Diocese removes priest over alleged misconduct

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary has placed a priest on administrative leave after receiving allegations of sexual misconduct.

In an official statement released Saturday, the diocese said the allegations involve two minors and several adults. The incidents are alleged to have taken place between 2010 and 2016.

Diocese officials say they have contacted law enforcement and that “there will be no further comments until the investigation has been completed.”

The priest on leave was assigned to multiple Calgary and southern Alberta parishes between 2002 and 2018. Members of all the parishes where the Calgary priest served were notified of the allegations this weekend.

Calgary police say the sex-crimes unit does not currently have any active investigations in relation to the announcement.

Postmedia Calgary has chosen not to identify the priest because he has not been criminally charged.

Saturday’s announcement follows a statement released by the diocese on Oct. 6 indicating a Calgary priest was suspended in response to allegations of sexual misconduct in a Vancouver parish between 1998 and 2003.

Calgary diocese officials said earlier this month a hotline and campaign were established in August to encourage people to report misconduct and sex abuse.

At an Oct. 10 news conference, Bishop William McGrattan spoke in support of new protocols detailed in a document by the Conference of Canadian Catholic Bishops.

“We need to move away from a culture of silence,” McGrattan said.

Patricia Jones, CEO of Catholic Family Service and chair of a sexual misconduct committee formed by the diocese, said at the October news conference she has received about two to three calls a week through the hotline, including many calls from seniors reporting historic cases of abuse.