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	Suspended Harlem Pastor Formally Resigns By Mary Ann Poust Catholic New York September 27, 2010 http://www.cny.org/archive/ld/ld16092310.htm Msgr. Wallace A. Harris, the former pastor of St. Charles Borromeo parish in Harlem who was once the most prominent black priest in the archdiocese, has formally resigned his post—two years after he was suspended from ministry on charges of abusing high school students that he taught in the 1980s. Archbishop Dolan announced the resignation Sept. 2 in a letter to parishioners, many of whom had asked the outcome of the case and whether the monsignor would return. "The answer is, no," the archbishop wrote. "He will never again publicly function or present himself as a priest." The archbishop assured parishioners that he had extensively reviewed the procedures that were followed in the case against Msgr. Harris, 63, and said he has had numerous conversations with the monsignor, all of which had convinced him "that (Msgr. Harris) has been treated fairly." The letter was read to parishioners at Masses on Labor Day weekend by Father Philip Amankwah-Danquah, the parish administrator. Father Amankwah-Danquah, a Ghanian priest who came to New York for graduate studies, has agreed to put his own plans on hold and to stay on in the parish until a new pastor is appointed, the archbishop's letter said. Msgr. Harris' case has been referred to the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Joseph Zwilling, archdiocesan spokesman. The Vatican office will consider whether the monsignor will be permanently removed from the priesthood, a procedure known in the Church as "laicized," Zwilling said. An Aug. 28 letter to the parish from Msgr. Harris accompanied the archbishop's letter. He wrote, "These recent years have brought a great sorrow on you, me and so many others. I am truly sorry for all of this pain and suffering." He said he is battling a number of ailments, including prostate cancer and diabetes, but believes that "whatever comes will have God's mark on it." Msgr. Harris, who also served as regional vicar of Central Harlem and helped arrange Pope Benedict XVI's visit to New York in April 2008, had been pastor of St. Charles Borromeo from 1989 until his suspension in July 2008. At that time, a former New York City police officer told archdiocesan officials that Msgr. Harris had molested him while he was a student at Cathedral Preparatory High School in Manhattan in the 1980s. Two other men came forward soon afterward with similar reports. The archdiocese reported the allegations to the Manhattan district attorney's office, which opened an investigation. The investigation resulted in seven more men saying they had been molested by Msgr. Harris. The district attorney said the priest could not be prosecuted because the statute of limitations had run out.
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