Posted on 05/01/2024 2:15:15 PM PDT by JSM_Liberty
Louisiana State Police are investigating the Archdiocese of New Orleans for possible child sex trafficking linked to widespread sexual abuse committed by priests over several decades, WWL reported from a criminal warrant Tuesday.
The warrant says that Louisiana State Police are seeking all documents linked to the archdiocese's sexual abuse scandal including letters and emails, as well as priest assignments, transfers and personnel files.
State Police are also asking the archdiocese turn over records of all complaints of sexual abuse made to archdiocesan officials and financial records related to the archdiocese's sexual abuse cases and documents that led to priests being added to the list of priests who have been credibly accused of committing sexual abuse.
The warrant comes after case's lead investigator testified under oath that his team found a decades-long pattern of "widespread sexual abuse," which included a victim investigators spoke with in June 2022 who "detailed being anally raped at an Archdiocese facility by Ex-Priest Father Lawrence Hecker, who served in 13 different congregations during his career."
This led to the investigation into the Archdiocese, WWL reports.
Archdiocesan officials reportedly covered up the abuse and failed to report it to law enforcement. When investigators executed the search warrant during their investigation into Hecker, they uncovered documents that previous archbishops knew of the sexual abuse and failed to report claims to law enforcement, but spent Archdiocese funding to support the accused priests.
According to the warrant, investigators gathered statements from multiple victims who reported being brought to other parishes outside of Louisiana where they were abused. WWL reports that Rodrigue said those victims reported how priests allegedly passed victims around to each other, with priests giving victims gifts to give to another priest as a signal that the victim was a target for abuse. Other victims, detailed how they were brought to the New Orleans Seminary where they were told to swim naked in the pool and would be sexually assaulted or abused.
The search warrant's release comes as the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office works to prosecute Hecker, who admitted to a WWL-TV reporter that he molested a teen in the 1970s. A judge recently ruled that Hecker, 92, is mentally incompetent to stand trial on sexual abuse charges, WWL reports.
Hang ‘em high.
I read the FR portion of the article.
The word “Catholic” doesn’t show up.
I could be wrong but are “archdiocesan officials” Roman Catholic?
Yep. I’m Catholic too. Not sure about the Pope. Undoubtedly he’d be against the hanging. Unless they said Mass in Latin, in which case he might reconsider.
It is the Catholic Archdiocese.
I went to the whole WBRZ article and the word “Catholic” doesn’t show up.
Are these people Roman Catholic or is it some other religion that uses the same Catholic buzz words: “parish”, “priest”, and “archdioceses”?
HELP me understand!
I believe there is too much (which would be any) child abuse and sex trafficking, but I have trouble computing it all. It seems like there ought to be more whistle blowers, victims coming out, or more bodies because victims were killed to keep them from coming out. It seems like if they can find all the J6ers and criminals through phone records, computer records and GPS, they ought to be able to find more of these offenders than we hear about.
Okay - thanks for clearing up the mystery.
Reminds me of the articles that talk about "teen" suspects.
“... included a victim investigators spoke with in June 2022 who “detailed being anally raped at an Archdiocese facility by Ex-Priest Father Lawrence Hecker, who served in 13 different congregations during his career.””
Disgusting.
I know that non-Catholic pastors can also be child molesters, but apparently not to the extent of the problem among Catholic priests. As long as the Catholic Church continues to refuse to allow priests to marry, an unknown number of them will prey on those under their authority. It also opens up the numbers to gays and other perverts, desiring to prey on young boys. There is nothing in Scripture that prohibits clergy to marry. Catholic clergy were allowed to marry up until several hundred years ago, though I have talked with Catholics who were taught the opposite, and will argue against it, despite historical facts.
The Eastern Catholic Churches do allow married clergy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches
Good for them! “It is not good for man to be alone”.
Sexual abuse of children and protection of criminal priests is why I quit the Catholic church.
Yes, no other church has archdioceses.
My friend tells about his friend getting slapped by his own mother and told never to say things like that about the priest again.
---
Situation: A young man’s father dies, and he lives with his mother to the end of her days. He has no social life.
Before Freud: “Ah shor-an-begorrah, ‘tis a foin, foin thing for a boy to be taking care of his par sainted mither.”
After Freud: “Those two have a sick, co-dependent relationship. She needs to remarry, and he needs to get a life.”
---
Situation: A young man says he wants to become a priest.
Before Freud: “Ah shor-an-begorrah, ‘tis a foin, foin thing for a boy to be taking the religious life. Why, every faithful Catholic family should give at least one child to the chairch.”
After Freud: “What a blow to the family. I know they were looking for grandkids from that one. What’s wrong with him? Doesn’t he like girls?”
---
In the years after World War II, and long before the Second Vatican Council, Catholics no longer valued religious vocations. Even in the 1950s I can remember the nuns desperately trolling for religious vocations. But there was still a strong need for priests, and as a result men were ordained who were not fit for the priesthood.
The Polish Pope blamed society for homosexual priests and nuns, and he had a point. In 1969 homosexuality came out of the closet. In the 1970s it became trendy and legal. In the 2020s gay marriage became the law.
The edict that ended the married priesthood dates from the 10th Century, and it was based on priests passing church property onto their children, not dogma. The Argentine Pope would like to do something about that, and a number of ideas have been floated within the Vatican. As to whether any of them will be implemented is a question for the future. Change is hard, and massive change is harder.
They could be Episcopalian. But the article is likely about a Catholic archiocese.
I know change is hard, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why many Catholics are against married priests.
There is no Archdiocese of New Orleans in the Episcopal Church, they have a Diocese of Louisiana .
Of course, they never seem to investigate teachers, Hollywood, or politicians
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.