The Rev. Robert Murphy, Once Accused of Sexual Improprieties, Charged with Handling Sexabuse Complaints, by Justin Kendall, The Pitch, June 9, 2011

The Rev. Robert Murphy, Once Accused of Sexual Improprieties, Charged with Handling Sex-abuse Complaints

By Justin Kendall
The Pitch
June 9, 2011

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2011/06/rev_robert_murphy_handles_sex_abuse_claims.php

If the Rev. Murphy changes into gym shorts, it's time to bail.

Baffling story in the Star today: The man charged with investigating sex-abuse complaints against priests in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese was previously accused of sexual improprieties.

According to the Star, Brian Heydon, a licensed professional counselor, accused the Rev. Robert Murphy of sexually harassing him in 1984. Heydon accused Murphy, who is now the diocese's vicar general, of exposing himself and propositioning him during a meeting at St. Catherine's rectory.

Murphy has been criticized for the way he handled the recent case of the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, who is accused of possessing child pornography. Murphy is the one who briefed Bishop Robert Finn on a five-page memo prepared by a school principal concerned with Ratigan's behavior toward children at St. Patrick School.

In a 2007 letter to Finn, Heydon accused Murphy of hitting on him in the summer of 1984 when Heydon was 23 and thinking about joining the priesthood. Heydon wrote that he and Murphy met at a restaurant on the Plaza to discuss Heydon becoming a priest, but Heydon became drunk. They decided to meet at a later date, but Heydon claims that Murphy followed him home and a drunk Murphy told him that "the evening has been so nice that I just didn't want it to end." But Heydon sent Murphy packing.

There's more:

Heydon wrote that he met Murphy for dinner a few weeks later. After dinner, he said, Murphy suggested they go to the rectory of St. Catherine's parish, where he lived, to get Heydon some information on priestly formation.

At the rectory, Heydon said Murphy brought him one beer after another, which he could not finish. Then he wrote that Murphy commented on the heat and excused himself, returning in a pair of gym shorts and a tank top.

"Upon sitting down, Father Murphy proceeded to widely open his legs," Heydon wrote, exposing himself and propositioning him in vulgar terms.

Heydon bolted. The diocese dismissed Heydon's claims as "unfounded." Heydon told the Star that he's coming forward now to get Finn and Murphy to step down. I wouldn't hold my breath that it'll happen.