A Catholic priest twice convicted of possessing child pornography in Merced County — and recently released from prison — has continued to receive checks from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno since he was first arrested nearly five years ago.
Father Robert Gamel, 69, was the former head of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Los Banos.
Gamel has remained on paid leave since Aug. 15, 2014 — a day after allegations surfaced involving a teenage church member.
He is the diocese’s only priest with a criminal conviction who is still on paid administrative leave.
The church can’t go into details on its investigation, adding that the process was interrupted with the unexpected death of the diocese’s judicial canon lawyer.
Full story at Merced Sun-Star.
Does the Pope have a new policy, in his recent document– for clerics who are convicted sex offenders– regarding so-called “administrative leave,” and paychecks?? I think their paychecks should end, when they are convicted of their crimes– and at that time, I think the Vatican should laicize them. “Administrative leave” for clerics convicted of crimes– is ridiculous!!
One of many cases of priests in similar situations not laicized (reduced to the lay state) but continued on permanent administrative leave, receiving their salary and benefits (including medical insurance) for the rest of their lives, or until they foolishly request voluntary laicization. In one diocese a retiring bishop prepared laicization cases to go to Rome for a number of such priests, but his successor never followed up, and those priests still receive their salary and benefits at the expense of pew collections or donations from the suckered faithful, estimated at a million dollars of more per year in some dioceses!
How awful that Fr Bob was put in charge of a major Hispanic parish in Los Banos.
Maybe the paid Leave will help pay for psychiatric care for this sick man.
This is ridiculous. Maybe all donations to the church should stop until there is a new third party who look over the use of donations.
This is taking way to long with way much red tape.
Jesus is horrified by all of this.
I think all those commenting on this reporting need to do a little reading on what this whole case involved. Gamel had been counseling a teenage male who told him that he had posted a nude photo of himself on the web. Gamel found it, downloaded it, and told his assistant pastor about the incident. Rigidly following the Dallas rules, the assistant reported on Gamel to the diocese, which then reported it to the police. Gamel was then arrested, his house and computer searched and absolutely no “pornography” was found except for the one down-loaded photo. Possess of just one nude photo of a teenager under 18 is felony. Gamel was an idiot, not a molester or pervert. But Gamel was finished as a priest and on probation. Then it was found that he had not destroyed a printed copy of the photo. Again, like an idiot, he confessed to keeping it because he “had been told it was a felony to destroy evidence.” For this he spent four years in jail and was at least once beaten unconscious.
Now you want him stripped of all means of support and thrown out on the street. Sick. You all need to read what Jesus and Pope Francis say on mercy.