Montreal Deacon Facing Child Porn Charges Worked with Kids before Arrest: Parishioner

Global Montreal
December 31, 2012

http://www.globalmontreal.com/montreal+deacon+facing+child+porn+charges+worked+with+kids+before+arrest+parishioner/6442780133/story.html

MONTREAL — A church member says a West Island deacon facing child-pornography charges worked directly with children at St. Edmund of Canterbury Church in Beaconsfield.

Pierre Drolet, whose three children attended catechism classes and volunteered at the popular Catholic parish, said that as a deacon, William Kokesch was involved in a range of children's activities, including organizing bowling parties and other events for altar servers, choir members and children enrolled in liturgy programs.

Drolet made the comment in response to a statement by church warden Peter Geukers, who said Thursday that Kokesch did not work directly with children, except during mass.

"That's not true," said Drolet, an active church volunteer for about 10 years, until three years ago.

"He's a deacon, and the deacons work with kids," he said.

Drolet said it is important for the church to be fully transparent in dealing with the situation and that there be an outside investigation.

"My concern is for there to be an outsider's view of the situation. I think that's important and essentially the police have that outsider's view," he said.

An outside probe is needed, he said, because the church can't necessarily be counted on to be fully transparent.

Drolet said that at the Christmas mass, he spoke to a priest assigned temporarily to the parish but did not ask him whether the church is holding its own investigation.

"I didn't ask any questions because I knew that I would not get an answer," Drolet said.

"The history of the Catholic Church has not been particularly glorious in terms of disciplining its own, has it?"

Despite his criticisms, Drolet said his faith is unshaken.

"It doesn't affect my faith one iota," he said.

On Thursday, Kokesch, 65, was released on $10,000 bail with several restrictions imposed by a judge.

He was arrested Dec. 21 after police seized more than 2,000 computer files and messages on Internet chat sites while executing search warrants at his home and the church.

"It's very sad. I personally would pray for him if he did a crime," Geukers said. He said Kokesch's duties did not include working directly with children, except during mass.

Kokesch, a former communications director for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, was also a journalist who worked at several media organizations in the 1970s and '80s, including The Gazette.

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