The Diocese of Fall River, Mass., announced Friday that Msgr. Roger Landry has been restricted from public ministry after allegations of misconduct were made against the priest by “multiple individuals.”
There are no allegations involving minors, the diocese emphasized, but he has been accused of “violations of the Codes of Conduct for Priests for both the Diocese of Fall River and Archdiocese of New York.”
Landry, 55, is a widely respected and influential figure in the Church in the United States.
The priest serves as the national director of the Pontifical Missions Societies. He was appointed to the role in 2024, at which point he was also granted the title of Monsignor. He previously served for seven years as an attaché to the Holy See’s diplomatic corps as the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York and he is a regular speaker, media commentator and contributor to Catholic publications on Church news and events.
A priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Landry was educated at Harvard before entering seminary and trained for the priesthood at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He was ordained in 1999.
A September 11 statement from the Fall River diocese said “Following an initial investigation conducted by the Archdiocese of New York, where Monsignor Landry’s ministry is based, the Diocese of Fall River, after consultation with the archdiocese and canonical advisors, has determined that sufficient evidence exists to restrict him from the public exercise of priestly ministry, pending the resolution of this matter.” Although Landry lives and works in New York, he remains a priest of the diocese and ultimately subject to the local bishop’s authority.
According to the diocesan statement, Landry “has requested to take a leave of absence from his post at the Pontifical Mission Societies and is entitled to the presumption of innocence while the investigation continues.”
In a public statement published online, Landry said that “The Diocese of Fall River has verbally communicated to me that the accusations involve alleged violations of prudence, pastoral boundaries, and diocesan codes of conduct with adults. There are no allegations of sexual activity whatsoever or of misconduct of any kind with a minor.”
“I maintain my innocence of any canonical violation or crime and will continue to defend my reputation to the best of my ability under the law of the Church,” the priest stated Friday. “Those who have raised concerns deserve to be heard. I am grateful that canon law respects my natural human right to be presumed innocent and the right to protect the good reputation I have enjoyed throughout the many years the Lord has given me the privilege to serve Him and His holy people.”
Msgr. Landry did not respond to a request for comment by The Pillar by time of publication.
In a statement circulated privately by Landry and forwarded to The Pillar, the priest said while he did not expect the diocese to disclose the nature of the allegations, “basically it involves boundary violations between spiritual direction and friendship.”
“There are no accusations of [any] sexual activity at all, or, according to the canon lawyer I’ve had to hire, nothing that seems to be a violation of canon law.”
The priest also stated that he had not been granted access to the complaint file, nor to know the identity of his accusers.
“As a result of the accusations, I have to take a leave of absence as National Director of the Pontifical Missions Societies and return to the Diocese of Fall River and submit to all of the restrictions that bishops normally put on any priest accused of anything whatsoever: no public Masses, no preaching, asking permission any time I leave the diocese, not being able to hear confessions or give spiritual direction,” he said.
Landry also said that he had been permitted to continue to wear clerics during this time and said he had been told to expect the investigative and disciplinary process to last between 6 months and a year, during which time he would have to step back from previously agreed public ministries and engagements.
“I ask for your prayers during this time,” said Landry in the privately circulated statement.
“I know the Lord is with me, risen from the dead, seeking to bring good out of every situation. I know that I follow the Crucified One who himself was accused of being a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners, and a blasphemer. From my study of the lives of the saints, so many, like St. John Vianney and St. Vincent de Paul, were publicly condemned (falsely) [...] but eventually the truth came out to the edification of others. I’m invoking their intercession.”
The announcement from Fall River comes just weeks before the priest was set to take center stage at the beatification of Fulton Sheen in St. Louis on September 24.
In addition to being slated to serve as a key coordinator for the liturgy of the beatification, Landry had been scheduled to provide live television commentary on events around the beatification for EWTN, and was listed as a guest of honor at a gala dinner the Diocese of Peoria for the 2026 Sheen Awards in honor of Fulton Sheen. His listing for the event has now been removed from promotional websites.
On the one hand, I rather wish they would just say what he's accused of, instead of letting people's imaginations fill in the blanks. On the other hand, I can see how that would harm the Monsignor's reputation. But...at the same time...not saying clearly what he's been accused of can harm his reputation.
This is all just a mess.
This is why some current priests do not offer spiritual direction in the strict sense.