BishopAccountability.org
	Update: St. Raymond Pastor on Leave after "Boundary Violation" with Teen, Archdiocese Says By Sandy Brundage The Almanac June 1, 2011 http://www.almanacnews.com/news/show_story.php?id=9006 Father William Myers, pastor of St. Raymond Catholic Church in Menlo Park, has been on leave since May 27 following an incident with a 17-year-old boy, according to the Archdiocese of San Francisco. Describing the incident as a "boundary violation" that involved no physical contact, the archdiocese said San Francisco police determined there was no criminal activity and that the archdiocese's independent review board will also evaluate the situation. The police were called at the request of the youth's father after he became upset during a trip with his son and Father Myers to a Ross store in San Francisco on April 19, according to the archdiocese's spokesman. However, more than a month passed before the church found out about the incident. Director of Communications George Wesolek said the archdiocese was notified by a source on May 26. "We don't know," he said when asked why the delay. "If we had been notified on April 19, we would've taken action on April 20." Since the police found no criminal activity, Mr. Wesolek said, no policy required notification, but the delay was not in the church's best interest. "It's one of those things, we have learned that we cannot step back and if there is something like this that's gone to police, we have to take action immediately and put our process into play," he said. Mr. Wesolek said that to his knowledge, no other allegations have been made against the priest in the past. Father Myers is seeking treatment for a sexual addiction to adults, according to the archdiocese. He joined the parish in 2007, transferring from St. Brendan Church in San Francisco. The archdiocese asked that any allegations of sexual abuse involving Father Myers be reported to the police and to its victim assistance coordinator, Barbara Elordi, at 415.614.5506 or elordi@sfarchdiocese.org Bishop William Justice will attend a meeting at St. Raymond tonight (June 1) at 7 p.m. to address concerns. Staff at St. Raymond directed questions to the archdiocese
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.