Bishop wants abusing priest laicized.London, ON -- On August 3, an overflow crowd in a Chatham courthouse reacted strongly, some with tears, to statements from 12 of the 47 women who say they were sexually abused by a Catholic priest, Rev. Charles Sylvestre. He is now 83 years old. Wearing his clerical collar clerical collar n. A stiff white collar in the shape of a band fastened at the back of the neck, worn by certain members of the Christian clergy. , he pleaded guilty to 47 charges of indecent assault indecent assault n. Sexual assualt. indecent assault Noun a sexual attack which does not include rape indecent assault n (BRIT) → on girls as young as 9, over a 34-year period from 1952-1986. A class action suit is pending against him, two school boards, the Grey nuns, the Sarnia police and the Catholic diocese of London The Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames, and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. for failing to stop the abuse. Immediately after Sylvestre pled guilty, Bishop Ronald Fabbro of London offered a statement of apology to the victims and their families, and announced that he would take steps to have Sylvestre defrocked. He would be the first priest in Ontario to be removed from the priesthood, a decision which must be made by Pope Benedict For other uses, see Benedict. Benedict is the regnal name of the current Roman pontiff, Pope Benedict XVI (2005–present) and has been the name of fourteen other popes (and three antipopes):
On Sunday, August 6, Bishop Fabbro celebrated Mass at St Ursula's parish in Chatham. In a three-page statement, distributed also to parishes throughout the diocese, the bishop expressed his sorrow, related some of the legal proceedings All actions that are authorized or sanctioned by law and instituted in a court or a tribunal for the acquisition of rights or the enforcement of remedies. underway, and apologized to the victims and their families for "suffering the consequences of that abuse over the years." "I apologize as well," he said, "for the failure of the Church to protect the victims and their families from Father Sylvestre." He added, "The abuse of minors has been a scourge in the Diocese of London that must end, and I pledge myself as the Bishop of London The Bishop of London is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers 458 km² (177 sq. mi.) of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames (previously the County of Middlesex) and a small part of the to do my utmost to end it." The scandal of Fr. Sylvestre received wide coverage in the local as well as in the national media. |
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