SPRINGFIELD (MA)
The Republican
Friday, March 10, 2006
By BILL ZAJAC
wzajac@repub.com
SPRINGFIELD - A priest who once served as the chaplain of the city's Fire Department was permanently removed from ministry in 2002 because of a credible allegation that he molested at least one minor, according to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.
The Rev. David M. Farland was removed from ministry after U.S. bishops approved a zero tolerance policy regarding clergy sexual abuse of minors, according to the diocese.
The diocese provided the information on Wednesday after an inquiry by The Republican earlier this week.
At the time the diocese implemented the zero tolerance policy, then-Bishop Thomas L. Dupre announced that at least five priests were permanently removed from public ministry.
Four of them had been previously identified publicly. Dupre said at least one other priest was removed from ministry, but he refused to identify the priest or priests saying he wanted to maintain a balance between a person's right to privacy and the public's right to know.