..
Missing priest's body burned beyond recognition along with
slain church volunteer
By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor
Crime Scene Police Tape | Reuters/Carlo Allegri
Louisiana police said a convicted rapist released from prison just months ago has been accused of killing a retired pastor and a church volunteer and burning their bodies “beyond recognition” before dumping them in downtown Covington, a New Orleans suburb.
The victims have been identified as a 71-year-old Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Fr. Otis Young, and 73-year-old parish assistant Ruth Prats, according to Catholic News Service, which quoted police as saying their bodies were found “burned beyond recognition” behind a glass store less than a mile away from the church this week.
Hours after the bodies were found, police announced the arrest of 49-year-old Antonio Donde Tyson of Covington, WBRZ2 reported.
Dodson (I have no idea who Dodson is) was driving a car belonging to Prats early Monday and was reportedly involved in a hit and run, WBRZ2 said, adding that detectives found Prats’ phone in a dumpster. The detectives were then able to find out what happened as they accessed surveillance video from the area.
The video showed Tyson riding a bicycle past Prats’ home Sunday afternoon, according to WSDU. Tyson then spoke to Prats and Young for a few minutes, as per the video, which also showed Tyson then leaving and parking his bike on the side of a grocery store before walking up to Prats’ front door with what appeared to be a knife behind his back in a crouched position.
Young retired in July after pastoring St. Peter Catholic Church in Covington for about 10 years, and Prats was his caretaker. Police said the accused had no association with St. Peters Church.
In a statement, Archbishop Gregory Aymond of the New Orleans Archdiocese said, “The horror of the events that have unfolded here in Covington is beyond shocking. The pain, sadness, and disbelief that something like this could happen will stay with us but particularly those who are most directly affected for a very long time.”
He recalled that Young was “a beloved pastor who touched the lives of so many with his faith, warmth, and pastoral heart.”
“This is a loss for our church and for the entire community,” he said. “For all those who are hurting and asking how this could happen, may I humbly offer that we turn to our Lord Jesus in this time of mourning.”
Tyson has been booked on two counts each of first-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, obstruction of justice, resisting an officer and illegal possession of stolen things.
Tyson was released from a Louisiana state prison in August, following a 1993 conviction for burglary, armed robbery and forcible rape, The Daily Beast said, adding he was arrested in 1991 when he was 18 years old. After a violent home invasion, he raped the victim at gunpoint and, with an accomplice, he stole the woman’s car and fled.
What turns a boy into a violent rapist at 18? Was he raped as a child? Was a priest guilty of raping him? Young might have had absolutely nothing to do with that, but may have been chosen by Tyson as representing his rapist. This is guesswork, of course, but something had to trigger this man's violence and hate. Perhaps he will tell us one day.
Officials at Archdiocese of Montreal meddled in abuse investigations,
ombudsman says
High-ranking official leaked confidential information about abuse complaints,
according to new report
Leah Hendry · CBC News ·
Posted: Dec 09, 2022 12:53 PM ET |
Lawyer Marie Christine Kirouack was appointed as the ombudsman for the Archdiocese of Montreal
in May 2021 to handle abuse complaints. She said she began to encounter roadblocks this spring
when she started to probe old files. (Charles Contant/CBC)
The lawyer appointed to help make the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montreal more transparent in the way it handles allegations of abuse against clergy says her job is being undermined by those inside the church.
In a report made public Monday and obtained in advance by CBC News, Marie Christine Kirouack, the church ombudsman, said she discovered a high-ranking clergy member was leaking information about abuse complaints, and in some cases, actively discouraging complainants from contacting her.
"I was totally flabbergasted," Kirouack said in an interview. The lawyer was appointed to her role by the archdiocese in the spring of 2021 to deal with complaints of abuse and other inappropriate conduct.
Although the complaint process is supposed to be confidential, Kirouack said the priest, who is not named in her report, was sharing emails with a person outside the archdiocese.
The emails revealed the names of complainants, the names of people who are the subject of complaints and exchanges with an external investigation firm.
All of the leaked complaints concerned allegations of abuse, including sexual and psychological abuse.
Kirouack said she also learned the same priest had failed to notify her about one complaint and in another, told a complainant not to contact her. He told both complainants he would handle them himself — a violation of protocol.
Both complainants later spoke to Kirouack. One of the complaints led to the suspension of a priest and an internal investigation. The other was a person who came forward with allegations of psychological abuse.
"Do I think my work bothers some members of the old guard? Definitely, especially those who, knowingly, decided not to act in the past," wrote Kirouack in her report.
The Montreal archdiocese released a statement Monday, but did not address the allegations about the leaked complaints.
In the statement, the archdiocese claims that steps have already been taken "in order to eliminate any and all abusive situations" within the Catholic Church of Montreal.
"We continue to pursue these efforts with determination," the statement reads.
Lépine declined requests for an interview through Erika Jacinto, a spokesperson for the archdiocese. Jacintho said he wanted to respect the independence of the ombudsman's report.
Archbishop Christian Lépine, seen here in 2021, oversaw the appointment of an ombudsman
to handle allegations of abuse and was later informed by that ombudsman about leaks.
(Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
Priest relieved of duties — 3 months later
After learning about the breaches of confidentiality, Kirouack called an emergency meeting with Archbishop Christian Lépine and a few high-ranking clergy members at the end of August.
She prepared a document of more than 50 pages with all the emails, so she could clearly show them what had been leaked.
She highlighted the potential damage the leaks could cause complainants who were promised confidentiality and the possibility they could be pressured to withdraw their complaint if their identity was known.
"My first duty is to protect complainants," said Kirouack.
Kirouack said she was told a decision on the priest's future would be made quickly, but when no action was taken a month later, she told Lépine she would not send any further complaints to the advisory committee because she couldn't guarantee confidentiality.
The priest who had shared the emails wasn't relieved of his duties until Nov. 22, almost three months after Kirouack's original complaint.
Despite the loss of his position, Kirouack said the priest continues to work for the church and oversees several parishes.
The priest who leaked the information is Fr. Roger Dufresne, an episcopal vicar who oversaw parishes in the western part of the archdiocese, CBC has learned.
He was dismissed from his position and refused to meet with his own archbishop to explain his actions, according to a memo signed by Lépine. The archdiocese did not make Dufresne available for comment.
Hundreds of complaints, many related to abuse
There is more on this story at CBC News
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