Worcester Diocese Seeks To Have Priest Defrocked

WORCESTER, Mass. — A Roman Catholic diocese in Massachusetts has asked the Vatican to defrock a priest who is facing charges of possessing child pornography and stealing from his parish.

A spokesman for the Diocese of Worcester (WUH'-stur) tells The Telegram & Gazette () that Bishop Robert McManus has asked the pope to defrock the Rev. Lowe Dongor. http://bit.ly/rqPrfv

Diocese officials say they are seeking to laicize Dongor in the wake of a "clarification" last spring by Vatican officials that child pornography possession is grounds for removal from the priesthood.

Authorities say images of preteen girls were found on Dongor's computer. He also is accused of stealing $40 to $60 from St. Joseph parish in Fitchburg on several occasions. He was released after pleading not guilty and suspended from ministry. It is believed he fled to his native Philippines.

Comments

[benedictineacc]

01:11 PM on 01/01/2012

So the Catholic Church does the right thing and they STILL get criticized for it??? Unbelievable. Anti-Catholicism is indeed the last refuge of the idiot.

As for them "turning over" the priest to the authorities, that is the job of the DA to charge the priest, not the Church. That this has been reported shows that the Church has already done so, only to have him flee. Sort of like how the DA failed to do anything about Cardinal Law (was an extradition order ever sent to the Vatican? No, for no law was actually broken by His Eminence now, was it?) at least this priest will go to prison if they ever find him.

Once again, Anti-Catholicism is for idiots who do not think things through.

[mrkurtzhedead]

03:22 AM on 01/02/2012

And using titles like "His Eminence" is for subservient idiots who do not think things through.

[sweetlilthing]

10:39 AM on 01/01/2012

Who cares if he's deflocked. Let him wear his priest garb right into prison. Since it's clear the RCC isn't serious about eliminating priests who abuse from the Church it's time for US to bypass the Church and send them to JAIL when they violate our laws.

[Cye]

08:44 AM on 01/01/2012

Would we have even heard of this case if the priest had not also stolen money? Call me cynical, but I don't think so.

Well, I guess if you think about it, it makes sense. Stealing breaks a commandment. Destroying the lives of children through sexual abuse, either directly or indirectly, what's that? A holy misdemeanor?

[speedy evans]

10:32 PM on 12/31/2011

WT frack is defrocking a priest....now that some real holy hooodoo for you an yours

[midwestblues]

08:34 PM on 12/31/2011

The beat goes on... And Catholics continue to support its church downward spiral. Sad.

[Jeff Rosenbury]

09:02 AM on 01/01/2012

So we should abandon God because men are sinners? Isn't the fact we are sinners the reason we need God in the first place?

[smartwater]

07:12 PM on 12/31/2011

Why doesn't the Roman Catholic Church go back to allowing Priests to be married? The practice was a Priest could be married, as long as he was married before he became a Priest. This is the same way it has always been and is still practiced in the Orthodox Church, which hasn't changed.

[averagezoe]

05:40 PM on 12/31/2011

Computer images of pre-teen girls and suspected theft of 40 - 60 Dollars are grounds for defrocking? What this priest did is trivial and insignificant compared to the deeds of many of his colleagues and they only get transferred to another parish.

[special38x2]

01:41 AM on 01/01/2012

Sounds like the hard evidence photos and stealing money is a greater offense, this is sad.

[Gerard St Laurent]

05:10 PM on 12/31/2011

The catholic church is loaded with GLITTER, and pedophilia, let's tax the hell out of them and other religions, they collect money make them pay, we all pay.

[herewegoagain2]

04:33 PM on 12/31/2011

Yesterday I posted a comment documenting the abuse I suffered in the Dioceses of Worcester. Huffington Post chose not to publish it. I may have been too graphic. I respect their judgement. The one point I really want to get across to parents is to not trust your child to tell you he/she has been abused. Even if you ask your child directly, do not expect an honest answer.

Child abusers are good at shaming their victims. Children do not have the sense of reasoning that adults have. If your child starts acting out or if your child expresses that he/she doesn't want to be around a specific person look for the real reason why.

[LMPE]

04:12 PM on 12/31/2011

Another day, another priest found to have a pornographic obsession with children.

[MirrorMonkey]

05:53 PM on 12/31/2011

Aren't we lucky that there are no laymen -- or women -- who do anything of the kind.

[LMPE]

06:45 PM on 12/31/2011

Lay people have a harder time getting away with it.

[herewegoagain2]

09:35 PM on 12/31/2011

Yeah, ask Sandusky. Too bad he didn't get transferred to another teem and given more children. That's what would have happened if he were a priest. That is the point.

[Gregj]

12:45 PM on 12/31/2011

If he had not stoled the money he would have been allowed to get away with it. That is the only crime they care about.

[trekie70]

11:48 AM on 12/31/2011

The RCC church has been presented with an opportunity to improve their image by proving they respect the law. Defrocking this priest is the right thing to do and should be fast-tracked to whoever has to approve such a measure.

[MirrorMonkey]

05:55 PM on 12/31/2011

While I have no problem with the request from the Worcester diocese, I wonder if you even know what laicization *is* that you can decide whether or not it is the "right thing"?

I am willing to bet that you have no idea...

[herewegoagain2]

09:36 PM on 12/31/2011

Priest or Bishop? Which one?

[Cye]

08:52 AM on 01/01/2012

Defrocked and handed over to the police to be investigated and, if necessary, prosecuted. Until that becomes the standard operating procedure for cases involving child sex abuse, then the church will never recover its moral legitimacy.

[Counterglow]

10:18 AM on 12/31/2011

What can I say? The jokes just write themselves. "Laicize"? "Lowe Dongor"??? As far as I'm concerned, they can all just go frock themselves.

[wutrup]

10:17 AM on 12/31/2011

The church has held on to the idea that priests can remain celibate. Their problems has just started. They are going to have to change there ideals in order to survive. They are trying to surppress the strongest most creative energy in the universe.... that of sexual energy.

[LMPE]

04:13 PM on 12/31/2011

Apparently, the RCC used to allow priests to get married, but about 1,000 years ago they decided that priests need to be celibate. Go figure!

[smartwater]

07:15 PM on 12/31/2011

The Roman Catholic Church needs to go back to allowing Priests to be married. The Orthodox Church, which is still the same Church as it was at the day of Pentecost in 33AD, hasn't changed. As Rome broke away from Orthodoxy in 1054, they added a few things that weren't part of the Church historically and this is one of them. I hope they reconsider this, as it is destroying the Church.

[erehwon man]

10:30 PM on 12/31/2011

Because the church did not want any property owned by priests going to any
heirs. The accumulation of wealth and land was well under way even in those early times.

[Indigo1941]

05:46 AM on 12/31/2011

To frock? To defrock? C'mon, HP. The word is 'liaicize' and it hasn't anything to do with prom dresses.

[ThinkCreeps]

06:51 AM on 12/31/2011

It's got quite a lot to do with prom dresses. Gold braided ones from top designers - dontcha think sturmleutnant ratzinger?

[Counterglow]

10:19 AM on 12/31/2011

Ratzinger needs that long dress to hide his Lowe Dongor.