THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

Retired priest removed from ministry after 'credible' allegation

Email|Print|Single Page| Text size – +
March 18, 2008

FALL RIVER, Mass.—A retired priest who worked for more than 50 years in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River has been removed from ministry following an allegation of sexual abuse.

No criminal charges have been filed against the Rev. Bento Fraga, and the priest has denied the allegation.

Diocesan spokesman John Kearns says the complaint involved a minor and occurred nearly 30 years at a private residence in Taunton. Kearns says the allegation first surfaced in January and a probe by a review board found it to be credible.

Fraga retired in 2005 after serving as a priest at seven parishes in southeastern Massachusetts. The diocese has sent notices to all of the parishes and by policy has referred the allegations to local prosecutors.

------

Information from: Cape Cod Times, http://www.capecodonline.com

© Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

more stories like this

  • Email
  • Email
  • Print
  • Print
  • Single page
  • Single page
  • Reprints
  • Reprints
  • Share
  • Share
  • Comment
  • Comment
 
  • Share on DiggShare on Digg
  • Tag with Del.icio.us Save this article
  • powered by Del.icio.us
Your Name Your e-mail address (for return address purposes) E-mail address of recipients (separate multiple addresses with commas) Name and both e-mail fields are required.
Message (optional)
Disclaimer: Boston.com does not share this information or keep it permanently, as it is for the sole purpose of sending this one time e-mail.