A former Catholic priest who is accused in more than 20 lawsuits of molesting altar boys in Vermont is apologizing for his actions.
In an interview at his home in Westfield, Mass., 80-year-old Edward Paquette said he prays daily for the families of the people he harmed.
According to court documents, Paquette molested boys from the 1950s through the 1970s at parishes in Massachusetts, Indiana and Vermont. He was suspended from practicing as a priest in 1978 and defrocked by the Vatican last April.
One of Paquette’s victims, Michael Gay of South Burlington, told the newspaper that maybe Paquette is apologetic, but that he’s still not healing from Paquette’s abuse. He said the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington was wrong in not warning people about Paquette because of the history of molestation charges against him before he came to Vermont.
Note: Information for this report came from The Burlington Free Press.