A former
priest at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church on Wednesday sued the
Diocese of Palm Beach, claiming it punished him for exposing a pedophile
priest rather than covering it up as they wanted.
The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, accuses the diocese and Bishop Gerald Barbarito of defaming the Rev. John Gallagher. The 49-year-old priest pointed to a statement posted last year on the diocesan website that said Gallagher was “blatantly lying” and “in need of professional assistance” for claiming church leaders urged him not to tell police a visiting priest in January 2015 had shown pornographic pictures to a 14-year-old youth at the suburban West Palm Beach church.
http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/priest-sues-diocese-claiming-punished-him-for-reporting-sex-abuse/eB6segzLBqLrAwrdpgOxTN/
The lawsuit, filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, accuses the diocese and Bishop Gerald Barbarito of defaming the Rev. John Gallagher. The 49-year-old priest pointed to a statement posted last year on the diocesan website that said Gallagher was “blatantly lying” and “in need of professional assistance” for claiming church leaders urged him not to tell police a visiting priest in January 2015 had shown pornographic pictures to a 14-year-old youth at the suburban West Palm Beach church.
http://www.mypalmbeachpost.com/news/crime--law/priest-sues-diocese-claiming-punished-him-for-reporting-sex-abuse/eB6segzLBqLrAwrdpgOxTN/
