By Scott Goldberg
KARE
March 26, 2010
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=846949&catid=14
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| Francis Markey |
GRANITE FALLS, Minn. -- The scandal that started in Ireland and spread across the globe has come knocking on the door of a Catholic church in this small city 120 miles west of Minneapolis.
"I was very shocked and disgusted," said the Rev. Jim Devorak, the pastor at St. Andrew, who learned about the connection the same way as most in his parish.
Last week, CNN reported 82-year-old priest Francis Markey, who is in an Indiana jail awaiting extradition to Ireland on charges he raped a 15-year-old boy 40 years ago, once spent three months as the interim pastor at St. Andrew.
The alleged rape happened well before Markey turned up in Granite Falls in the early 1980s.
"He was a great homilist, good sense of humor, an outgoing and lively person," said Devorak, who has been at St. Andrew for the last 10 years and said he never met Markey.
Devorak said he knows about Markey from conversation with several members of his church who remember the Irish pastor, including a man who told CNN that Markey once kissed him.
"He gave me a hug, and as he did so, he stuck his tongue down my throat," the man said in the CNN report. The cable network disguised the man's identity.
Devorak said no one else has come forward with allegations of abuse, and he doesn't know if other members of his congregation might tell similar stories.
"I hope there aren't (more people)," he said. "On the other hand, if there are, I hope they can come forward and be helped."
The Diocese of New Ulm said Markey was accepted to a pastoral education program - an ongoing education progam for priests - in Willmar, in 1981. While he was there, the priest at St. Andrew died and Markey went to Granite Falls to fill in until the church got a new pastor.
Jim Devorak, the current pastor, said he's not sure where Markey went after those three months at St. Andrew. Nor is he willing to speculate about how Markey ended up in Minnesota. While some suggested the Catholic Church may have tried to cover up the Ireland incident by sending Markey to America, Devorak said it's possible Markey simply came to Willmar for the educational opportunity.
This week Devorak sent a letter to the 275 families at his church promising to find help if anyone needs it.
"I think, if it's dealt with open and honestly, I think we can get through," he said.
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