Contact: John Moynihan, jmoynihan@votf.org,
(617) 558-5252, (617) 680-2131 cell
For Immediate release
Almost as soon as Pope Benedict’s plane left U.S. airspace, Catholics are learning of yet another instance where a Church knowingly hired a defrocked pedophile priest. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, with headquarters in Stamford CT, hired Albert McGoldrick, a defrocked priest, to work as an assistant to the bishop – a job that brought him into contact with young vulnerable seminarians.
“If Pope Benedict truly means all that he has said while in the U.S., he must act swiftly—using whatever powers and persuasive abilities he has—to ensure that McGoldrick no longer has any access to children or young men. He also should reprimand those who inappropriately hired McGoldrick,” said Dan Bartley, President of Voice of the Faithful.
According to press reports, McGoldrick was dismissed by the Diocese of Bridgeport and subsequently defrocked after being charged with molesting a 15-year-old in 1979.
The Diocese of Bridgeport should be commended for correctly informing the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the credible charges against McGoldrick. The Ukrainian Church should be rebuked for ignoring those warnings until a private investigator began making inquiries. Moreover, after his dismissal, McGoldrick reportedly continues to live in property owned by the Eparchy and across the street from the seminary.
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Press contact
John Moynihan (617) 558-5252, (617) 680 2131 ©
About Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) VOTF is a worldwide movement of concerned
mainstream Catholics formed in response to the clergy sexual abuse crisis.
The group’s mission is to provide a prayerful voice, attentive to the
Spirit, through which the Faithful can actively participate in the governance
and guidance of the Catholic Church. Its goals are to support survivors of
clergy sexual abuse, support priests of integrity, and shape structural change
within the Catholic Church in full accordance and harmony with Church teaching.
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