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	Ex-priest Faces Child-abuse Charges By Jorge Barrera Montreal Gazette October 22, 2009 http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/priest+faces+child+abuse+charges/2130931/story.html Worked at mission. Canada seeks extradition of man in case involving sex with Haitian children A former Ontario Catholic priest wanted for allegedly sexually abusing Haitian children was arrested in the Dominican Republic yesterday on a Canadian warrant, according to authorities in the country's capital, Santo Domingo. Joao Jose Correira Duarte, a former Windsor, Ont., priest, is facing extradition to Canada, where he is expected to face 12 charges in the sexual abuse of Haitian youths, age 12 to 17, the Immigration Office and National Drug Control Directorate said in a statement provided to Canwest News Service. Duarte was arrested yesterday in Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, and taken to prison to await the trip back to Canada, the statement said. He had been living in Haiti, where he worked as an administrator in a mission, the statement said. Duarte is accused of engaging in sexual relations with a group of young Haitians in Port-au-Prince hotels in exchange for favours, including buying clothes for them and paying for the lodging of some of his victims' families, the statement said. It took Dominican authorities four weeks to apprehend Duarte after receiving on Sept. 28, in a diplomatic note from Canadian authorities, the arrest warrant, which was dated Aug. 7. The warrant was signed by a Windsor justice of the peace, said the statement, adding that Duarte was wanted by the RCMP. The RCMP said they were playing a liaison role with Dominican authorities and the Ontario Provincial Police, which is handling the case. The OPP could not immediately confirm its involvement. A spokesperson for Canadian Foreign Affairs confirmed that a Canadian was arrested in Puerto Plata yesterday. "Consular officers at the Canadian mission in Santo Domingo are providing consular assistance and working with local authorities to gather more information," Dana Cryderman said. Duarte worked in several congregations throughout the Windsor area, where he initiated an aid program for Haiti called Hearts Together for Haiti. The program focused on the small community of Labadie, which sits on the north coast of Haiti. He moved there in 2003. Duarte, however, left the priesthood after allegations of impropriety surfaced in Labadie, officials from Hearts Together for Haiti said.
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