Priest asks girl, 12, and mom to perform a sex act - Resigned

[matcom]

<snip>

SWAMPSCOTT -- The Rev. Jerome F. Gillespie resigned yesterday as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Swampscott after he was accused of asking a 12-year-old girl and her mother to perform a sex act at an Italian restaurant in Chelsea Tuesday night.

''Father Gillespie's resignation was accepted in the interest of all parties involved and does not represent any indication of Father Gillespie's guilt or innocence as it pertains to this allegation," the Archdiocese of Boston said in a statement late yesterday. Gillespie did not return a call placed to the parish yesterday.

The Globe reported yesterday that the Suffolk district attorney was seeking the 55-year-old priest in connection with the allegation that he propositioned a girl and her mother. The archdiocese said it learned of the matter Thursday night.

His resignation stunned parishioners at this North Shore church overlooking the sea.

''My own 13-year-old daughter just served Mass with him last Sunday," said Daniel Santanello, 46, a father of three. ''This is the last thing I would have expected to hear of him. . . . I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this is a very serious situation."

Gillespie took over as pastor July 1, replacing the Rev. Thomas Sheehy, who retired. Gillespie was formally installed the Sunday after Thanksgiving in a Mass that drew hundreds of parishioners.

''We enjoyed his sermons," said Dick Lynch, 77, a parishioner for 50 years, who attends weekly Mass with his wife, Joanne.

''We thought he was really going to bring some spark back to the parish," he said. ''It's very difficult for us to believe this has happened."

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/01/29/priest_resigns_over_sex_act_accusation?mode=PF

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. Oh boy - here we go

:scared:

[Beware the Beast Man]

2. 3...2...1...

:nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke: :nuke:

[rocktivity]

3. I guess Billy Joel is right

You CAN have everything you want in an Italian restaurant.

What I'm wondering is if the three of them were dining together, or if they arrived separately and they stopped to have a conversation. And I wonder why such a point is made of it being an Italian restaurant.

:headbang:
rocknation

[DIKB]

4. I can't help but be incredibly curious

WHAT WAS THE PROPOSITION ? What did he say exactly ?

They say priest and refer to him as "Father" yet many religions are similar to Catholicism. I wonder if the fact that it was a girl propositioned rather than an altar boy. . . is that definitive proof that it wasn't a catholic church ?

[bobbobbins]

5. That takes some guts...propositioning both the mother and child

that guy is a sick sick man...i wonder what made him think he'd get away with it

[Atlas Mugged]

11. I was wondering the same thing...until....

I realized that the mother probably had some really bizarre confessions and he possibly took it as some kind of come on. It's the only thing I can think of to explain such a stupid action.

[bobbobbins]

13. hmm, interesting idea...and very plausable

poor lady, the one place she thinks she can turn to for help, and something disgusting like that happens

[lpbk2713]

14. If that's the case.....

it would make him a predator of the worst kind. There should be a special allowance in the law that punishes people who take advantage of people's vulnerabilities by using their position; ie, clergy, therapist, social worker, teacher, law enforcement.

[redqueen]

6. Anyone think the Catholic Church might consider dropping

the idiotic vow of chastity thing? I mean... seeing as how it's not working and all...

[meow2u3]

9. The vow of chastity has nothing to do with sexual perversion

Perverts use sex to gain power over their victims, not for pleasure alone. Why are you singling out Catholic priests when there are married men and Protestant ministers who are also pedophiles (not to mention other kinds of perverts)?

You make it sound as if it weren't for priests' vow of chastity, pedophilia and other sexual perversions would disappear from the Earth. Just tell that to kids who've been victimized by married men, teenagers, Protestant ministers, or rabbis, to name a few. Pedophiles are the lowest form of predators, and if they weren't capable of sexual activity, they'd prey on kids by other means.

[Beware the Beast Man]

10. Thank you. Pedophilia spans all belief systems.

[redqueen]

12. No, you read a lot into my post that wasn't there.

I'm not limiting my criticism to paedophilia. Priests and nuns have fooled around for centuries. Vows of celibacy are just stupid IMO.

Thanks for the early morning Lounge freak out. Got that out of the way early.

[Orsino]

7. The Catholic Church responds...

"Oh, thank Heaven. At least they were female."

[loudestchick]

8. too true. Farking hypocrites! n/t

[Fenris]

15. "...to perform a sex act at an Italian restaurant..."

Wow. That would have been a hell of a show for the other diners.