I would suggest you reconsider this comment unless you have something concrete to back it up. I'm guessing you don't, since you apparently don't even know the name of the other person, yet you say he should be investigated.
The initial response from the bishop’s office (Do you want money?) is breathtakingly cynical and unresponsive to the poor man. I would get a better response from an anonymous seller on Amazon re: a defective product I bought.
Mr. Zumo should check the credibility of the alleged victim whose word he so vehemently defends because these accusations are totally bogus. Perhaps the Vatican knows this which is why it has yet to respond to his preposterous and absurd claims about such a wonderfully good and holy Priest who has brought nothing but Christ’s healing and love to the people of the Diocese of Baton Rouge for years. Our precious Lord suffered at the hands of wicked men whose accusations brought him to a violent and cruel death. Perhaps we would do well to reflect upon this. Also, maybe the “average Catholic” in Baton Rouge already knows just how grievously erroneous are these accusations that are more disgusting than the imagined and contrived “vile” things that they mention. This is the abuse of a cleric by laymen and not the other way around. I pray for the vindication of this Priest’s reputation and for his mission within the Church. I, also, pray for the conversion and repentance of his accusers who I believe to be doing the work of Satan and not God.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Every man is capable of grave sin. Even priests. I hope you are right. The point of this news story is that the diocese apparently violated its reporting policies, and universal church law when it received the allegations. That is a very, very big deal and should be treated as such.
A bishop owes his diocese a prompt, transparent process for investigating and documenting accusations, for the sake of the one who was harmed, for the sake of the community, *and* for the sake of the accused. A priest who is falsely accused is not well served by the kind of misdirection and dawdling alleged of Bp. Duca
And if Bp. Duca claims he didn't mishandle the allegations as recounted, then he is also not well served by the Vatican's own failure to investigate those allegations according to their own published process
It seems to me that the Pillar article states that the priest acknowledges, at least, boundary issues, which is a nice way of pointing out a serious problem. This challenges your claim of "a wonderfully good and holy priest."
Has it perhaps occurred to you that this was a cultural boundary misunderstanding rather than something scandalous, seeing that the nature of the boundary is never mentioned and, also, considering that this Priest is Lebanese and not American? Why is it that the worst possible scenario is so easy for some people to latch on to, run with and believe even if it is outlandish, farfetched and extreme for any ordinary Priest (or even any ordinary person for that matter)? I stand by this “wonderfully good and holy Priest” as I’m certain a great number of people in the diocese of Baton Rouge certainly already do, as well, if not the majority. I want the Truth to come out in all its intricate detail and minutiae. I am confident that after all the facts, events, motives, words and actions of all involved persons are, also, tried in the court of law (or even the court of public opinion or even from the desk of the Pope) that this wrongfully accused Priest will come out smelling like Castilian roses from Tepeyac Hill in the December of 1531.
My question, is if this article is mostly about the outrageously poor response by the bishop and not about this individual priest’s actual fault (or lack thereof) since a full investigation hasn’t been done, why publish his name? On the Pillar Podcast, Ed and JD always complain about lists of "credibly accused priests," but if those lists are bad, isn't this article essentially doing the same thing? Even the "letter to the laity" quotes in the article specifically asks not to share this far and wide. I certainly understand that in this case, there is an accusation that—if true—would mean that the priest could be a real threat to children today. And so maybe that's enough of a reason. But if our goal is to give all accused priests' due process, reporting like this doesn't seem like due process. (another possible explanation, is that these accusations are already public, but I'm not sure that's the case)
And, to reiterate, nothing about this has to do with reporting on the bishop's response or whether this specific priest is guilty/not guilty, I have no idea either way, but the evidence here seems compelling.
After Bishop Rhoades came to Fort Wayne-South Bend he was accused of sexual abuse while he was in Pennsylvania against an adult who had committed suicide. He made the allegations against himself public and recused himself from his office until the allegations were investigated and he was exonerated. That's how an upright bishop handles this stuff, even when it's against himself. When I say he's an excellent bishop I have good reason for my opinion.
Prayers for this situation, all the people involved, and especially that the Truth will come to light.
