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	Monsignor Battista Dies; Rome Had Dismissed Him Dismissed from Duties in 2004 By Mark Melady Worcester Telegram & Gazette October 11, 2006 http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061011/NEWS/610110365/1003/NEWSLETTERS03 Worcester — Monsignor Leo J. Battista, once head of Catholic Charities for the Worcester Diocese and earlier this year permanently barred from priestly duties by the Vatican, died Monday. He was 82. A former nun filed suit against the diocese, alleging she had been sexually assaulted by Monsignor Battista during the 1970s and 1980s while being counseled by him. Monsignor Battista, a licensed social worker, had surrendered his state license in 1991 after admitting he had sex with a client. In 2004, the Worcester diocese asked the Vatican to defrock Monsignor Battista, a process known as laicization. A native of Clinton, Monsignor Battista served in several parishes in Central Massachusetts, including Southbridge, South Barre and twice in Leominster, first as a curate in the 1950s and as pastor in the1980s, his last assignment. He also served in Thailand. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which rules on such requests, stopped short of defrocking, instead prohibiting Monsignor Battista "from any type of priestly ministry." He was told to spend his remaining days in prayer and penance. Michael Angelini, a Worcester lawyer who represented the monsignor in his civil case, said the church's action against Monsignor Battista was "overreactive, a terrible wrong." "He was a good, caring and thoughtful man," said Mr. Angelini, who knew Monsignor Battista dating back to his days as a curate in Leominster. "He was dedicated to his ministry, firm in his belief and a selfless guy who cared for others around him, a reflection of sincere goodness."
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