SCRANTON (PA)
Pocono Record [Stroudsburg PA]
October 8, 2024
By Kathryne Rubright
The Diocese of Scranton has dismissed a priest who served in Stroudsburg and Honesdale, among other assignments, after he was found guilty under canon law of sexually assaulting two minors.
Martin M. Boylan’s dismissal is “the most severe penalty that the Catholic Church can impose on a cleric,” the diocese said in a press release issued Tuesday.
“As a result, Boylan will never again exercise priestly ministry in any capacity. He may no longer celebrate Mass, hear confessions, or administer any of the Church’s sacraments. His relationship with the Diocese of Scranton in any official capacity is now permanently ended,” the diocese said.
Boylan was removed from ministry on April 1, 2016, the diocese said, after an accusation that he had sexually assaulted a minor. Between then and October 2023, the diocese received four more accusations against Boylan of sexually assaulting minors.
The diocese said it investigated all five accusations, and through the canonical adjudication process, he was found guilty of two. The Vatican upheld these findings in two appeals.
A search of Pennsylvania court records does not show any criminal cases against Boylan.
Boylan, 76, was ordained in 1980. He served at the Church of Saint Luke in Stroudsburg, Saint Rita in Gouldsboro, Saint John the Evangelist in Honesdale and Saint Joseph in White Mills, among other churches in northeastern Pennsylvania.
The diocese did not say when or where the two accusations he was found guilty of occurred.
According to the diocese’s “Policy for Response to Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors,” when an accusation is made, “The Diocese will gather all available information to determine if the allegation is credible and will do so in a manner that will make certain that due diligence and extreme care is taken to ensure that the Diocesan inquiry does not interfere with any criminal investigation. The purpose of the inquiry is to seek out the facts surrounding the allegation in order to provide information needed by the Bishop for his judgment and actions.”
A list of credibly accused priests, and where they served, is available at https://www.dioceseofscranton.org/child-protection-victim-assistance/credibly-accused-individuals/.