WORCESTER (MA)
Boston.com
November 1, 2005
WORCESTER, Mass. --A Roman Catholic priest arrested in Las Vegas last year for allegedly performing a lewd act on another man inside an adult bookstore was removed from his post as pastor of a Worcester parish.
Bishop Robert McManus told parishioners on Sunday that the Rev. James Aquino was being relieved of his duties at Our Lady of Loreto parish, where he'd been pastor since 1986.
McManus, who called the situation "a grave scandal," had known of Aquino's October 2004 arrest for several months. But the bishop had allowed him to remain in his post because Aquino denied the charges and McManus believed he might have been arrested due to a misunderstanding.
Just last week, Aquino, 66, took to the pulpit to publicly deny the charges, telling parishioners he had just entered the Adult Super Store, which sells sexually explicit books, magazines and videos, when police swooped in.
"I want you to know that I never, never engaged in any sexual activity of any kind," he said.
But Aquino's arrest report and court records, which contradicted his claims of innocence, were recently posted on the Web site of a lay advocacy group, Worcester Voice of the Faithful, The Telegram & Gazette reported.