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Please call Toll Free 1-866-777-2557 or fill out our confidential contact form and a lawyer will get back to you within 24 hours to discuss your case. North Carolina Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
Boise Priest Arrested for Child Pornography and Drugs
The Boise Diocese of the Catholic church is one more in the line of Catholic churches to fall under the microscope for child sexual abuse. The Reverend W. Thomas Faucher was arrested in February for possession of child pornography and drugs. According to the Boise Diocese, they had never had a complaint against Faucher. What may seem strange to outsiders is that the Catholic church does its own investigations into complaints against priests and clergy who are accused of sexual misconduct or abuse. However, in the case of Faucher, an anonymous tip was received by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
North Carolina Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
According to the spokesman for the Boise Diocese, Bishop Peter Christensen went to St. Mary’s Catholic Church after the arrest and spoke at each mass asking anyone to come forward if they knew about Rev. Faucher or any other abuse. He also asked all priests in his diocese to read a message from him regarding Faucher asking victims to come forward.
Unclear Catholic Doctrine
According to the Catholic church, any ordained ministers don’t have to report abuse if they learned about it during a confession that was made to them or if knowledge about the abuse came about during a confidential confession, if reporting the abuse in any way violated their doctrine. To a non-Catholic this can almost seem contradictory in that law enforcement aren’t the first to be called.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer North Carolina
Also strange is that the church itself does an investigation that is different from law enforcement. Should a priest be found to have been guilty of sexual misconduct, the discipline is considered an internal decision. The church maintains that it alerts the public when they take any action, such as when a priest is defrocked.
North Carolina Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer
The diocese has a review board that examines reports of sexual abuse of children. They are required to have between five and 12 members who vote. The board must have at least one member who is a priest, one who is an expert at evaluating and treating the sexual abuse of minors, and someone who can promote justice. There seem to be no qualifications other than what the church deems is appropriate in any given board member. Once a decision has been decided on, the board reports to the bishop who has the final say on whether he will take their recommendation or not. If the bishop has reason to believe the crime did in fact occur, policy states he must contact law enforcement. Thankfully, in Faucher’s case someone had the foresight to contact an outside agency.
Priest Sexual Abuse Lawyer North Carolina
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