Bishop considers outreach to those served by priest guilty of abuse

Published: 2008-04-23

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Bishop Carlos A. Sevilla of Yakima, Wash., is considering some form of outreach to parishes in his diocese where a priest had been assigned prior to facing charges of sexual abuse at a parish in a neighboring diocese. Father Robert Siler, moderator of the curia for the Yakima Diocese, told Catholic News Service April 22 that the exact course of action, if any, has yet to be determined. It would involve all four parishes where the priest had served, he added. In recent weeks, Bishop Sevilla has faced questions about his handling of the case of Father Joaquin Estrada, who pleaded guilty in December 2003 to felony sexual abuse involving a teenage girl in Morrow County, Ore., in the neighboring Diocese of Baker. The bishop also was criticized for hiring a former seminarian who was under investigation for viewing child pornography in Oregon prior to his arrival in the Yakima Diocese.

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