Dallas, Texas, Jun 20, 2004 / 22:00 pm
Roman Catholic priests were transferred from countries where they have been accused of abusing children even after the abuse scandal that swept the U.S. church in 2002, the Dallas Morning News reported on Sunday, after a year-long investigation.
Hundreds of priests accused of abuse have been moved from country to country, allowing them to start new lives in unsuspecting communities and continue working in church ministries where they are in contact with children, the newspaper reported in its Sunday edition.
According to the Dallas Morning News,the priests lead parishes, teach, and continue to work in settings that bring them into contact with children, despite church claims to the contrary.
In one case, the Rev. Frank Klep, a convicted child molester who has admitted abusing one boy and is wanted on more charges in Australia, was placed in Apia, Samoa, in the South Pacific. Australia has no extradition treaty with Samoa.