PENNSYLVANIA
Citizens Voice
BY DAVID FALCHEK
Published: September 26, 2014
Pope Francis on Thursday removed a Paraguayan bishop who promoted a priest suspected of abusing children in the Diocese of Scranton.
In an unprecedented move, the Vatican sacked Bishop Rogelio Livieres Plano, who accepted and promoted the Rev. Carlos Urrutigoity.
The reverend was formerly associated with a priestly order that operated St. Gregory’s Academy in Elmhurst and faced accusation of molesting male students there.
In 2002, a former St. Gregory’s student filed a federal suit against Monsignor Urrutigoity and another priest, claiming abuse.
That lawsuit was settled for a reported $380,000 in 2005.
While booted from the Diocese of Scranton by Bishop Joseph Martino, the Rev. Urrutigoity found a patron in conservative Bishop Livieres Plano, who in time promoted him to one of the highest positions in the Diocese of Ciudad del Este.
The Rev. Urrutigoity’s rise, coupled with outcry from advocates of abuse victims, prompted Bishop of Scranton Joseph Bambera to write a letter to the Vatican in March, urging the Holy See to address the “dire” issue while describing the Rev. Urrutigoity as “posing a serious threat to young people.”
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