BOSTON, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- An American Jesuit priest tapped by Pope Francis to serve as the Vatican's top child sex crimes prosecutor is one of several Catholic officials who failed to report an abusive priest and allowed him to continue in ministry for years, the Boston Globe reported.
The Rev. Robert J. Geisinger, named the Vatican's Promotor of Justice in September, knew as early as 1995 about the child-molestation complaints against the Rev. Donald McGuire and never informed law enforcement, the Globe reported. Geisinger was the second-highest official with the Chicago Jesuits in the 1990s and had detailed knowledge of the complaints against McGuire, the Globe reported.
McGuire, 84, was convicted on several counts of child molestation and sex abuse in state and federal courts in 2006 and 2008. He is serving a 25-year federal sentence. He once served as spiritual advisor to Mother Theresa and was lauded as a gifted teacher and philosopher. Internal church records showed that the Chicago Jesuits concealed McGuire's crimes for more than 40 years.
The Globe, citing church records and documents produced during lawsuits filed against McGuire, said Geisinger "played a significant role in the Jesuits' long, unsuccessful effort to prevent McGuire from continuing to befriend and travel with young teenagers -- often sharing rooms with them -- despite complaints dating to the 1960s"
The Vatican press office told the Boston Globe that Geisinger had "voiced concerns regarding McGuire's conduct" while working with the Jesuits. Geisinger was credited with assisting in McGuire's expulsion from the church in 2008.
