PHILADELPHIA
NBC 10
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced Sunday that two more priests implicated in sexual abuse scandals have been declared unfit for service by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.
According to Chaput, Father Joseph J. Gallagher, 78, and Father Mark S. Gaspar, 43, will have no further public ministry in the Archdiocese “due to substantiated violations of The Standards of Ministerial Behaviors and Boundaries.” Both men have the right to appeal the decision to the Holy See.
Gallagher retired from the church in 2006, after spending sixteen years at Saint Richard in Philadelphia. He was placed on administrative leave in 2011. Last year, Gallagher was one of seven priests named in a civil suit alleging the Archdiocese covered up child sex abuse allegations. Gallagher is also the priest at the center of a wrongful death suit filed against the Archdiocese by the family of a man who killed himself in 2008 after his allegations were deemed not credible.
Gaspar most recently ministered at Our Lady of Charity in Brookhaven from 2008 to 2011, when he, like Gallagher and others, was placed on administrative leave. Gaspar was one of 21 priests suspended following an investigation into 37 “cases of concern” by former Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Gina Maisto Smith.
In addition, Chaput confirmed Sunday that Monsignor Richard Powers was deemed not suitable for ministry last year. An announcement was made to that effect at Epiphany of Our Lord Parish in Philadelphia, where Powers had been residing. A broader announcement was not possible at the time due to a court-imposed gag order that was in place at the time, according to the Archdiocese.
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.