'I've been frozen out by the Church for warning police about paedophile'

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Just wondered if anyone in the USA had heard of this case?

It seems a bit suspicious, and seems to be ‘anti-Catholic’ church.

independent.ie/world-news/americas/ive-been-frozen-out-by-the-church-for-warning-police-about-paedophile-34392990.html

*An Irish priest who called police in Florida after a colleague showed child porn images to a 14-year-old boy says he has been “frozen out” by the Catholic Church over his stance.

Fr John A Gallagher (48) is living in a friend’s home after locks at his parochial house were changed and he was placed on medical leave by his bishop in the Diocese of Palm Beach.
He claims he was told by a church official to put a paedophile priest on a plane rather than cooperate with police. A local police chief, so concerned at the Irish cleric’s treatment, wrote to church leaders to complain about how the whistle-blower is being treated.*
 
Sources and verification would be helpful. The Independent is notoriously Left-Wing and any comment of theirs on the Catholic Church should be treated as suspicious and not be accepted at face value.
 
Johann_du_Toit said:
Sources and verification would be helpful. The Independent is notoriously Left-Wing and any comment of theirs on the Catholic Church should be treated as suspicious and not be accepted at face value.
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I’m with you, more (and better) sources needed.
 
Check the Florida newspapers. I believe the article you posted has the whistleblower priest’s story whereas the US papers only have the arrest info and statements from the diocese regarding the arrested priest.
 
Suspicious lack of corroboration on this one…need more sources!
 
This is another report, from the NI press, where the priest is originally from. The Independent in the OP, is an Irish national newspaper.

belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/tyrone-priest-was-frozen-out-by-church-for-informing-on-colleague-over-child-porn-34392956.html

*Fr Gallagher is originally from Strabane. He served the Long Tower parish in Londonderry until 2000 before taking up a post in the US.

The astonishing case began in January last year when Father Jose Palimattom - who had been at the parish of the Holy Name of Jesus Christ Catholic Church in West Palm Beach for just four weeks - approached a 14-year-old boy after Mass.

He showed the teenager up to 40 images of naked boys.

Police believe he was in the first stages of grooming his victim.

However, the teenager told a friend who reported it to the church choirmaster, who immediately told Father Gallagher.

The priest says he was told that night by a church official in Florida: “We need to make him go away, put on a plane”.

In documents filed to the Vatican by a specialist Canon Lawyer on behalf of Fr Gallagher, the priest claimed he was instructed ‘do not keep written notes’ by the same church official. The legal document was sent to Cardinal Gerhard Muller, Prefect of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome.

After the incident involving the boy, Fr Gallagher disregarded the instruction to put Fr Palimattom on a plane to Bangalore.

Instead, he interviewed Fr Palimattom along with a retired police officer, who was one of his parishioners.

The parishioner, who took notes at the meeting, said the Indian priest not only admitted showing nude pictures of boys to the local teenager, but also admitted he had sexually assaulted young boys in India before arriving in the States.

Fr Gallagher said he immediately called the Sheriff’s Department of the West Palm Beach police, following rules set down by the American Church after hundreds of child sex abuse scandals.

In 2012, the then Pope Benedict XVI wrote him a personal note, thanking him for his work with the church.

But all that was a distant memory last year, he says, when he says he began to feel “the wrath” of the Church.
 
I hadn’t seen anything in the US, but this would not have been something in national news (which I don’t watch or read either).

After reading the Belfast Telegraph article, really there are only two relevant questions. First, was Fr Gallagher told to cover it up and second, is he being punished for it?

I don’t think we can say anything about the question of coverup one way or the other. It would seem to require very bad judgement for someone to suggest covering it up in recent years, but I guess it’s possible, even if it’s unlikely.

