priest in “good standing,” Smith said, and “has the full confidence of his religious community.”
In March 2001, a police officer began working as a “neighborhood facilitator” for a community board on which Nutt served in Missouri. Nutt’s parish, St. Alphonsus “Rock” Catholic Church, was within the officer’s assigned area. In a lawsuit filed in 2002, the officer alleged Nutt “made unwelcome sexual advances” on three separate occasions.
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