I know reading the comments some people have some strong opinions on what that is or looks like, but honestly, the evil people are capable of never ceases to surprise. So before passing any judgement, maybe we can all pray for Truth for this situation.
I live in the diocese of Baton Rouge, where we (like many others) have a severe shortage of priests. I wish that our bishops were able to grasp that this culture of protecting the image and resources of the church rather than genuinely protecting the vulnerable is exactly why faithful Catholics might be reluctant to send their sons to seminary. If my sons were to encounter groomers and manipulators in seminary, I have zero confidence the church would do anything other than circle the wagons and try to protect its own image. The church is reaping what it has sown in so many ways. I am angry...and I will continue to pray for our bishops and priests and for the whole church.
As a mom of a son about the age to be discerning a vocation, I agree 100%. I fear the idea of his going to seminary more than the idea of his joining the military. I try to hand this fear over to the Lord every time it arises but it sure does come back whenever I read an article like this.
The diocese and its representatives have lost all credibility in this matter because they have not followed the process and procedures clearly set out by the USCCB. When will we learn? It’s also distressing that the Holy See is not following the processes they have in place. Sad.
I would suggest you reconsider this comment unless you have something concrete to back it up. I'm guessing you don't, since you apparently don't even know the name of the other person, yet you say he should be investigated.
Justin,
This allegation, made in this manner, it outside the bounds of the pillar’s commenting policy and will be deleted.
God bless Mr. Zumo for speaking up.
Unrelated, but that cathedral soooo needed a banner in the apse, they pushed the crucifix weirdly off center for it. You would never find me there.
Why did I also immediately notice this 😆😆
Or they needed another one for balance and left it out.
The initial response from the bishop’s office (Do you want money?) is breathtakingly cynical and unresponsive to the poor man. I would get a better response from an anonymous seller on Amazon re: a defective product I bought.
Really bad, bad look for the bishop of Baton Rouge. Sad!
Mr. Zumo should check the credibility of the alleged victim whose word he so vehemently defends because these accusations are totally bogus. Perhaps the Vatican knows this which is why it has yet to respond to his preposterous and absurd claims about such a wonderfully good and holy Priest who has brought nothing but Christ’s healing and love to the people of the Diocese of Baton Rouge for years. Our precious Lord suffered at the hands of wicked men whose accusations brought him to a violent and cruel death. Perhaps we would do well to reflect upon this. Also, maybe the “average Catholic” in Baton Rouge already knows just how grievously erroneous are these accusations that are more disgusting than the imagined and contrived “vile” things that they mention. This is the abuse of a cleric by laymen and not the other way around. I pray for the vindication of this Priest’s reputation and for his mission within the Church. I, also, pray for the conversion and repentance of his accusers who I believe to be doing the work of Satan and not God.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thine intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Every man is capable of grave sin. Even priests. I hope you are right. The point of this news story is that the diocese apparently violated its reporting policies, and universal church law when it received the allegations. That is a very, very big deal and should be treated as such.
A bishop owes his diocese a prompt, transparent process for investigating and documenting accusations, for the sake of the one who was harmed, for the sake of the community, *and* for the sake of the accused. A priest who is falsely accused is not well served by the kind of misdirection and dawdling alleged of Bp. Duca
And if Bp. Duca claims he didn't mishandle the allegations as recounted, then he is also not well served by the Vatican's own failure to investigate those allegations according to their own published process
It seems to me that the Pillar article states that the priest acknowledges, at least, boundary issues, which is a nice way of pointing out a serious problem. This challenges your claim of "a wonderfully good and holy priest."
Has it perhaps occurred to you that this was a cultural boundary misunderstanding rather than something scandalous, seeing that the nature of the boundary is never mentioned and, also, considering that this Priest is Lebanese and not American? Why is it that the worst possible scenario is so easy for some people to latch on to, run with and believe even if it is outlandish, farfetched and extreme for any ordinary Priest (or even any ordinary person for that matter)? I stand by this “wonderfully good and holy Priest” as I’m certain a great number of people in the diocese of Baton Rouge certainly already do, as well, if not the majority. I want the Truth to come out in all its intricate detail and minutiae. I am confident that after all the facts, events, motives, words and actions of all involved persons are, also, tried in the court of law (or even the court of public opinion or even from the desk of the Pope) that this wrongfully accused Priest will come out smelling like Castilian roses from Tepeyac Hill in the December of 1531.
