Downtown Protest Held over Alleged Predator Priest

KDKA
January 24, 2013

http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2013/01/23/downtown-protest-to-be-held-over-alleged-predator-priest/

[with video]

A priest who once served in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is accused in the alleged molestation of a boy in New Hampshire in the 1980s.

Fr. Michael Ledoux was a principal at Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport and pastor of St. Pamphilus in Beechview.

Fr. Ledoux resigned from his post at a university outside Philadelphia after the allegations surfaced.

A group that advocates for victims of pedophile priests, SNAP, is worried about what may have happened while Fr. Ledoux worked in Pittsburgh.

“He worked in several places here in Pittsburgh,” said Judi Jones, of SNAP. “We worry that he could have harmed kids here.”

Fr. Ledoux was pastor of St. Pamphilus from 1993 to 1995, and principal of Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport from 1995 to 2000.

“Child predators rarely ever sexual abuse one. It’s very rare,” said Jones. “Sometimes they have many. It’s very possible that he has harmed kids here.”

SNAP claims the Pittsburgh Diocese didn’t reached out to potential victims.

The Diocese denies it.

“Indeed, a letter went out yesterday to all the alumni of Serra Catholic indicating that Fr. Ledoux had had this allegation against him,” said Fr. Ron Lengwin, of the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese.

Also, a bulletin in church announcements this weekend urges anyone harmed to call authorities.

So far, there are no allegations that Fr. Ledoux abused anyone in the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese. But if there’s anyone out there who believes or suspects there’s a victim. They’re urged to come forward.