BOSTON — A Roman Catholic priest from Massachusetts will return to public ministry after charges that he sexually assaulted a child more than two decades ago were dropped.
In 2022, Monsignor Francis Strahan was indicted on forcible child rape and indecent assault and battery charges. Strahan was accused of assaulting an altar boy when he was a priest at St. Bridget Parish in Framingham, a Boston suburb, on two occasions from 2004 until 2008 when the boy was between the ages of 11 and 13. But over the weekend, the Archdiocese of Boston said Strahan, a senior priest who retired, had been cleared of civil and canonical allegations and would return to public ministry.
'Although the victim ultimately chose not to testify in 2023 due to the toll it would take on his physical and mental health, this decision in no way undermines the credibility or significance of the detailed reports he made to law enforcement,' the group said in a statement. 'The Archdiocese of Boston has provided no substantiating evidence for its claim that the allegations 'did not have a semblance of truth'.
Returns To Public Ministry After Child Rape Charges Dropped Against Him
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