The Colorado Independent
12 April 2010
The Church sex abuse scandal came home this week to Colorado. Charles Chaput, the politically outspoken Archbishop of Denver who has been mostly mum on the scandal that has rocked the Vatican, removed Father Mel Thompson from active ministry at St. Thomas More church in Centennial after complaints that Thompson abused a boy in the 1970s. The alleged victim, now an adult, apparently came forward this weekend. Police in Centennial have reportedly opened a file on the matter even though authorities say any abuse is now beyond the statute of limitations and won’t result in criminal charges.
Thompson has been a priest for nine years at the Centennial church. He previously served at Our Lady of Fatima, St. Vincent De Paul, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Good Shepherd (formerly St. John the Evangelist), St. Rose of Lima, and Christ the King. The archdiocese asked anyone with concerns about Thompson’s conduct to reach the Child and Youth Protection Office.
“I was deeply shocked and surprised. Father Mel has always been very, very good to us all here at St. Thomas More,” said parishioner Roberta Marchese.
The removal comes after an April 7 complaint against Thompson for “past sexual misconduct with a minor that reportedly occurred in the early 1970s,” Chaput said.
A spokeswoman for the archdiocese, Jeanette DeMelo, said Sunday the abuse complaint came from a grown male.
The church would not be more specific about when the alleged misconduct occurred, and a timeline provided by the church does not say where Thompson served from 1970 to 1973. After that, Thompson was assigned to Good Shepherd Parish in Denver, formerly named St. John the Evangelist.
The church has reported the alleged abuse to local law enforcement, Chaput said. Denver police spokesman Matt Murray said the officer in charge of leading such investigations has not been notified about this particular case. However, Murray said that doesn’t mean the case could be in the department’s system waiting to be investigated on Monday….
The church has alerted parishes and other dioceses where Thompson served.
“It is important to note that Father Thompson maintains his innocence of the allegation, and to respect his privacy as this matter proceeds,” Chaput said in the statement.
Last year the Vatican appointed Chaput to the small group of Church investigators charged with examining evidence against high-profile abuse suspect Marcial Maciel, founder of the wealthy Legion of Christ order. Revered among the top ranks of the Church, Maciel fathered several children and diverted Legion funds to support some of them. He is accused of abusing seminarians for decades. The anticipated report on the Vatican investigation of Maciel is due out any time and will undoubtedly fuel the scandal already raging in Rome and around the world.
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Denver church removes priest in new sex scandal
Examiner.com
April 12, 1:12 PM
Kenneth Green
Possibly influenced by the delayed reaction by other church leaders on the issue of priests accused of sex abuse, the Archbishop of Denver wasted little time in removing a Centennial area priest from active duty after a man came forward this weekend and said he had been abused by the priest in the 1970s.
Charles Chaput, who has been uncharacteristically mum on the Vatican response to recent sex abuse scandals, removed Father Mel Thompson from active duty at St. Thomas More Church after a man came forward and said that Thompson abused him in the ‘70s. No exact dates or location were given by Denver Archdiocese spokeswoman Jeannette De Melo, according to the Denver Post.
Thompson has worked at St. Thomas More Church for nine years and previously worked at Our Lady of Fatima, St. Vincent De Paul, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Good Shepherd (formerly St. John the Evangelist), St. Rose of Lima, and Christ the King. According to records, Thompson worked at St. Rose of Lima Parish in Denver from 1969 to 1970 and at Good Shepherd Parish, formerly called St. John the Evangelist in Loveland in 1973.
Centennial police have reportedly started a file on the case but added that if the abuse occurred in the 1970s, it is beyond the statute of limitations and not eligible for criminal charges. However, they asked anyone with information related to Thompson’s conduct while at St. Thomas More to contact the Child and Youth Protection Office.
As is Denver Archdiocese policy, the report was turned over to the police and the former parishes that Thompson served were notified by letter of the allegations. The procedure stems from the aftermath of the Denver priest abuse investigations of the early 2000s when the archdiocese paid out approximately $5.5 million to 18 victims of abuse that dated from 1954 to 1981.
Thompson, believed to be in his 70s, was not available for comment according to the
The swift, decisive stance by the Denver Archdiocese and Chaput in particular is in contrast to their relative quiet on allegations that Pope Benedict (then John Ratzinger), among other allegations, worked to protect alleged sexually abusive priests in the 1980s in Europe and in the U.S.
That relative silence is a bit uncharacteristic in that Chaput has been extremely vocal on a number of other issues including the “adulation” of Barack Obama, the role of the Catholic church in politics and even a positive review of the film “The Golden Compass”.