By Kevin Vann
My Fox
September 20, 2007
http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=4416883&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1
Statement by Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth Bishop Kevin Vann
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The pastor of the Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church in Arlington has been removed from office Thursday by Bishop Kevin Vann after an investigation of allegations of past sexual harassment of two women while the priest served a parish in another state.
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Bishop Vann informed the superiors of the Congregation of Mother Coredemptrix that he was as of today removing Father Bartholomew Tran from his office as pastor of Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church in Arlington as well as removing his priestly faculties.
Father Tran is a member of the Congregation of Mother Coredemptrix, which ministers at the request of the Bishop of Fort Worth to the Arlington Vietnamese Martyrs Catholic Church.
Bishop Vann said, "My pastoral care and concern for the Vietnamese people here in our Diocese was preceded by the care of my late predecessor, the Most Reverend Joseph Delaney, who saw the need to establish parishes for the Catholics from Vietnam present in the Diocese.
Because of this pastoral care, the present situation and recent developments are a cause of great concern to me and the wider Catholic community.
The results of our internal investigation are not convicting, yet they are not exonerating either.
Since religious order priests serve at the discretion of the Diocesan Bishop, and given all of the difficulties, I will not be accepting Father Bartholomew Tran back as Pastor of Vietnamese Martyrs.
A pastor is needed who can bring all parishioners together, and who has no cloud of past allegations about him, allegations which involve current residents of our Diocese. As of this date, I hereby remove Father Bartholomew's faculties."
The Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth invites anyone who wishes to report sexual misconduct by anyone who serves the church to contact Victim's Abuse Coordinator Judy Locke at (817) 560-2452, Ext. 201 or Father Olson at 817 560-2452, Ext. 107.
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