Media Release

Road to Recovery
October 14, 2014

http://www.road-to-recovery.org/

Fr. Joseph Maurizio of Central City, PA, was indicted on October 7, 2014 on charges of having sex with a minor Honduran boy

Fr. Joseph Maurizio had already been accused of sexually abusing young boys in an orphanage in Honduras under the guise of conducting “mission work.”

Is it probable that Fr. Joseph Maurizio had sexually abused children in the United States as well?

Diocesan priests do not take the vow of poverty

What: A press conference alerting the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, the greater Altoona-Johnstown citizenry, and the general public addressing to the issue of whether

Fr. Joseph Maurizio has sexually abused children in the United States as well as foreign countries such as Honduras.

Where: On the public sidewalk in front of the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, PA, 927 S. Logan Boulevard, Hollidaysburg, PA, 16648 – 814-695-5579.

When: Wednesday, October 15, 2014 at 11:00 AM

Who: Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., co-founder and President of Road to Recovery, Inc., a non-profit charity that assists victims of sexual abuse and their families; and at least one other survivor of clergy sexual abuse.

Why: The research is clear: pedophiles do not stop at only one or two or three victims. They tend to have dozens, if not hundreds, of victims. Fr. Joseph Maurizio was stationed in Central City, PA at Our Lady Queen of Angels Parish for a number of years. Many innocent children in the parish religious education and sacramental programs came across Fr. Joseph Maurizio on numerous occasions. Were one, two, three, or more of those children sexually abused by Fr. Joseph Maurizio? It is upsetting to think about the number of children in the Central City and greater Altoona-Johnstown area who may have been sexually abused by Fr. Joseph Maurizio. The Altoona-Johnstown area has already been confronted by the serial pedophile Br. Stephen Baker, a Hollidaysburg-based Franciscan whose victims number in the hundreds. Could Fr. Joseph Maurizio’s victims number in the hundreds? It is not inconceivable. Therefore, Road to Recovery will be in front of the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese to appeal to victims of Fr. Joseph Maurizio to come forward, get the help they need to heal, and regain their lives. Road to Recovery will also discuss the fact that diocesan priests do not take the vow of poverty and are therefore allowed to accumulate wealth which can permit a pedophile priest to attract and lure children.

Contacts: Robert M. Hoatson, Ph.D., Road to Recovery, Inc. – 862-368-2800

Attorney Mitchell Garabedian, Boston, MA – 617-523-6250