SCRANTON (PA)
Citizens Voice
December 18, 2018
By Kathleen Bolus and David Singleton
A Jesuit organization released a list Monday detailing allegations of sexual abuse within the order that includes a priest with local ties who was previously not reported.
The Rev. Francis C. Bourbon, S.J., who was not identified in the state grand jury report or by the Diocese of Scranton, served at Scranton Prep from 1969-77 and 1978-81. Bourbon appeared Monday — alongside five other priests who at one point served locally — on a list of Jesuits Credibly Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The information dates back to 1950 and was released by the Maryland Province Jesuits, a Catholic religious order with priests serving across eight states including Pennsylvania.
Bourbon was accused of a “single allegation of unwanted kiss” in Buckingham, Virginia, around 1985, according the list. His last assignment was at the Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia, from 1996-2003. He died in 2007.
“We are deeply sorry for the harm we have caused to victims and their families,” a release on the providence’s website states. “We hope that this disclosure of names will contribute to reconciliation and healing.”
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