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	Programs in Doubt after Priest Resigns B.C. Church Suspends Projects for the Homeless and Hungry Run by Cleric Who Admitted Sexual Misconduct By Shannon Moneo Globe and Mail September 21, 2007 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070921.wbchomeless21/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20070921.wbchomeless21 Victoria — The hungry, the homeless and abused immigrant women are bearing the effects of the resignation of a charismatic Anglican priest who admitted to sexual contact with an adult female parishioner. Rev. Antonio Osorio resigned Sept. 12 from St. Saviour's Anglican Church in Victoria. Two days later, he sat down with his superiors to give a detailed account of "substantial sexual misconduct," Ven. Bruce Bryant-Scott said. "He was very upset. He was contrite," said Archdeacon Bryant-Scott, executive officer for the Victoria-based Diocese of B.C. Mr. Osorio could not be reached for comment. The 39-year-old Colombian émigré is married and has a young daughter. Considered the lifeblood of vital church programs, Mr. Osorio had worked at St. Saviour's since 1998. This week, signs on doors and bulletin boards leading into the small, white 116-year-old St. Saviour's, not far from downtown Victoria, read that Spanish lessons are cancelled and that the Rainbow Kitchen is closed until further notice. Last Friday, the kitchen, which was open four days a week for lunch, served what might be its last hot meal to 75 seniors, the mentally ill, the homeless, those on assistance and church volunteers. Rainbow Kitchen's re-emergence is up in the air, said Rev. David Opheim, an Anglican priest for the past 25 years, who will serve St. Saviour's until December. Church volunteers and experienced parish leaders, many of them long-time, loyal supporters of Mr. Osorio, couldn't believe that the man who had ministered to them for almost a decade would be accused of, and then admit to, sexual misconduct. "He was a very much beloved and respected man of the community," parishioner John Meredith said. "He advocated for the poor." Some parishioners have stepped back or left St. Saviour's, leaving the 200-member parish with fewer volunteers to deliver programs. "The congregation is very upset. Some are in denial," Archdeacon Bryant-Scott said. There is concern that a backlash against the complainant could occur, he said. Mr. Osorio's sudden exit is reverberating beyond St. Saviour's. "Any time a place shuts down, it affects all of us," said Rev. Al Tysick, the executive director of Our Place. "It affects all of the city too." Each day, Our Place, a downtown drop-in centre about two kilometres from St. Saviour's, serves 300 lunches and 300 suppers, primarily to the homeless and addicts. With the elimination of Rainbow Kitchen's 75 lunches, four times a week, Our Place may have to increase its noon output by about 25 per cent. And the absence of another St. Saviour's program will soon be acutely felt. The church's night shelter, where up to 35 homeless people were housed four nights each week from November to March, is unlikely to open this year. "We don't have the organizational skills at the moment to pull this off," Mr. Opheim said. St. Saviour's offered other programs, such as a partnership with the Salvation Army for a youth detox centre, help for refugee families and a robust social justice committee. One of Mr. Osorio's most ambitious projects was to open Welcome House, a shelter for immigrant women and their children who were leaving abusive Canadian husbands. Earlier this year, he estimated that there are more than 100 women alone in the Victoria area who would use such a shelter. He often assisted the women, many of whom spoke Spanish. "Their passports are taken by their spouse. There is physical and psychological abuse. The women become sexual objects," Mr. Osorio said in a recent interview. The Anglican Diocese of B.C. called a press conference for today to discuss Welcome House Refugee Society, St. Saviour's and the cancelled programs. Mr. Osorio will not return to St. Saviour's, Archdeacon Bryant-Scott said. It is possible that after many years, Mr. Osorio can be reinstated as a priest following a regime of psychotherapy and legal counselling. The church is pretty generous in giving people trust, but in a case such as Mr. Osorio's, it's "pretty loath to give it back to them," the Archdeacon said. The Anglican diocese has forwarded the matter to the Victoria police, Sergeant Grant Hamilton said. Mr. Tysick, a United Church minister, is counselling Mr. Osorio. "He's done so much. It's such a tragic happening," Mr. Tysick said.
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