For immediate release:
Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Ex-priest hired by another diocese, people outraged

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 862 7688 home, 314 503 0003 cell)

Bridgeport's Catholic bishop claims he notified a brother bishop about a pedophile priest. So what? The public, the parishioners and the police need to be warned about this potentially dangerous man, not one church official.

Despite the Pope's repeated comments about the church's on-going clergy sex abuse and cover-up scandal, this case is more proof that little has changed within the church hierarchy.

We desperately hope that anyone with suspicions or information about McGoldrick's crimes will call the police immediately. We hope that others who've been hurt by this predator finds the strength to come forward and get help. Finally, we hope that Bridgeport Catholic officials will use their considerable resources - their newspaper, websites, parish bulletins and staff - to warn Connecticut citizens about this child molesting cleric.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the nation's oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. We've been around for 17 years and have more than 8,000 members across the country. Despite the word "priest" in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

Contact: David Clohessy (314-566-9790 cell, 314-645-5915 home), Peter Isely (414-429-7259) Barbara Blaine (312-399-4747), Barbara Dorris (314-862-7688), Mary Grant (626-419-2930), Mark Serrano (703-727-4940)

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HOLY FUROR AT DIOCESE AS SEX-RAP PRIEST HIRED
By DAN MANGAN

April 22, 2008 -- A Catholic priest who was defrocked amid allegations he molested a boy in one diocese was hired by another, where he socialized with teens and young men studying to be priests, The Post has learned.

Despite warnings from the Bridgeport, Conn., Roman Catholic Diocese, Albert McGoldrick was given a job as an assistant to the bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, a diocese headquartered in Stamford, Conn., but which also has churches in New York.

"There's no reason why this guy should be back working with boys," said private investigator Vito Colucci, who would not disclose his client. "People are furious . . . These are boys, 17, 18, 19, 20 years old from the Ukraine - naive boys who are looking to get into the priesthood."

Colucci said he confronted McGoldrick, 58, in December about young men at St. Basil College in Stamford visiting his seminary-owned house, and asked, "Can you see why my clients are upset with this?"

"He said, 'No,' " Colucci recalled.

McGoldrick resigned as a priest in the Bridgeport Diocese in 2002 after a man claimed to have been molested by him in 1979, when he was 15. McGoldrick was then defrocked by the diocese.

In 2003, the unidentified accuser and 39 others accepted a $21 million settlement from the diocese to end lawsuits alleging molestation by dozens of priests, including McGoldrick.

McGoldrick was hired by the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, which swears allegiance to Pope Benedict, who during his visit here last week blasted pedophile priests.

The Bridgeport Diocese "kept the Ukrainian eparchy fully informed of Mr. McGoldrick's situation and status," said Bridgeport Diocese spokesman Joseph McAleer. "The diocese, moreover, has consistently and strenuously objected to his employment by the eparchy."

Several months ago - after Colucci began making inquiries - McGoldrick stopped working for the Ukrainian bishop.

But Colucci said McGoldrick - who could not be reached for comment - was seen recently at his seminary-owned house across the street from St. Basil.

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