Sexual abuse scandal in Springfield in Massachusetts diocese
Encyclopedia
The sexual abuse scandal in Springfield in Massachusetts diocese is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States and Ireland.
accepted Rev. Edward Paquette
despite the repeated allegations of child molestation against him. Marshall even said that he was "determined to take the risk of leaving [Paquette] in his present assignment" despite "the demands of...irate parents that 'something be done about this.'"
was a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. Lavigne has been at the center of the Priest Abuse Scandal in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts with about 40 claims of sexual abuse of minors placed against him. The Diocese has paid out large cash settlements to numerous people purported to have been molested by Lavigne. He was removed from ministry by Bishop John A. Marshall in 1991.
resigned due to unspecified health reasons on February 11, 2004. His resignation came one day after The Springfield Republican confronted him with accusations of sexual abuse from two men who had known Dupré when he was a parish priest and they were altar boys
. Dupre was also accused by local clergy of covering up abuse charges against other priests, including Richard R. Lavigne
.
by a Hampden County
grand jury
on two counts of child molestation
. He thus became the first Catholic bishop ever to be indicted of sexual abuse.
's office was forced to drop the charges against Dupré because the statute of limitations
had run out. He then entered St. Luke Institute
, a private Catholic psychiatric hospital
in Silver Spring
, Maryland
. As of June 2006, he continued to list his residence as St. Luke's.
Edward Paquette affair
Although he established the Diocesan Misconduct Commission in response to sexual abuse among the clergy, bishop John Aloysius MarshallJohn Aloysius Marshall
John Aloysius Marshall was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Burlington, Vermont and Bishop of Springfield, Massachusetts .-Biography:...
accepted Rev. Edward Paquette
Edward Paquette
Father Edward Paquette is a former Catholic priest who was laicized for the numerous clerical child abuse affairs he was involved in within several dioceses of the United States...
despite the repeated allegations of child molestation against him. Marshall even said that he was "determined to take the risk of leaving [Paquette] in his present assignment" despite "the demands of...irate parents that 'something be done about this.'"
Richard R. Lavigne affair
Richard R. LavigneRichard R. Lavigne
Richard Roger Lavigne is a former priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. Lavigne has been at the center of the priest abuse scandal in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts with about 40 claims of sexual abuse of minors placed against him...
was a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. Lavigne has been at the center of the Priest Abuse Scandal in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts with about 40 claims of sexual abuse of minors placed against him. The Diocese has paid out large cash settlements to numerous people purported to have been molested by Lavigne. He was removed from ministry by Bishop John A. Marshall in 1991.
Resignation of bishop Dupré
After thirteen years as Bishop, Thomas Ludger DupréThomas Ludger Dupré
Thomas Ludger Dupré is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Springfield in Massachusetts from 1995 to 2004.-Biography:...
resigned due to unspecified health reasons on February 11, 2004. His resignation came one day after The Springfield Republican confronted him with accusations of sexual abuse from two men who had known Dupré when he was a parish priest and they were altar boys
Altar server
An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian religious service. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell and so on....
. Dupre was also accused by local clergy of covering up abuse charges against other priests, including Richard R. Lavigne
Richard R. Lavigne
Richard Roger Lavigne is a former priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts. Lavigne has been at the center of the priest abuse scandal in the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts with about 40 claims of sexual abuse of minors placed against him...
.
Grand jury indictment
On September 24, 2004, bishop Dupré was indictedIndictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
by a Hampden County
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
on two counts of child molestation
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
. He thus became the first Catholic bishop ever to be indicted of sexual abuse.
Statute of limitation running out
The Springfield district attorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office was forced to drop the charges against Dupré because the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
had run out. He then entered St. Luke Institute
Saint Luke Institute
Saint Luke Institute is a private, licensed mental health treatment facility located in Silver Spring, Maryland. The Institute primarily serves Roman Catholic priests and religious women and men. Services are provided in both residential and outpatient settings...
, a private Catholic psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in Silver Spring
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. As of June 2006, he continued to list his residence as St. Luke's.