The second question is where it hinges. He makes a big deal about being “demoted” instead of promoted. In looking at a Palm Beach Diocese announcement from last spring, it shows that he was reassigned from Parochial Administrator to Parochial Vicar. My guess is he felt he deserved to be made Pastor and felt that being reassigned as a Parochial Vicar was retaliatory. In my own diocese I have seen Parochial Administrators that were not made the permanent Pastor, but it was not retaliatory. In some cases they were not a good fit as pastor for the parish. I often think of Parochial Administrator as a trial period. It is the Bishop’s decision to install him as Pastor and there could have been any number of reasons he chose not too. What is odd is that Father Gallagher is not listed on staff at either his old or new parish. This implies that he rejected the transfer and made himself homeless.

I suspect there is much missing from this story, but in many ways it reads as a case of sour grapes. Just reading it, I get the impression that he felt he should be rewarded and when he wasn’t he decided to be disobedient and not do as his lawful Bishop directed.
 
Usige said:
I hadn’t seen anything in the US, but this would not have been something in national news (which I don’t watch or read either).

After reading the Belfast Telegraph article, really there are only two relevant questions. First, was Fr Gallagher told to cover it up and second, is he being punished for it?

I don’t think we can say anything about the question of coverup one way or the other. It would seem to require very bad judgement for someone to suggest covering it up in recent years, but I guess it’s possible, even if it’s unlikely.

The second question is where it hinges. He makes a big deal about being “demoted” instead of promoted. In looking at a Palm Beach Diocese announcement from last spring, it shows that he was reassigned from Parochial Administrator to Parochial Vicar. My guess is he felt he deserved to be made Pastor and felt that being reassigned as a Parochial Vicar was retaliatory. In my own diocese I have seen Parochial Administrators that were not made the permanent Pastor, but it was not retaliatory. In some cases they were not a good fit as pastor for the parish. I often think of Parochial Administrator as a trial period. It is the Bishop’s decision to install him as Pastor and there could have been any number of reasons he chose not too. What is odd is that Father Gallagher is not listed on staff at either his old or new parish. This implies that he rejected the transfer and made himself homeless.

I suspect there is much missing from this story, but in many ways it reads as a case of sour grapes. Just reading it, I get the impression that he felt he should be rewarded and when he wasn’t he decided to be disobedient and not do as his lawful Bishop directed.
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👍 Yes, that sounds like a good summary.
 
:(Fr Gallagher is now being interviewed on Irish radio (a programme with ~ 10% listenership in Ireland), from FL and stated that the Indian priest was sentenced to 6 months in a US jail, as he had admitted to the crime. Once the Indian priest was released Fr Gallagher stated he was threatened him and that he got no support from the Church. Allegedly, the Indian priest is now in India, although Fr G did not know any real facts in relation to this.

In a nutshell, he said that the Church does not have the ‘moral compass’ to police itself and that this fact goes right up to the Vatican. He maintains he was victimised for reporting the Indian priest to the police.

He also was critical of Irish bishops, who he had written too for support, and ‘he’ said he got nowhere. The interviewer did state that was surprising as Bishop McDermott had repeatedly apologised for the abuse scandals, in Ireland, and that the regulations now in place, some have said go way beyond what is necessary.

Another US priest Fr Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer, also called in from the USA supporting Fr Gallagher and said that he needed to get an attorney. 🤷 pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/tom-doyle-vatican-is-the-worlds-last-absolute-monarchy/

This is the show ‘liveline’ and was recorded on 26/1/2016 - if anyone is interested - possibly starts around 30 minutes from the start.

rte.ie/radio/utils/radioplayer/rteradioweb.html#!rii=9%3A%2D2%3A53%3A26%2D01%2D2016%3A
 
Diocese of Palm Beach Releases Statement to Respond to Allegations Made by Father John Gallagher
In response to recent media coverage of allegations made against the diocese, the Diocese of Palm Beach is issuing the following statement:

“The Diocese of Palm Beach is very disappointed in the actions of Father John Gallagher who, through a complete misrepresentation of the case of Father Jose Palimattom, has brought unfair and slanderous allegations against the Church and the Diocese of Palm Beach. Father Gallagher has acted in a similar manner in other situations in the past and has been given every opportunity for correction, including the possibility of professional assistance.

