Bishop Says He Reassigned Abusive Priest
Cleveland, Ohio --
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla testified Tuesday in a defamation case against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland that he twice reassigned a priest who allegedly sexually assaulted a minor.
Pilla said the decision was made after the priest, the Rev. James Mulica, had been treated for an alcohol problem at a treatment center for Catholic clergy.
"I was told that the mental experts at Guest House had indicated that Father Mulica could be reassigned to ministry without any restrictions," Pilla said.
The bishop said he did not inform either parish about the priest's past. He added that he did not know if subordinates might have.
The statements came in a 4 1/2-hour deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed against the diocese by alleged victim Christopher Kodger and his parents. They accuse the diocese of falsely stating in 2002 that they supported Mulica's reassignment. The deposition was released by the court.
Mulica allegedly assaulted Kodger in 1981, according to court documents. Age 14 at the time, Kodger told his parents, who called Pilla's home that night.
No charges were filed against Mulica, and the family agreed to a settlement of $45,000 on the condition that Mulica not be permitted to work near children, said Kodger's attorney William Crosby.
The diocese sent Mulica to be treated for two years at the treatment center. He then returned to the diocese and was reassigned to a parish with a school.
Read the article at Findlaw.com Dated July 19, 2005
Search the web for this article
Bishop Anthony M. Pilla testified Tuesday in a defamation case against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland that he twice reassigned a priest who allegedly sexually assaulted a minor.
Pilla said the decision was made after the priest, the Rev. James Mulica, had been treated for an alcohol problem at a treatment center for Catholic clergy.
"I was told that the mental experts at Guest House had indicated that Father Mulica could be reassigned to ministry without any restrictions," Pilla said.
The bishop said he did not inform either parish about the priest's past. He added that he did not know if subordinates might have.
The statements came in a 4 1/2-hour deposition in a defamation lawsuit filed against the diocese by alleged victim Christopher Kodger and his parents. They accuse the diocese of falsely stating in 2002 that they supported Mulica's reassignment. The deposition was released by the court.
Mulica allegedly assaulted Kodger in 1981, according to court documents. Age 14 at the time, Kodger told his parents, who called Pilla's home that night.
No charges were filed against Mulica, and the family agreed to a settlement of $45,000 on the condition that Mulica not be permitted to work near children, said Kodger's attorney William Crosby.
The diocese sent Mulica to be treated for two years at the treatment center. He then returned to the diocese and was reassigned to a parish with a school.
Read the article at Findlaw.com Dated July 19, 2005
posted by God Almighty Himself at 6:19 PM
Translate this post:
Spanish | Italian | French | German | Portuguese | Chinese | Korean | Japanese
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home