Calgary Herald
Updated: January 15, 2019
Calgary police have charged a Catholic priest with sexually assaulting a woman more than six years ago.
Investigators say the woman told them last October about assaults at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church in Marlborough between September and October 2012.
The woman said she was touched on “several occasions” by the church’s pastor.
Malcolm Joe D’Souza, 62, of Calgary was arrested on Friday and has been charged with one count of sexual assault.
Last fall, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary put D’Souza on administrative leave after receiving allegations of sexual misconduct.
The diocese said the allegations involved two minors and several adults, adding the incidents are said to have taken place between 2010 and 2016.
He had previously been assigned to multiple Calgary and southern Alberta parishes between 2002 and 2018.
Just weeks earlier, a statement released by the diocese said another Calgary priest was suspended over claims of sexual misconduct in a Vancouver parish between 1998 and 2003.
Ryan C. Rumbolt@RCRumboltStaff Sgt. Bruce Walker with @CalgaryPolice says Father Malcolm D’souza allegedly assaulted victim at St. Mark’s Catholic church. The priest is only charged with one count of sexual assault but police are still investigating
The diocese confirmed Bishop William McGrattan placed D’Souza on administrative leave “and prohibited him from exercising any priestly ministry.”
The diocese also said D’Souza had previously worked at a number of parishes in Alberta, including Lethbridge, Milk River, Claresholm, Nanton and High River.
Most recently, D’Souza was assigned to the St. Bernard’s and Our Lady of the Assumption parishes in Calgary.
D’Souza will appear in court Feb. 21.
In a brief news conference Tuesday morning, Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker with the Calgary Police Service sex-crimes unit said police are still investigating, saying it’s unclear if the assault happened “just outside the church or inside the church.”
Even though police said the woman reported multiple inappropriate incidents involving D’Souza, Walker said evidence gathered only warranted one charge of sexual assault, but didn’t rule out the possibility of additional victims coming forward.
Walker said Calgarians have been reporting more historic sexual assaults over the past few years as the subject becomes less “taboo,” adding “people maybe feel more comfortable discussing (assaults) with their friends, family.”
Sexual-assault cases involving people in a “position of power or authority” can be “more complicated,” Walker said, and he encouraged anyone who was a victim of sexual assault to contact police.
Police say there is no time limit on how long a victim has to report a sexual assault.
Victims of sexual assault can contact the non-emergency line at 403-266-1234 or visit a district office. Anyone in immediate danger should call 911.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary includes 68 parishes across southern Alberta.
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Sexual assault charge laid against Calgary priest
CTV News Calgary
Published Tuesday, January 15, 2019 8:34AM MST
Last Updated Tuesday, January 15, 2019 6:44PM MST
Colleen Schmidt, Supervisor | Online News
A Calgary priest has been charged in connection to alleged sexual assaults that happened at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church in 2012.
Last October, Calgary police received a complaint from a woman who said she was sexually touched without her consent several times by a priest at the church, located at 5552 Madigan Drive N.E.
The assaults allegedly happened between September and October of 2012.
Sexual misconduct allegations led to the removal of Father Malcolm D’Souza from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary (courtesy: Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary)
On Friday, police arrested Malcolm Joe D’Souza, 62, and he was charged with one count of sexual assault.
“As part of the investigation, looking at the specifics, we decided to go with one count of sexual assault,” said S/Sgt Bruce Walker, Calgary Police Sex Crimes Unit. “With regards to any other victims, at this time, we have no other victims that have come forward with this particular priest.”
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary released a statement on Tuesday and said it was aware of the charges and that D’Souza was placed on administrative leave and prohibited from ‘exercising any priestly ministry’ last October.
The church says it will not comment further on the charge as the matter is before the courts and that it is cooperating with the police investigation.
“I think if we look back over the last couple years, we certainly see an increase in historical sexual assaults being reported to police and a learning for me in the last couple of years of being in this unit, we certainly see sexual violence is in every single community, profession, or what have you, we see, it’s quite prevalent in any community. I think any time anybody has a position of power or authority over somebody then certainly that makes things more complicated and more serious, especially for this, any victim who is assaulted by someone in a position of authority,” said Walker.
D’Souza is scheduled to appear in court on February 21, 2019.
Anyone with information about a sexual assault should call the Calgary Police Service non-emergency line at 403-266-1234, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously using either of the following methods:
TALK: 1-800-222-8477
TYPE: www.calgarycrimestoppers.org
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Calgary Catholic priest charged with sexual assault
The charge relates to incidents alleged to have occurred in 2012
Calgary police have charged a priest with one count of sexual assault for incidents alleged to have occurred at St. Mark Catholic Church. (Google Maps)
A Catholic priest in Calgary has been charged with sexual assault.
Calgary police say they received a report in October that sexual assaults had taken place in September and October 2012.
The victim, a woman, said she had been sexually touched without consent on more than one occasion by a priest at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church on Madigan Drive N.E.
Malcom Joe D’Souza, 62, was arrested and charged with one count of sexual assault on Jan. 11, according to police.
Other allegations
The charge comes after D’Souza was put on leave in October, after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary said it had received allegations of sexual misconduct against the priest.
Those alleged incidents involved two minors and several adults and are alleged to have happened during the priest’s tenure at St. Mark.
D’Souza had most recently been assigned to St. Bernard’s and Our Lady of the Assumption parishes.
No time limit on reporting assaults
“The Calgary Police Service encourages anyone who has been sexually assaulted to report it, regardless of when the assault occurred,” reads a news release on the incident.
“There is no time limit on how long a victim has to report a sexual assault in Canada, and police can still investigate an incident decades after it occurred.”
D’Souza will next be in court on Feb. 21.
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Calgary Priest Malcolm Joe D’Souza Charged With Sexual Assault
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary says it is co-operating fully with police.
Huffington Post
15 January 2018 13:37 EST
Bill Graveland Canadian Press
CALGARY — A Catholic priest in Alberta is being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a church more than six years ago.
Police investigators say the woman told them last October about assaults at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church in Calgary’s northeast between September and October 2012.
The alleged victim, an adult woman, reported being sexually touched without consent on several occasions by a priest at the church.
Malcolm Joe D’Souza, who is 62, was arrested on Friday and charged with one count of sexual assault.
D’Souza was pastor at St. Mark’s from 2010 to 2016.
He is to make his next court appearance Feb. 21.
In October 2018, Bishop (William) McGrattan placed Fr. D’Souza on administrative leave and prohibited him from exercising any priestly ministry.Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary
Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker from the Calgary Police Service sex crimes unit says investigators have seen an increase in complaints about historic sexual assaults.
“We certainly see sexual violence is in every single community, profession, or what have you. It’s quite prevalent in any community,” Walker said Tuesday.
“Any time anybody has a position of power or authority over somebody, then that certainly makes things more complicated and more serious.”
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary said it was co-operating fully with police.
“The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary has been informed by the Calgary Police Service sex crimes unit that Fr. Malcolm D’Souza has been charged with sexual assault in response to historic allegations,” the diocese said in an emailed statement.
“In October 2018, Bishop (William) McGrattan placed Fr. D’Souza on administrative leave and prohibited him from exercising any priestly ministry.”
Police encouraging victims to come forward
The diocese said it won’t provide further details since the matter is now a legal one, but it encourages anyone with “relevant information” to contact the police.
Walker said no other charges are expected at this point.
“At this time there’s no active investigations,” he said.
Calgary police say that, in general, sexual assaults should be reported regardless of when they occurred because there is no time limit on how long a victim has to come forward.
Police can investigate decades after an encounter occurred.