Click here for further coverage on this article which I am unable to post due to copyright. According to the article in the link, a board has been investigating the woman’s allegations against the monsignor since January (the Monsignor was, it seems, just placed on administrative leave 08 June 2013). Also, according to this article, Catholics gathered outside the Church during the 7 am Sunday Mass in Green Bay – the Mass was ‘said’ by the bishop, and those who gathered in support of Monsignor Reginald Laefleur did not attend the Mass.
There is also another article in the Dominica News Online related to this saga – this one predating the latter. Click here to access
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Catholics in Dominica rally in support of parish priest accused of molesting girl 20 years ago
The Republic (Columbus, Indiana)
June 09, 2013 – 5:25 pm EDT
By CARLISLE JNO BAPTISE Associated Press
ROSEAU, Dominica — Dozens of parishioners gathered outside a Roman Catholic church Sunday to support a parish priest who has been accused of molesting a girl nearly two decades ago.
Catholics in Dominica’s Grand Bay held cardboard placards saying “Our parish priest has to stay” and chanting their support for Monsignor Reginald Lafleur, who they referred to as “Father Reggie.”
The 59-year-old priest was put on administrative leave after a woman alleged that he touched her inappropriately on her “bottom and breast” and made “sweet eyes” at her 19 years ago when she was a 12-year-old parishioner. The woman made the accusations against Lafleur in a series of letters to Bishop Gabriel Malzaire, the head of Dominica’s diocese.
Malzaire has sent the accuser to the Caribbean country of Trinidad & Tobago for counseling as a local church panel investigates her allegations. He has not stated publicly why he decided to send her for counseling in Trinidad.
In one of her letters to Malzaire, the woman wrote, “I need money and it seems that I am being ignored.”
On Sunday, members of a church committee insisted Lafleur was innocent of the accusations and met privately with the bishop, who performed the morning Mass at the Grand Bay church to mostly empty pews. Most of the parishioners remained outside, milling about and holding placards.
Edward Registe, a member of the local church committee, told the crowd of protesters that Malzaire had said the investigation into the accusations against the parish priest would take another month at least. The demonstrators chanted, “We want Father Reggie back now!”
The Catholic Church has struggled to deal with sex abuse by its priests. A global scandal of Catholic clergy abuse erupted in 2002 after thousands of cases became public in the United States and elsewhere around the world.
This is strange. The complainant has been sent to Trinidad and Tobago for counselling? Also, I am surprised to see that, according to the posted coverage, the woman expressed a need for money? I wonder if perhaps she asked for funds to allow her to get counselling? Is that it? It truly is very unusual for a victim to ask for money like this.
Strange too that the investigation has allegedly been ongoing since January and the Monsignor has just been placed on administrative leave?
Anyway, as always, we shall see….