New Bedford priest faces child porn investigation
A New Bedford priest who allegedly stored child pornography on his personal computer was recently placed on leave from his parish while authorities investigate the electronic obscenities, officials from the Catholic Diocese of Fall River and the Bristol district attorney's office said yesterday.
Last weekend church officials suspended the Rev. Stephen A. Fernandes from his role as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima.
A statement from the diocese indicated that Bishop George W. Coleman sent an aide to Fernandes's parish to inform the congregation that the diocese had received "a credible allegation of illegal activity" about their pastor.
Fernandes, an avid amateur magician who has led antiabortion activities for the diocese, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
In its statement, the diocese did not disclose the priest's whereabouts.
In a separate statement, District Attorney Paul F. Walsh Jr., said the diocese asked his office in recent days to investigate the child pornography allegations. A computer was seized over the weekend, he added, and investigators planned to conduct a forensic exam of the machine.
Walsh commended the bishop for his "direct and prompt action."
A source briefed on the investigation said that "thousands" of child pornography images, and possibly some video files, were discovered on the computer. The investigation began after Fernandes brought the computer for repairs to a private company, the source said. During the repair work, the source said, technicians discovered the images.
A law enforcement source said investigators will review when the pornography images were downloaded, whether there was contact with others through online chat rooms, and whether the pictures are of children the priest knew. The investigation, the source said, could take several weeks and could conclude that someone else was using Fernandes's computer.
The diocese relayed the allegations against Fernandes to the state Department of Social Services. "What we have to do is find out whether the pictures on the computer are of real children, and we will begin doing that" today, said Denise Monteiro, a DSS spokeswoman.
Former parishioners described Fernandes as a respected priest who worked well with children.
"I'm very surprised to hear this," said Marian Desrosiers, whose three children were instructed by Fernandes a decade ago when he was a priest at Christ the King in Mashpee and oversaw altar servers at the parish. "He was marvelous. He was very respectful and appropriate. He never touched anyone. He was very sincere, and I thought he was very professional."
In addition to serving as pastor of Our Lady of Fatima, Fernandes had been director of the diocese's Pro-Life Office, a position that increased his public profile and led to frequent media interviews on the issue. He also served as director of Project Rachel, a program that offers counseling to women who had abortions.
Fernandes has also been a student of Portuguese history and an avid fan of magic. He has authored a book aimed at collectors of periodicals on magic, a book that traces their history to the 18th century, according to information posted on magic collector websites.
Fernandes's name could not be found in a search of various websites that track priests accused of sexually abusing minors.
The diocese has asked anyone who may have information that may help the investigation to contact the district attorney's office.
