Police Drop Probe into Complaint against C.b. Priest
By Eva Hoare
A high-ranking member of the Roman Catholic Church in Nova Scotia accused of misconduct is no longer under investigation by police. Cape Breton Regional Police issued a news release Friday saying they would not pursue any further investigations about an unnamed employee of Talbot House, an addiction treatment facility in Frenchvale. “Based on the information (from) our investigation, there was no grounds to pursue criminal charges,” police department spokeswoman Desiree Vassallo said in an interview. Vassallo would not reveal the subject of the investigation. But sources, and later the Antigonish diocese, said it was Rev. Paul Abbass, executive director of Talbot House for 17 years. A complaint had been made to the provincial Community Services Department, which oversees Talbot House. Talbot House treats men in their 20s and 30s who have a history of multiple addictions. Abbass was relieved of his duties in early February, shortly after news of the complaint broke. He also stepped down as parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the Talbot House grounds and was relieved of his duties as episcopal vicar and director of pastoral services for the Diocese of Antigonish. Vassallo would not reveal why detectives, who did not take their review to a full investigation, decided not to continue. She would only say there wasn’t enough information to go ahead at this time unless new details came forward. She would not reveal what sort of information was relayed to police to prompt a review of the employee. “There never really officially was an investigation. Information came to our intention and we were looking at it further to see if there was anything to pursue. There was nothing there.” Vassallo also would not say whether detectives made the decision to not pursue a probe on their own or if they sought and received advice from Crown attorneys. In criminal investigations, Crown attorneys often make the decision whether to lay charges against an individual. “We’ve done our job in terms of exploring the information that was provided to us,” Vassallo said. The review started in mid-February after police received a complaint, she said. Abbass was not available for comment Friday. It wasn’t clear whether he would be reinstated to his previous posts. Rev. Donald MacGillivray, spokesman for the Diocese of Antigonish, said Friday that Abbass can return to work any time. “He’s welcome back to his parish ... whenever he wants to come back,” MacGillivray said in an interview from Sydney, where he’s a priest at St. Anthony Daniel Church. MacGillivray said he hasn’t spoken to Abbass but has talked to someone in contact with him. “He’s relieved and happy to have this behind him.” Abbass was informed by police that no charges would be forthcoming, said MacGillivray. The Diocese of Antigonish said in February it would “fully co-operate” with Community Services and the Talbot House board of directors in their reviews of the complaint. Some residents of Talbot House, which has since closed, contacted The Chronicle Herald in February to stand by Abbass. At the time the allegations were made, the Community Services Department confirmed it was conducting an organizational review of the addiction centre. MacGillivray said it’s his understanding that the department has a report on the audit conducted on Talbot House. It isn’t clear whether the facility will reopen. Contact: ehoare@herald.ca
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