BishopAccountability.org
	Priest's Alleged Crimes Troubling By Conor Berry Berkshire Eagle January 31, 2011 http://www.berkshireeagle.com/ci_17246234 PITTSFIELD -- Officials of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany said they respect the due-process rights of a priest whose trial begins today in Berkshire Superior Court. But church officials said the clergyman's alleged crimes were "profoundly troubling" and "reprehensible." The Albany Diocese, in a statement issued late last week, condemned the nature of the charges and reiterated the Roman Catholic Church's zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse. Jury selection in the trial of the Rev. Gary Mercure is scheduled to begin this morning in Pittsfield. Mercure is under indictment in Massachusetts for allegedly sexually assaulting two boys during separate incidents in the Berkshires in the 1980s. The New York priest was permanently removed from ministry in August 2008 after an internal probe by the Albany Diocese found reasonable cause to believe an allegation of sexual abuse of a minor, according to Ken Goldfarb, a diocese spokesman. Mercure is accused of sexually assaulting one boy in 1986 in Great Barrington and Monterey and another boy in 1989 in New Ashford, according to police and prosecutors. The alleged victims, who are from New York and now in their 30s, were under age 15 at the time of the incidents, according to authorities. Mercure, who is free on personal recognizance, denied charges of forcible child rape and indecent assault and battery at his November 2008 arraignment in Pittsfield. "We are deeply concerned about the well being and healing of the individuals who were allegedly abused as minors. Sexual abuse of a minor is a sin and a crime," the Albany Diocese said in a statement issued Thursday. Sexual assault by a priest is a violation of a "sacred trust," the diocese said, adding that such abuse "must never be ignored, condoned or tolerated." The statement indicated the diocese is committed to providing "compassionate, meaningful assistance" to clergy abuse victims -- including the pair allegedly assaulted by Mercure in the Berkshires -- and has spent or committed more than $8.5 million to assist clergy abuse victims since 1950. Mercure was suspected of past sexual assaults in New York but was never criminally charged. When the allegations were made, New York authorities said the time period in which charges could be brought against Mercure had expired. Massachusetts, however, has a more liberal statute of limitations allowing for older crimes to be prosecuted. The diocese placed Mercure on administrative leave when officials learned about the alleged abuse in January 2008, Goldfarb said. By August of that year, a diocesan investigation concluded that Mercure should be permanently removed from ministry. Mercure never served as a priest in the Berkshires. His New York parishes included Sacred Heart in Troy, St. Mary's in Glens Falls, Our Lady of the Annunciation in Queensbury, St. Teresa of Avila in Albany, Our Lady of the Assumption in Latham, and St. Mary's Parish in Clinton Heights. To reach Conor Berry: cberry@berkshireeagle.com; (413) 496-6249.
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