Timor-Leste archbishop in plea over ex-priest s sex abuse case
Top churchman calls for priests, religious to respect the Vatican s decision to dismiss Richard Daschbach
Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva s letter to Timor-Leste clergy and religious states that Richard Daschbach is ‘no longer a priest but a layman.’ (Photo: YouTube)
Timor-Leste’s top churchman has called on priests and religious to respect the Vatican s decision to dismiss a priest for sexual abuse and asked them to support his alleged victims in a case currently on trial.
In his July 22 letter to priests, deacons, nuns and seminarians, Archbishop Dom Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili said it was necessary to emphasize the status of Richard Daschbach, a former Divine Word (SVD) priest who was dismissed by the Vatican in 2018.
Sacked priest in Timor-Leste 'will remain defrocked' ucanews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ucanews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Pedophile former priest evades justice in Timor-Leste
Despite his crimes, American Richard Daschbach enjoys celebrity status in the tiny Catholic-majority nation
Former Timor-Leste president Xanana Gusmao (right) with Richard Daschbach, a former priest defrocked by the Vatican for child sexual abuse. (Photo: Twitter)
Richard Daschbach might be 84, defrocked from the priesthood and under house arrest in Timor-Leste capital Dili, but he continues to make a buzz in the tiny Catholic-majority Southeast Asian nation.
The self-proclaimed pedophile and former priest from the Society of the Divine Word congregation has hit the headlines again in Timor-Leste and beyond.
On Jan. 26, former president Xanana Gusmao visited the American to greet him on his birthday and pose for photos in what some believe was a political stunt by the former guerrilla leader turned politician.