Bishop Dupre indicted on child rape charges but won't be prosecuted

Published: 2004-09-28

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (CNS) -- In what he acknowledged was "a very unusual situation," Hampden County District Attorney William Bennett indicted retired Bishop Thomas L. Dupre of Springfield on two charges of child rape Sept. 27, then quickly decided not to prosecute the bishop. Bishop Dupre was the first U.S. bishop to be indicted on criminal charges of sexually abusing a minor, although three others have admitted such abuse and resigned because of it since 1993. Indictments unsealed from a Hampden County, which were handed up by a grand jury Sept. 24 and unsealed the morning of Sept. 27, charged the bishop with the "statutory rape of two boys at diverse times commencing in or about 1976 and 1979 and prior to their 16th birthdays, that is, in 1979 or 1980." Citing health reasons, Bishop Dupre retired as head of the Springfield Diocese Feb. 11. Shortly after the announcement that Pope John Paul II had accepted the bishop's resignation, The Republican daily newspaper reported that he had been accused of sexual misconduct by two men.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .