The Boston Globe
May 24, 2013
The Rev. Joseph F. Byrne has been reinstated in the ministry after the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston cleared the 69-year-old priest of sexual abuse allegations, the archdiocese said Thursday.
Byrne was placed on administrative leave in May 2012 after someone contacted the archdiocese with an allegation that Byrne had sexually abused a child in the 1970s. The allegation was found to be unsubstantiated, the archdiocese said.
According to Byrne’s assignment history, he served at St. Matthew’s Parish in Dorchester from 1969 to 1975, then moved to St. John the Baptist Church in Quincy.
As a result of the investigation, Byrne is no longer on administrative leave and has been assigned the status of senior priest, the archdiocese said.
“In reaching this decision, Cardinal Sean O’Malley reaffirmed his care and concern for all persons impacted by the reality of sexual abuse of children,” the archdiocese said. “The cardinal and the archdiocese remain committed to resolving cases of this nature in a manner that is as just as possible for all involved.”
In June 2005, Byrne received five years of probation after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $135,000 from Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted Parish in Waltham and moving it to his personal bank accounts, the Globe previously reported. He had started embezzling the money at least as early as February 1997.
Lauren Dezenski can be reached at lauren.dezenski@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDezenski.
I’m not familiar with the term “senior” priest. I looked online and found some articles which say it is essentially an elderly priest, or a priest who has retired. I think it may be a term unique to some dioceses? Does anyone know for certain?
I do hope that that’s the case. After all, this man served five years probation after pleading guilty to embezzling more than $135,000 two parishes.
As for the sex abuse allegation, it was found by the diocese to be unsubstantiated. The trouble is, how many cases have we heard of in which a priest with previously “unsubstantiated” allegations was later found to be a molester? I know it’s not healthy, but I must admit that I am now ever so skeptical when I hear a diocese pronounce that sex abuse allegations are unsubstantiated.