Vatican Orders Removal of Abusive Priest Who Had Continued Career In Paraguay

In a move against the practice of sending priests accused of abuse to other countries, on July 14 the Vatican ordered the diocese of Ciudad del Este in Paraguay to remove Carlos Urrutigoity from his position as vicar general of the diocese.  According to an RNS report yesterday, in 2002, Urrutigoity and another priest were suspended by the Bishop of the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania after being accused of sexually molesting students at a Catholic school there.  The diocese settled a lawsuit in the case for over $400,000. Urrutigoity however was transferred to Canada and then to Paraguay. Earlier this year, Scranton Bishop Joseph C. Bambera publicly complained about Urrutigoity’s career advancement in the Church in Paraguay. The Vatican sent a cardinal and archbishop to Paraguay from July 21-26 to investigate further. They ordered Paraguayan Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano to stop ordaining priests.