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CNN Live Today

Former Boston Priest Arrested on Charges of Raping a Child

Aired May 02, 2002 - 14:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Details again this hour now in the arrest of a former Boston priest on child rape charges.

The Middlesex D.A. wrapped up a news conference in Cambridge about 45 minutes ago. Jason Carroll back with us live, in Boston, for more on this story.

Jason, good afternoon, again.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good afternoon to you, Bill.

We do have some more details about Father Paul Shanley's arrest that the Middlesex D.A. Martha Coakley just gave us just a short while ago.

Father Shanley was arrested at his apartment in San Diego, CA early this morning, arrested on three counts of rape of a child with force.

Detectives apparently called him from outside his apartment and told Shanley that they had an arrest warrant for him. He invited them in, and he was taken into custody without any incident.

Again, arrested for allegedly raping a child. The D.A. saying that the abuse happened between 1983 and 1990 at St. John's parish in Newton. Newton is located not too far from Boston.

According to the D.A., the victim is now 24 years old. She described how the alleged abuse took place when the alleged victim was a 6-year-old CCD student.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTHA COAKLEY, MIDDLESEX CO. D.A.: What the young man alleges is that almost on a weekly basis, as he was a student in a CCD class, Father Paul Shanley, who was the pastor at the time, would come to take not only him but others from that class for talks for various reasons.

They would be removed from the class, the priest would take them to one of three locations: to the bathroom, often across the street, to the rector, or to the confessional, and that is where the sexual abuse would occur. (END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: The unidentified victim says that Shanley told him that no one would believe him if he went and told his parents or anyone, in terms of the authorities.

Shanley was actually scheduled to be deposed today in a separate case, a civil suit involving Greg Ford and his parents.

Ford says that Shanley sexually abused him when he was a child in Newton. The Fords forced the Archdiocese of Boston to release some 1,600 pages involving Father Paul Shanley. Those documents were very, very damaging.

Those documents included some allegations that Shanley favored having sex between men and boys, also showed that the archdiocese had been warned on numerous occasions about allegations of sexual abuse.

In fact, Bill, those documents were so damaging that there have been many calls here in Boston, as you know, for Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law to step down, for his handling of the priest crisis. At one point, Shanley was moved from the parish here to a parish in Southern California. Church officials there say they had no idea about Shanley's past.

Shanley is a retired priest. He spent the last few years in San Diego, at one point volunteering for the San Diego Police Department. When the department heard about the allegations from the past, they immediately fired him from that position.

Shanley has not publicly answered any of the allegations that he has been facing. The D.A. says there is the possibility that more alleged victims could come forward, and she says that their investigation is still very much wide open.

At this point, the D.A. is working on trying to get Shanley back here to Boston, where he will be arraigned on these criminal charges.

Also, we should tell you, Bill, that a 3:00 p.m. news conference is scheduled with the Ford family, so I'm sure we're going to be getting more details about that case as well.

HEMMER: Parents present at that, as I understand. Is that right, Jason? Expected, anyway?

CARROLL: That will be correct. Yes. Paula and Rodney Ford.

HEMMER: Got it. Jason Carroll...

CARROLL: I'm sorry, I was just going to say that Paula and Rodney Ford are going to be present as well.

HEMMER: OK. Thank you, Jason. Jason Carroll, in Boston. We'll look to that again, next hour, in the 3:00 hour here, out of Boston, Massachusetts.

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