Maine priest on leave over sexual abuse allegation

[ad_1]

A Catholic priest who serves in several Central Coast churches but has worked across Maine is on temporary administrative leave as the diocese investigates a decades-old allegation of abuse, officials said Monday.

According to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Reverend Robert Vaillancourt was accused of sexually abusing a minor in the 1980s. He was placed on administrative leave while the diocese’s Office of Professional Accountability conducts an internal investigation , in accordance with the protocol of the diocese for such allegations.

Vaillancourt is currently the pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, which is made up of Our Lady of Good Hope Church in Camden, St. Bernard Church in Rockland, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Belfast and of St. Mary of the Isles churches. on Islesboro, Vinalhaven and North Haven. He was also recently appointed hospital chaplain at Maine Medical Center in Portland.

“Fr. Vaillancourt denied any wrongdoing and indicated that he would cooperate with any investigation into the case,” the diocese said in a statement. “Temporary administrative leave is not a presumption of guilt or the result of an alleged wrongdoing, but it is the protocol followed by the diocese. This is in order to preserve the integrity of the process. Public authorities have also been made aware of the allegation.

The diocese did not disclose where Vaillancourt was ministering at the time of the alleged abuses, but said anonymous “public authorities” had been made aware of the allegation. A spokesperson for the diocese did not respond to a request for additional information on Monday.

A native of Lewiston, Vaillancourt held various positions in churches and programs throughout the state, most notably as director of the diocese’s youth ministry program in the late 1980s.

After his ordination in 1982, Vaillancourt was appointed associate parish priest of Saint-André parish in Biddeford before moving to Saint-Thomas d’Aquin in Madawaska, where, in addition to being associate parish priest, he was director of Christian Life Center in Upper Frenchville, according to biographical information from the diocese.

In 1988, Vaillancourt took over the diocesan youth ministry program before joining St. Peter’s parish in East Millinocket three years later. Since then, Vaillancourt has served as parish priest in Old Town, Bridgton, Fryeburg, Madawaska, Hampden, Winterport, Rumford and Bethel, according to the diocese.

He also held various other jobs in the diocese, as director of the Vocations Office for a time and as temporary administrator of St. John Vianney Parish in Fort Kent while investigating allegations of embezzlement. funds against the parish priest. The Maine attorney general’s office did not charge the priest for lack of evidence.

Any findings from the internal investigation will be presented to the Portland Roman Catholic Diocese of Review Board, which was established in 2003 in response to allegations around the country that Roman Catholic clergy sexually abused minors. The council, which includes people with expertise in psychiatry and law enforcement, will then make a recommendation to Bishop Robert Deeley.

“Previous

LePage officially announces his candidacy for governor in 2022

Following ”

The emergence of brown butterflies in central Maine shows an increasing scale of the epidemic. This iframe contains the logic required to handle severity forms powered by Ajax.

Related stories

[ad_2]