The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix posted on its Web site an account of sexual allegations made against a priest a day after an advocacy group pushed for the exposure.The Rev. Donald J. McGuire, 77, was convicted of sexual abuse in Wisconsin last year on charges he molested two students at Loyola Academy in Illinois in the 1960s. McGuire conducted seminars at Mount Claret Retreat Center in Phoenix in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2001.
Last Thursday, the advocacy group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests asked the diocese to use its Web site to notify the public about McGuire.
The statement, posted the next day on the home page of the diocese's site, recognized McGuire as a convicted sex offender.
The statement also explained that the Phoenix Diocese had no relationship with McGuire and the administering of his retreats and seminars for adults while he was in Phoenix.
"We felt obligated to put up a community notification statement to let people know he (McGuire) is the subject of a lawsuit and a sexual offender," said Jim Dwyer, public information director for the diocese.
The diocese waited to post the statement until Friday because they had to check the retreat houses to see if McGuire had ever been there, Dwyer said.
"He was part of privately sponsored retreats that rented out our facilities," Dwyer said, emphasizing that the Diocese had no affiliation with McGuire.
Dwyer said that the advocacy group's demand had little influence over the diocese's decision to make a statement.
"We've done that (made a community notification statement) two other times earlier this year," Dwyer said.
The letter from the advocacy group addressed to Bishop Thomas J. Olmstead also asked that announcements about McGuire be made in every parish and that the information be put in newspapers and parish bulletins.
It was unclear Tuesday if that is being done or considered.In June the diocese posted statements about two other form diocesan priests accused of sexual abuse.
Ken Babb, director of the Phoenix division of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, that his group's pressure was a driving force behind spreading the word about sexual abuse by priests.
"I am happy that they have taken some action," Babb said, but added "repeated exposure had something to do with them acting this time."
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