Having learned lessons from past scandals involving its clergy, the Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland and Labrador is being upfront about charges laid against a priest this week. Archbishop Martin Currie says that while the church makes every effort to screen priests, it has to rely on church leaders from their originating parish to ensure the men are upstanding citizens with clean records.
"We make such great efforts to do everything right," Currie said Thursday. "But we need to trust the bishops who send these priests to us."
Currie was responding to the case of Rev. Patrick Robert Offin, from the Cape Coast Diocese in Ghana, West Africa, who has been charged with sexually assaulting a young Newfoundland woman two months ago.
The incident allegedly took place Aug. 21 at the priest's resident in Holyrood, a small town near St. John's, where Offin was parish priest.
Upon first receiving word of the allegation, Currie said he acted quickly.
"The minute the charges were laid, I immediately removed him from the ministry," he said.
Offin, 55, came to Newfoundland earlier this year as part of the church's efforts to alleviate a shortage of priests in the province.
Before priests from other countries come to Newfoundland, Currie said they must undergo a police check and have certificates of good conduct from their bishop.
"I'm very disappointed, because most of the ones who come are older men, who are in their 50s, who have a demonstrated stability of lifestyle," said Currie.
Following earlier scandals involving individual priests, and an order of Christian brothers that ran the former Mount Cashel Orphanage, Currie understands how such incidents would shake the community.
"I always have a great sense of sadness and disappointment when these things happen," Currie said, "because we have made such great efforts to try and do everything right."
Currie, who spoke to Offin's parishioners at recent masses, said he hopes the charges won't turn people away from the church.
"I addressed the situation with the people, so that there was nothing hid and that we were upfront," he said.
"The matter now is before the courts now and we'll wait to see the outcome of the process."
Offin, who is on administrative leave, will return to provincial court in St. John's on Oct. 21.
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(Source: canada.com)