Yes, I have heard that "cultural" boundary excuse used before - see story of Bishop Shaleta.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/louisiana-deacon-awaits-vatican-decision-his-excommunication
Another Louisiana diocese which seems to have a problem with responding in a timely manner.
My question, is if this article is mostly about the outrageously poor response by the bishop and not about this individual priest’s actual fault (or lack thereof) since a full investigation hasn’t been done, why publish his name? On the Pillar Podcast, Ed and JD always complain about lists of "credibly accused priests," but if those lists are bad, isn't this article essentially doing the same thing? Even the "letter to the laity" quotes in the article specifically asks not to share this far and wide. I certainly understand that in this case, there is an accusation that—if true—would mean that the priest could be a real threat to children today. And so maybe that's enough of a reason. But if our goal is to give all accused priests' due process, reporting like this doesn't seem like due process. (another possible explanation, is that these accusations are already public, but I'm not sure that's the case)
And, to reiterate, nothing about this has to do with reporting on the bishop's response or whether this specific priest is guilty/not guilty, I have no idea either way, but the evidence here seems compelling.
After Bishop Rhoades came to Fort Wayne-South Bend he was accused of sexual abuse while he was in Pennsylvania against an adult who had committed suicide. He made the allegations against himself public and recused himself from his office until the allegations were investigated and he was exonerated. That's how an upright bishop handles this stuff, even when it's against himself. When I say he's an excellent bishop I have good reason for my opinion.
https://www.ydr.com/story/news/2018/09/13/past-bishop-harrisburg-kevin-rhoades-cleared-any-wrongdoing/1288528002/
That sounds like the absolutely correct response. It inspires so much confidence
Prayers for this situation, all the people involved, and especially that the Truth will come to light.
I know reading the comments some people have some strong opinions on what that is or looks like, but honestly, the evil people are capable of never ceases to surprise. So before passing any judgement, maybe we can all pray for Truth for this situation.
I live in the diocese of Baton Rouge, where we (like many others) have a severe shortage of priests. I wish that our bishops were able to grasp that this culture of protecting the image and resources of the church rather than genuinely protecting the vulnerable is exactly why faithful Catholics might be reluctant to send their sons to seminary. If my sons were to encounter groomers and manipulators in seminary, I have zero confidence the church would do anything other than circle the wagons and try to protect its own image. The church is reaping what it has sown in so many ways. I am angry...and I will continue to pray for our bishops and priests and for the whole church.
As a mom of a son about the age to be discerning a vocation, I agree 100%. I fear the idea of his going to seminary more than the idea of his joining the military. I try to hand this fear over to the Lord every time it arises but it sure does come back whenever I read an article like this.
Sickened by this and praying for accountability and transparency❤️🙏
Thank you @The Pillar for shining needed light on it with this story❤️🙏
Wow. Yet another proud moment for the Catholic Church in America.
I’m repulsed by it all. Especially, by the clergy at the diocese level.
“For nothing is hidden but it will be made clear, nothing secret but it will be made known and brought to light.”
Luke 8:17
“Everything that is now covered, and everything now hidden will be made clear.”
Luke 12:2
(The Jerusalem Bible)
The diocese and its representatives have lost all credibility in this matter because they have not followed the process and procedures clearly set out by the USCCB. When will we learn? It’s also distressing that the Holy See is not following the processes they have in place. Sad.
EXTRA! EXTRA!!! READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!
THE ROSARY RALLY to be held on:
The Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
At Three O’clock in the Afternoon
THE HOUR OF MERCY
THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF
SAINT JOSEPH CATHEDRAL
401 Main Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
“Be there or be square!”
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
John 15:13 NABRE
https://bible.com/bible/463/jhn.15.13.NABRE
https://youtu.be/KVZu9A-dTfA?si=Xb3s2TUyATkUqBAM
https://youtu.be/ksqH6OHrkYs
https://youtu.be/QyCLC67GC9U?si=aTLLjd_WfKFA1vZI