Priest Barred From Public Ministry By The Catholic Church

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Priest Barred From Public Ministry By The Catholic Church

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The Archdiocese of Boston announced on Friday (September 10, 2021) that a Catholic priest in the Massachusetts region is barred from public ministry after being indicted for sexually abusing a minor in the 1960s. 


Paul J. McLaughlin, a former priest who oversaw St. Peter Parish in Lowell and Immaculate Conception Parish in Marlborough, has been found guilty of child abuse. After a thorough investigation, the Vatican affirmed his sentence of “living a life of Prayer and Penance.” In accordance with the Vatican, the Archdiocese stated, McLaughlin will be banned from exercising his practice as a Priest, which also means that he can no longer hold public Masses, wear any religious attire, or provide spiritual sessions (private or auricular confessions). 


This indictment is not unprecedented, as McLaughlin was placed on administrative leave in September of 2001 when the same allegations emerged. The provided statement from the Church then was “Having been found guilty he is forbidden from all public ministry and from otherwise presenting himself as a priest. He is expected to dedicate his life to praying for victims and repenting of his past offenses.” 


Following the 2001 case, The Boston Globe reported that three men accused McLaughlin of sexual abuse. One man accused McLaughlin of oral rape when he was 11 or 12 years old, and McLaughlin was still serving at St. Agnes Parish. He was also accused of abusing a boy 10 times from 1967 to 1969 when the boy was about 8 to 10 years old. He was serving at St. John the Evangelist at that time. 


 “He is expected to dedicate his life to praying for victims and repenting [for] his past offenses...In this way, the Church seeks even here to prevent any future abuse and to repair the injustice that has already taken place,” the Archdiocese said in a statement. “He is to live in contemplation of his sins and pray for all of those affected by his conduct.”


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by Emilie Chi 

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