Calgary, Canada, Priest Charged With Sexual Assault at St. Mark Church

A Catholic priest in Calgary has been charged with sexual assault. Calgary police have laid one count of sexual assault in connection with incidents alleged to have occurred at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church. The charge is an allegation that has not been tested in court, and no plea or conviction has been reported.

Police said they received a report in October of sexual assaults alleged to have taken place in September and October 2012. The complainant, a woman, said she had been sexually touched without consent on more than one occasion by a priest at St. Mark Roman Catholic Church on Madigan Drive N.E.

Malcom Joe D’Souza, 62, was arrested and charged on Jan. 11, according to police. The charge followed his removal from ministry duties. In October, he was placed on leave after the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary said it had received allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

The diocese’s allegations involved two minors and several adults, and were alleged to have happened during D’Souza’s tenure at St. Mark. Police have not published further details about the minors, and this article does not identify them. D’Souza most recently was assigned to St. Bernard’s and Our Lady of the Assumption parishes.

In a news release, the Calgary Police Service urged anyone who has been sexually assaulted to come forward, regardless of when the assault occurred, a call that reflects defending those who cannot defend themselves (Psalm 82:3). The release states that “there is no time limit on how long a victim has to report a sexual assault in Canada, and police can still investigate an incident decades after it occurred.”

A related CBC News report carries the headline that critics say the Calgary Catholic Diocese shouldn’t encourage sexual abuse victims to report to the diocese itself.

Source: Read the original report