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	Visiting Sjf Priest Accused of Harassing Nun By Ashley Ratcliff Rancho Palos Verdes Peninsula News May 27, 2010 http://www.pvnews.com/articles/2010/05/27/local_news/news1.txt RPV — A clergyman on sabbatical at St. John Fisher Catholic Church in Rancho Palos Verdes has been sent back to India, as his bishop investigates accusations of inappropriate conduct. Rev. John Peter, from India, allegedly sexually harassed a Catholic sister in England, between October and December 2009, as he was awaiting his assignment in the United States. Peter has been at the RPV parish since January. The situation came to light last month, when the nun, who allegedly received inappropriate e-mails from Peter, called Monsignor David Sork, pastor at St. John Fisher, asking if the accused presently was at the church. On April 27, the sister e-mailed associate pastor Monsignor Steven Zak and copied several other staff members, detailing the allegations. The Archdiocese of Los Angeles received the e-mail the following day. As the accusations heightened, Peter left St. John Fisher on May 5 and was sent back to India to complete an investigation into the situation. “They’re serious enough allegations that I can’t have somebody who’s under that type of a cloud serving as a priest here … Because the allegations took place [outside] of this country, we can’t do anything in this country about it,” Sork said. Upon having a discussion with the Pastoral Council, an announcement was made during Sunday service that the priest was recalled to India. Sork sent out a letter dated May 10 to all 3,000 parishioners. “All people are presumed innocent until proven guilty, so we must not prejudge him,” Sork wrote in the correspondence. “When I talked with Father John about this matter, he denied all these allegations.” Prior to Peter coming to the RPV church, his bishop sent a statement saying that the clergyman had no conduct problems prior to leaving. According to Sork, Peter was “well received” by the congregation. Calls to the Archdiocese of L.A. for comment were not returned by press time. At least one person is discontented with that the way the head of St. John Fisher handled the situation. Days before Sork was slated to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his ordination, an anonymous community member called for his resignation in a May 20 e-mail. “Obviously, [the e-mail sender] doesn’t know what he’s talking about … He’s putting his own spin on the e-mail, because the only information he has is based on the letter I sent out to everybody [on May 11],” Sork said. The e-mail sender suggested that Sork erred by not contacting the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department or Child Protective Services because of the supposed threat Peter caused. The reaction, however, would have been different had the victim been a child, Sork said. “The allegation doesn’t even involve any crime,” Sork said. “It involves sexual harassment and it was something that took place in England before this priest even came here. I didn’t know anything about it.” While the letter states that the majority of the congregation wants Sork to be dismissed, neither the News nor St. John Fisher officials have been contacted by anyone sharing that sentiment. Last Saturday evening’s anniversary celebration was well attended, said Gayle Plecha, the church’s parish administrator. “There was no sign of any dissention at all this weekend … It was a packed church — standing room only … Everything was very cordial, happy and friendly,” she said. According to Sork, who has been at St. John Fisher since 1999, this is not the first time the person behind the e-mail has sent inflammatory communications. This individual, who Sork assumes is a parishioner, previously has opposed the church’s expansion project, which the RPV City Council approved in December 2008. The News attempted to contact the e-mailer for further comment. “I think [Sork] made the best decisions he could make with the information that he had at every step of the way … I really do feel confident that he acted in the best interest of parishioners,” Plecha said. Contact: aratcliff@pvnews.com
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