2nd Catholic Priest in Toledo Faces Misconduct Allegations

Toledo Blade
May 22, 2015

http://www.toledoblade.com/Religion/2015/05/22/2nd-Catholic-priest-in-Toledo-faces-misconduct-allegations.html

Punnoor

The Diocese of Toledo announced today that the Rev. Samuel Punnoor has been placed on administrative leave by Bishop Daniel Thomas after he learned of an unspecified allegation against the priest. Father Punnoor came to Toledo in April, 2011 from the Diocese of Pathanamthitta in India.

The diocese received the allegation May 6, and Lucas County Children Services was notified that day, according to a diocese statement.

Father Punnoor has served as Parochial Vicar at Most Blessed Sacrament and Corpus Christi University parishes in Toledo, and the Saint Joseph parish in Maumee. He’s also taught at Central Catholic High School, and occasionally assisted at Historic Church of St. Patrick and Immaculate Conception Church in Toledo.

Both Most Blessed Sacrament and Saint Joseph have affiliated parochial schools, and parents of students there and at Central Catholic were notified today of the allegations.

In describing the allegations, the diocese only said that Father Punnoor faced an allegation that he violated a diocesan code of conduct regarding sexual abuse of minors.

In March, the Toledo-Detroit Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales acknowledged that the Rev. James H. Roth had sexually abused a boy 14 years ago. The survivor reported the abuse in January; Father Roth died in February, and though his death has not been confirmed as a suicide, he left a note admitting to the abuse.

In that case, the survivor had told the Oblates that Father Roth sexually abused him on multiple occasions. Father Roth was a faculty member and administrator at St. Francis de Sales High School from 1976 to 1987 and from 1995 to 2004. While the survivor was not a St. Francis student, his brother was.