Vatican defrocks accused priest

Westfield, Mass. (CBS/AP/WANE) - Earlier this year the Vatican defrocked Edward Paquette, which means he is no longer a priest.

For decades, there have been allegations of pedophilia surrounding Paquette. He served at parishes in Massachusetts, Vermont and in the Fort Wayne - South Bend Diocese in Indiana. According to published reports, Paquette was a priest in the FW-SB Diocese between 1964 and 1971.

Bishopaccountability.org reports that during that time Paquette served in Michigan City, Elkhart, South Bend and Decatur.

The sites lists St. Mary's as the parish Paquette served in Decatur from 1965-1969.

NewsChannel 15 contacted the FW-SB Diocese and a spokesperson would only say that Paquette was defrocked on January 31, and that a statement had been printed in a newsletter.

Paquette, now in his 80's, was suspended from practicing as a priest in 1978 and now lives in Westfield, Mass.

One lawsuit, brought against the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont by a former alter boy at Christ the King Church, resulted in an $8.7 million judgment in 2008 against the diocese. The suit claimed that the diocese knew Paquette had molested boys in Massachusetts and Indiana before coming to Vermont.

The diocese has appealed the judgment to the Vermont Supreme Court.

But being defrocked so far is the only penalty Paquette has had to face because many of the allegations fell outside the statute of limitations.

"It's a far greater problem than we realize," Barbara Dorris told NewsChannel 15. Dorris serves as the Outreach Director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

She says Paquette's defrocking is a only small victory for the organization.

"They recognized that Pacquette is a dangerous predator. There are allegations of abuse in many places for this man, but our concern is they've found out about this easily since 1978...so why did it take so long to defrock him?"