NEW ORLEANS (LA)
NOLA.com
March 6, 2020
By Ramon Antonio Vargas
Attorneys for a man who claims he was molested as a child by a predatory priest estimate that the clergyman has received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of financial support from the Archdiocese of New Orleans since his forced retirement, according to court documents filed Friday.
The filing in the lawsuit targeting former priest Lawrence Hecker, 88, and the archdiocese calls attention to a church practice that is common nationwide but infuriates abuse victims and advocates.
The church provides retired priests with a monthly income, car insurance and a choice of living quarters, even when, like Hecker, they filed retirement papers in the wake of a credible accusation of child sexual abuse.
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.