PA priest charged Tuesday with groping 17-year-old girl

[left-of-center2012]

ALLENTOWN, Pa. (Reuters) -
A Catholic priest who prosecutors said groped a 17-year-old girl from his Allentown, Pennsylvania, parish was arrested on Tuesday and charged with assault and corruption of a minor, authorities said.

Father Kevin Lonergan, 30, was also accused of sending naked pictures of himself to the girl, identified only as “Jane Doe,” after obtaining her cell phone number from another member of his congregation, Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said at a press conference.

“Many of the communications were sexual in nature, and he sent her nude images of himself over Snapchat,” Martin said of Lonergan, who lives with his parents in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Lonergan was charged with one count each of corrupting a minor and indecent assault, Martin said, and faces up to nine years in prison if convicted at trial.

He was taken into custody one week after Pennsylvania’s attorney general released a nearly 900-page grand jury report about sexual abuse by some 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania based on documents from secret archives kept by the archdiocese. Lonergan’s arrest, stemming from incidents in December 2017 and January 2018, was unrelated to the grand jury report, Martin said.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pennsylvania-religion-sexcrimes/pennsylvania-priest-charged-with-groping-17-year-old-girl-district-attorney-idUSKCN1L626D

[AlexSFCA]

1. so it's not all in the past as RCC claims; this is happening today

[whathehell]

2. The RCC didn't say it was "all in the past" they said "much" of it was

The records the PA attorneys quoted began 68 years ago in 1949.

[TexasProgresive]

3. This kind of thing happens in all organizations right now.

The difference is in the past school districts, churches and youth organizations would cover it up, discouraging the victims from making it public and giving the perp a good recommendation if they resign or in the case of the priests sending them to rehab and reassigning them where they continued their abusive actions. In my local area we have had 2 or 3 public school teachers arrested for sexual abuse. Sad to say that's not going away but at least they are being outed when it occurs.

[AlexSFCA]

7. not really, this massive scale of cover up is catholic specific

[TexasProgresive]

8. My point is that regardless of safeguards

there will be new cases. The difference is it is now in the open. All people that learn of abuse are mandatory reporters. Except it seems in academia.

Mandatory reporting means you report 1st to the police or child protective services before to the organization.

[Blue_true]

4. Is celibacy a condition that human beings can tolerate? nt

[Raven123]

5. I don't think this case is about celibacy. The behavior is inappropriate for anyone.

IMO the answer to your question is yes, but not by many.

[Blue_true]

6. Yes, the conduct his inappropriate. But celibacy is an unnatural choice, IMO.

He likely is just a pervert, but I am not sure him attempting to do something that was unnatural for him didn't play into his action somewhat.

[Raven123]

9. Celibacy is one choice.

Defining “natural” can land you on a slippery slope. The list is long. His behavior is inexcusable and is seen in people who are not celibate.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Are You Sure He's Celibate?

Being in a role that "requires" a claim of celibacy and actually being celibate are two very different things.

My dad was a seminarian and left after his 2nd college year at seminary because the "no women thing" wasn't going to work for him. (His words, many years ago.)