Archdiocese Plans to Move Priest Who Molested Children Flood of Calls, Comments Disrupting Church's Ability to Serve, Says Official By Carol M. Ostrom Seattle Times May 25, 1988 The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle plans to remove a priest with a history of child molesting from a local parish where news of the priest's past has caused an uproar. Sister Carol Ann McMullen, associate archdiocesan clergy personnel director, said the archdiocese believes it would be safe for the priest and the people in the parish for him to continue living there. But concerns of worried parishioners and others, she said, have overwhelmed the busy parish's ability to carry out its day-to-day activities. Parishioners, told of "Father Doe's" problem after services last weekend, have expressed a variety of emotions, including anger and outrage at the archdiocese for keeping the priest's past a secret. However, some members of the church and its pastor, who has been supervising the priest, said they believe keeping the man in the parish would be the best decision for him and for the community. The pastor of the church, a large, active parish near Seattle, has been unwaveringly supportive of the priest, who is undergoing treatment. Although the priest has a long history of pedophilia, the pastor said he believes the priest is struggling to overcome his problem and has not engaged in sexual contact with children in the 11 months since he was assigned to this parish. Two months ago the priest was removed from limited pastoral duties; however, he still lives in the parish rectory. And though the archdiocese plans to provide him with housing away from a parish, McMullen said the decision is not final. "Given the profile of his illness and the kinds of supervision by people like us," said McMullen, "it is indeed a very good place for him to live where he can get both the personal support and supervision he needs." But she said yesterday the archdiocese was worried about the effect of the controversy on the pastor, who has been inundated in recent days by calls from worried parishioners and others. "Remember, (the pastor) has other things to do ... He has one of our largest parishes. He's got some woman whose husband just left her, some kid who ran away, people lining up to talk to him," McMullen said. Other parishes and hospitals where' 'Father Doe" also worked received calls from parishioners. Those parishes and hospitals include: St. Patrick in Tacoma; St. James in Vancouver; Holy Rosary in West Seattle; St. Mary in Monroe; St. Michael in Olympia; St. Catherine in Seattle; St. Anthony in Renton; St. Joseph Hospital in Tacoma; St. John Bosco in Tacoma; Providence Hospital in Everett; Queen of Angels church in Port Angeles, and his current parish. Members of the current parish will air their concerns at a parish meeting tomorrow evening. The pastor, officials from the archdiocese and counselors from Northwest Treatment Associates (NTA), where the priest is receiving therapy, also will attend. Tim Smith, "Father Doe's" therapist at NTA, said he expects that the knowledge of the priest's problem likely will bring forth stories from parishioners who have been abused by others. "I'm worried about safety issues with the people, how they're going to deal with this information," Smith said. "It may trigger victims' flashbacks; people have to talk about it." Many more people than was previously thought have been abused as children, Smith said. "The sad reality is that there are child molesters in every parish - but they're not priests," he said. "I know plenty of child molesters who aren't priests who can 'groom' (psychologically set up) and molest a child in a matter of minutes." McMullen said her office had come to the conclusion that it is very difficult to keep a priest with this sort of history in a parish. For one thing, he sends confusing messages to parishioners when he refuses invitations from families with children, she said. In addition, she said, it is time-consuming for her office to monitor the situation. "We had to become practically parole officers." Still, she said, "We're glad we tried."

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