BOSTON (MA)
Boston Globe
By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff | May 21, 2006
Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley last week decided to privately reprimand Caritas Christi Health Care System's president, Dr. Robert M. Haddad, for multiple instances of kissing and other physical touching involving four women employees, despite an investigation by senior Caritas Christi officials that concluded that Haddad should be fired, according to internal documents and e-mails obtained by the Globe.
In response to questions from the Globe, the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston late yesterday acknowledged taking the internal action. It said the cardinal decided on a ''stern reprimand" against Haddad after hiring outside counsel to investigate the allegations and after the governing board of the church's sprawling healthcare system voted unanimously, with one abstention, to endorse the sanction.
The statement described Haddad's actions as ''hugging or kissing of hospital employees . . . in public and private," and said Haddad had personally promised O'Malley he would never offend in that way again and would enroll in a sexual harassment sensitivity training program. A repeat occurrence or any retaliatory action will result in his dismissal, the statement said.
Those were the first such allegations received by the church about Haddad, the statement added.