Tough Questions about Alleged Assault Involving Buffalo Priest

WGRZ
January 18, 2012

http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/151464/37/Tough-Questions-About-Alleged-Assault-Involving-Buffalo-Priest

St. Anthony of Padua, Buffalo

Father Secondo Casarotto, a priest at St Anthony of Padua in Downtown Buffalo, was recently removed from the parish. Earlier this week, the Diocese of Buffalo would only say the removal was due to a personnel matter.

Now, the attorney for a woman who accused the priest of sexual assaulting her - is speaking out.

Channel 2 News obtained a copy of the police report filed in June. In it the alleged victim, who's in her 30s, says the sexual assault took place in the bedroom of the St. Anthony of Padua parish rectory back in August of 2009.

The diocese says the first they heard about all this was when the alleged victim's attorney sent them a letter at the end of last year. That was several months after Father Secondo was investigated by police.

REPORTER: Don't you think Father Secondo should've come forward and said I'm being questioned by police?

"We think so. That would be an expectation," said Kevin Keenan, spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Keenan says it was expected that Father Secondo would be open and honest, but last weekend parishioners had a statement read to them in masses only saying Father Secondo is on administrative leave and being moved to Staten Island.

Judith Burns-Quinn is a local victims' advocate for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), and she says all church-goers should be outraged with how the Buffalo Diocese handled this case.

"Priests just disappear in this diocese. He's been there 25 years, I think the parishioners deserve to know what happened."

REPORTER: Why weren't parishioners made aware that they can go to victims' assistance coordinators if they need to?

Keenan answered, "It's very early in the investigation. If there is no basis for an accusation and you've rushed to tell people that this person has been accused you've besmerched that person's reputation forever."

The attorney for the alleged victim, Adam Horowitz, says she came forward because she was angered by the secrecy the diocese was engaging in and she hopes to help others.

"If there are other victims. Eyewitnesses I would ask that they do contact law enforcement and standup for themselves because justice can still be served," said Horowitz.