WHEELING (WV)
SNAP - Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests [Chicago IL]
July 29, 2022
(For Immediate Release July 29, 2022)
A retired Catholic priest from the Diocese Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, who purportedly has not served in ministry since 2009, has been charged by Pennsylvania State Police with sexually assaulting a young male through ages 9-14 yrs. Perry Malacaman, 84, who resides in West Virginia, is charged with involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16, corruption of minors, and indecent assault of a person younger than 16, according to a criminal complaint.
Malacaman worked at St. Francis de Sales, a parish in Beckley, W.Va., and was ordained in 1972, in the Archdiocese of Davao, in Davao City, Philippines. He had been assigned to several parishes in West Virginia starting in 1993, and last served as a priest in 2009 in Beckley, according to diocesan Bishop Mark E. Brennan, who wrote a letter to Catholics in the Beckley area.
We have several questions for Bishop Brennan, one being the most obvious. How did this priest arrive from the Philippines, and why? If he was ordained in 1972, what is his work history from then until his employment in West Virginia? More importantly, according to news sources, Malacaman is retired, yet his name is not recognized anywhere on the diocesan website. Our concern is coupled with red flags. Who financially supports Malcaman, and is this allegation truly the first reported against him?
We insist that Bishop Brennan contact his equals in the Philippines and have them share the news of this arrest. Additionally, we encourage anyone with information regarding Fr. Malacaman to report what they know to law enforcement, including the Pennsylvania State Police. If Malacaman took children across state lines to sexually assault them, we know Federal Authorities would become involved.
CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager(mmcdonnell@snapnetwork.org, 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (zhiner@snapnetwork.org, 517-974-9009)
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
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