BOISE (ID)
Catholic News Service via National Catholic Reporter
February 8, 2018
The arrest of a retired Boise Catholic priest on multiple charges of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child pornography and drug possession has shocked Catholics in the statewide Diocese of Boise.
“When I first heard of these allegations, I was absolutely stunned,” Boise Bishop Peter Christensen said in a statement Feb. 6. He said that “there are no excuses” for the behavior described in the charges.
Fr. Thomas Faucher, 72, was arrested Feb. 2 and charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, two counts of distributing sexually exploitative material involving children and two counts of drug possession. “All of the charges, except one of the drug counts, are felonies. If convicted, he faces a lifetime in prison,” reported the Idaho Statesman daily newspaper.
“If these allegations are true and proven in court, they are a betrayal of the trust we place in all ministers such as Father Faucher. Anyone who takes advantage of and exploits children for their own gratification is absolutely wrong. There are no excuses for such behavior by any one of our clergy,” Christensen said.
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