Father Gallagher has publicly stated that he contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office the evening the incident occurred. The sheriff’s report indicates that Father Gallagher was not the one who made the report. He also publicly stated that he contacted the Diocese the evening the incident occurred. The Diocese of Palm Beach did not receive any communication from him until the next day. Upon learning of the allegation, the Diocese of Palm Beach immediately contacted authorities and learned that the incident had already been reported to them by the boy’s family, not Father Gallagher.

The Diocese of Palm Beach acted in a prompt, thorough, and cooperative manner in regard to Father Palimattom. Father Gallagher was not in any way demoted or removed because of the incident. He was not named as pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church for a number of reasons not related to the incident involving Father Palimattom. He was given a new assignment with all the reasons explained to him. Access to his residence was never denied him, nor was he refused the sacraments. At his request he was placed on medical leave and continues to receive salary, health insurance and benefits. At the present time he has not made known to the Diocese his whereabouts.

Father Gallagher is blatantly lying and is in need of professional assistance as well as our prayers and mercy.

The Diocese is very concerned regarding the manner in which the media is presenting this case, especially when the Diocese had released to it information that should have caused more than reasonable caution in presenting misleading information from Father Gallagher.”

The Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach encompasses the five counties of Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee. Comprised of 280,000 Catholics in 53 parishes and missions, the Diocese also serves the faithful community through its schools.
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diocesepb.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=news.details&ArticleId=8580
 
Thanks for the update ,_Abyssinia. I wondered if it what the Diocese outlined wasn’t the case. I will pray for Father Gallagher that he gets the help he needs.
 
Usige said:
Thanks for the update ,_Abyssinia. I wondered if it what the Diocese outlined wasn’t the case. I will pray for Father Gallagher that he gets the help he needs.
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yes. he needs prayer.
 
:confused:
Father Gallagher has acted in a similar manner in other situations in the past and has been given every opportunity for correction, including the possibility of professional assistance.
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This sounds odd. If he’s done this before, as the diocese itself claims, then why is he still on the job? My suspicions are more on the diocese in this case. When someone is being framed or railroaded they tend to go out and try to clear their name, what Fr. Gallagher seems to be trying to do.
 
Casilda said:
:confused:

This sounds odd. If he’s done this before, as the diocese itself claims, then why is he still on the job? My suspicions are more on the diocese in this case. When someone is being framed or railroaded they tend to go out and try to clear their name, what Fr. Gallagher seems to be trying to do.
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Here is an updated article from the secular palmbeachpost.

http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/news/evil-doer-or-inspiration-the-dilemma-of-father-joh/nqFzN/

The first article did not have some facts correct as usual and some catholics wanted some facts, so they had to update the article!. I happen to be in this diocese.
 
"(Bishop) Barbarito, whose diocese has issued two press releases this week discrediting Gallagher, took another extraordinary step Friday. He ordered priests to read a letter during Mass this weekend addressing Gallagher and his “unfounded allegations” that the diocese “tried to ‘cover up’ the inappropriate behavior of” Palimattom."
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“Gallagher’s assertions also sharply contrasted with the zero-tolerance policy adopted by the Palm Beach Diocese in 2002 after the resignation of the second of two bishops in four years over charges of improper sexual relationships with teenage boys.”
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Very good article, kudos to the reporter. So its seems this “infamous” priest does have supporters who question the diocese response. I don’t like that his work record of ‘bouncing’ around parishes to make him look bad. In the Roman Catholic diocese I live in, a priest is lucky to stay in a parish more than two years, five years max.

I like that we have Fr. Gallagher’s background. Old world Catholic priest in new world settings. I have attended parishes in S.FL. very close to Palm Beach. I admit they are very segregated, mostly on rich-poor basis. There is also a tension between races. I was raised in S.FL.

I still blame the diocese, if Fr. Gallagher was a problem, they should have dealt with him sooner. In my opinion, this case looks bad for them. Nevertheless, I will pray for the Bishop, Fr. Gallagher and the faithful in the pews in Palm Beach.
 
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