PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Times Leader
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA - The Catholic Church defrocked a priest convicted of child-pornography charges and one accused of misconduct involving a minor, and barred a retired pastor who acknowledged fondling a teenage girl from the ministry, a newspaper reported.
One defrocked priest, the Rev. Edward M. DePaoli, 60, had been convicted of child-pornography charges in 1986 but allowed to remain in limited ministry until 2002, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Friday.
The other, the Rev. Martin J. Satchell, 39, accused of misconduct with a minor, had been dismissed from the ministry in 1993.
Msgr. Philip J. Dowling, 75, who led St. Patrick Church near Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square until his retirement last year, had been suspended in March, reported the Inquirer, which said none of the three priests could be reached for comment Thursday.
Dowling had been suspended after acknowledging he had fondled a teenager. Questioned by a reporter about allegations of sexual abuse by two sisters, he had told the Inquirer, "It crossed the bound, and I'm very sorry for the inappropriate acts and touches."
Posted by kshaw at June 3, 2005 07:15 AM