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  Catholic Priest in Sex Abuse Case Dies in North Texas

By Darren Barbee
Star-Telegram

August 13, 2008

http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/830529.html

The Rev. Philip Anthony Magaldi, who weathered embezzlement charges and was accused by two people of separate but similar charges of sexual abuse, died Tuesday. He was 72.

The priest had told the Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese this February that he was HIV positive. He died in a North Texas healthcare facility, according to a diocese news release.

Bishop Kevin Vann, leader of the Fort Worth Diocese, was in the process of having the priest defrocked and had further restricted Magaldi’s activities in 2006.

Magaldi was removed from active duties in 1999 by then-Bishop Joseph P. Delaney following sexual misconduct allegations in Fort Worth and Rhode Island.

Magaldi will be cremated and buried with his parents in Florida.

Allegations

Magaldi served at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in North Richland Hills.

In 1997, while serving at the parish, Magaldi was accused of paying a young man to give him enemas. He was placed under the supervision of another priest but was allowed by Delaney to continue to serve. After a second allegation that he had paid for enemas and had raped a boy, Magaldi’s career was effectively ended in 1999.

Vann has said that Magaldi should have been immediately removed when the first allegation came to light. Magaldi had denied all of the allegations.

Before moving to Fort Worth, Magaldi had been accused of perjury in New England and had served time in a halfway house for embezzling $123,400 from his Rhode Island parish.

Magaldi was under investigation by the North Richland Hills Police Department in connection with a report made by a man in October 2006 that Magaldi abused him when he was a minor, church officials have said.

Darren Barbee, 817-390-7126

Contact: dbarbee@star-telegram.com

 
 

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