Rockville Centre, N.Y., Dec 9, 2009 / 02:26 am
A New York Catholic priest close to former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani will return to ministry after being found not guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in a canonical trial before the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).
Msgr. Alan Placa, a Long Island priest accused of molesting a teenager in 1975, was the Diocese of Rockville Center’s leader on sexual abuse issues until June of 2002, when he himself was accused.
The monsignor was stripped of his priestly faculties while church authorities investigated.
The Diocese of Rockville Centre said in a statement that his case has been subjected to “extraordinary scrutiny” in conformity with the requirements of the norms established by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Dallas in 2002.