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Article: Toledo parishioners grieving, angry at loss of pastor; bishops took action; now parishes are paying the price.(Robert Fisher removed from role as parish priest, Toledo, Texas)
- Article from:
- National Catholic Reporter
- Article date:
- July 5, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 National Catholic Reporter. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Fr. Robert J. Fisher and his small parish in Toledo's north end are caught in the zero-tolerance chain saw that is pruning child sex abusers from the ranks of Catholic clergy across the nation.
The U.S. bishops' tough policy came in the wake of widespread reporting on serial abuser priests like Massachusetts' John Geoghan, who is accused of molesting more than 130 children.
But parishioners at St. Michael the Archangel Church say their pastor is no John Geoghan, and they feel Fisher's treatment is unfair.
Fisher's crime wasn't a felony, and it was a one-time offense. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in 1988. The offenses were sexual imposition ...