Fr. Germain Belen
Associate parish pastor in KY, WI, IN, NM, NE. Pastor in IN, OH, MI, GA. Accused in 1991 of “plant[ing] a big wet kiss” on a female parishioner of Holy Cross in Lansing MI, after inviting her to go for a car ride in 1989 or 1990. The woman said a neighbor told her the same thing had happened to at least two other women in the parish. Belen retired in 2001 after a stroke. A lawsuit filed in 2003 claimed that Belen molested and raped a girl, ages 5-10, several times in the 1970s in Terre Haute, IN. The woman said she reported the abuse to the Franciscan provincial who told her that Belen had retired and wasn’t a threat to children. When she discovered that Belen was residing at Holy Cross Parish she called the Province to object. She was told that Belen would be removed from the parish the following day. The Diocese said the accusation was “totally out of character for Fr. Belen.” Belen claimed in his legal response that too much time had passed and the matter should be handled by the church rather than the state. He died 12/11/2004. The suit was still active as of 2/2007.
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