Almost as soon as Pope Benedict’s plane left U.S. airspace, Catholics are learning of yet another instance where a Church knowingly hired a defrocked pedophile priest. The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy, with headquarters in Stamford CT, hired Albert McGoldrick, a defrocked priest, to work as an assistant to the bishop – a job that brought him into contact with young vulnerable seminarians.

“If Pope Benedict truly means all that he has said while in the U.S., he must act swiftly—using whatever powers and persuasive abilities he has—to ensure that McGoldrick no longer has any access to children or young men. He also should reprimand those who inappropriately hired McGoldrick,” said Dan Bartley, President of Voice of the Faithful.

According to press reports, McGoldrick was dismissed by the Diocese of Bridgeport and subsequently defrocked after being charged with molesting a 15-year-old in 1979.

The Diocese of Bridgeport should be commended for correctly informing the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the credible charges against McGoldrick. The Ukrainian Church should be rebuked for ignoring those warnings until a private investigator began making inquiries. Moreover, after his dismissal, McGoldrick reportedly continues to live in property owned by the Eparchy and across the street from the seminary.