Area priest is charged in sexual abuse of boy (worked in vocations!)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch ^ | April 12, 2002 | Heather Ratcliffe et. al.

[ikanakattara]

A priest who recruits young men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of St. Louis was charged Thursday with sexually abusing a 14-year-old parishioner seven years ago.

Prosecutors said the Rev. Bryan Kuchar, 36, admitted to police that he sexually abused the boy in 1995 when he was associate pastor at Assumption Church in Mattese in south St. Louis County. It happened at the Roman Catholic church's rectory on several occasions over a six-month period from January to July of that year, authorities said.

[ikanakattara]

This is a significant story because the accused priest has worked in schools *and* was the associate director of the archdiocesan vocations office. There has been much back-and-forth about a "lavender mafia" controlling input to Catholic seminaries, and this story seems to support that.

[Zorobabel]

"She urged the church to "find out why" the alleged abuse took place. "

Uh DUH??

[thmiley]

Neal Boortz asked a good question a few days ago:

If a Catholic Church moves into your neighborhood, under Megan's law, are they supposed to report themselves to the sex offender registry?