Rev. Angelo Ditta was removed from active duty just two weeks after Bishop William Murphy said there were no "credible" allegations of sexual abuse against any active priest on Long Island. The diocese has removed Ditta based on a complaint it has been aware of since 1997. Ditta moved to St. Margaret of Scotland in Selden and Matthew Mosher, who was molested by him beginning when he was 9, would visit Ditta and serve Mass with him.
Last week, the diocese also removed the Rev. Eugene Vollmer, an associate pastor at St. James in Seaford, because of allegations made by two brothers, Rainer and Mark Welzel. Since then, several other people have come forward to police with accusations concerning Vollmer. Laura Ahearn, an advocate for sexual abuse victims and founder of the group, Parents for Megan's Law, said she was "deeply disturbed" about how the Ditta case was handled. "Bishop Murphy made a commitment to our community when he said there was no one serving in our diocese with a substantial allegation against him," she said. "Now two cases have surfaced. They place more value on protecting their priests than they do our children."
(New York)