James Porter (priest)
Encyclopedia
James Porter was a Roman Catholic priest
who was convicted of molesting 28 children; he admitted sexually abusing at least 100 children of both sexes over a period of 30 years, starting in the 1960s.
. He was ordained in 1959 and became a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts
.
Porter was assigned to St. Mary's parochial
grammar school
in North Attleboro, Massachusetts in April 1960 and put in charge of the altar boys. Complaints of sexual abuse
, ranging from fondling to rape
, quickly surfaced against him, but no action was taken.
upon its patients, many of whom were clergy
members suffering from psychological problems. Porter's "problem" was not unique among the hospital's patients; two of them were later imprisoned for abusing, between them, hundreds of children.
Porter was released after a few months, once again declared cured, and given probation
ary assignments in parishes in Texas
, New Mexico
and Minnesota
, all of which included access to children. Complaints surfaced by the dozen against Porter, but none of them resulted in disciplinary action beyond his being moved from post to post.
In 1973, Porter wrote a letter to Pope Paul VI
requesting to be released from the priesthood, in which he admitted molesting children across five states; the Pope granted his request and, in 1974, Porter gave up his collar. He married, and eventually settled in Minnesota. He and his wife had four children.
, resulting in over 200 people coming forward and leveling charges of abuse against Porter. A 1992 segment on Porter's crimes on the ABC
TV news magazine Primetime Live, hosted by Diane Sawyer
, sparked national attention. Porter was arrested, tried and convicted of sexually abusing his children's babysitter in 1984. He served four months of a six-month prison
sentence before his conviction was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court
.
Cardinal Bernard Law, Archbishop of Boston
, criticized the media attention Porter's case received, calling Porter's case "aberrant". A decade later, Law resigned the Boston see
after widespread criticism of his handling of cases like Porter's.
By 1993, dozens of lawsuit
s had cropped up against Porter in Minnesota, Texas and New Mexico; in Minnesota alone, he was charged with over 200 counts of sexual abuse. Porter's lawyer struck a plea bargain
, and Porter was sentenced to 18–20 years in prison, with possibility of parole
, with counseling, after six years. Parole was consistently denied.
at New England Medical Center in Boston
, where he had been transferred the month before from a Massachusetts hospital. He had finished his prison sentence in 2004, but was being held pending a civil commitment hearing.
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who was convicted of molesting 28 children; he admitted sexually abusing at least 100 children of both sexes over a period of 30 years, starting in the 1960s.
Early life
Porter started both training for the priesthood and molesting children at a young age; he abused his earliest known victim in 1953, the summer before he entered seminarySeminary
A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
. He was ordained in 1959 and became a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
.
Porter was assigned to St. Mary's parochial
Parochial school
A parochial school is a school that provides religious education in addition to conventional education. In a narrower sense, a parochial school is a Christian grammar school or high school which is part of, and run by, a parish.-United Kingdom:...
grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
in North Attleboro, Massachusetts in April 1960 and put in charge of the altar boys. Complaints of sexual abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
, ranging from fondling to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
, quickly surfaced against him, but no action was taken.
Crimes
In 1964, Porter was arrested for molesting a 13-year-old boy and sent to a mental institution for 13 months. Once released, he was quickly reassigned to another parish, the first of many such reassignments over the years. He was shuffled into two more parishes before more accusations piled up and he was hospitalized again in 1967, this time to a hospital run by fellow priests who practiced holistic psychotherapyPsychotherapy
Psychotherapy is a general term referring to any form of therapeutic interaction or treatment contracted between a trained professional and a client or patient; family, couple or group...
upon its patients, many of whom were clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
members suffering from psychological problems. Porter's "problem" was not unique among the hospital's patients; two of them were later imprisoned for abusing, between them, hundreds of children.
Porter was released after a few months, once again declared cured, and given probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
ary assignments in parishes in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
and Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, all of which included access to children. Complaints surfaced by the dozen against Porter, but none of them resulted in disciplinary action beyond his being moved from post to post.
In 1973, Porter wrote a letter to Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
requesting to be released from the priesthood, in which he admitted molesting children across five states; the Pope granted his request and, in 1974, Porter gave up his collar. He married, and eventually settled in Minnesota. He and his wife had four children.
Caught
In 1990, Frank Fitzpatrick went public with accusations that Porter had molested him as a child in the '60s. Over the next two years, Fitzpatrick contacted the state police, the FBI, and the mediaNews media
The news media are those elements of the mass media that focus on delivering news to the general public or a target public.These include print media , broadcast news , and more recently the Internet .-Etymology:A medium is a carrier of something...
, resulting in over 200 people coming forward and leveling charges of abuse against Porter. A 1992 segment on Porter's crimes on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
TV news magazine Primetime Live, hosted by Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
, sparked national attention. Porter was arrested, tried and convicted of sexually abusing his children's babysitter in 1984. He served four months of a six-month prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
sentence before his conviction was overturned by the Minnesota Supreme Court
Minnesota Supreme Court
The Minnesota Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Minnesota and consists of seven members. The court was first assembled as a three-judge panel in 1849 when Minnesota was still a territory. The first members were lawyers from outside of the region who were appointed by...
.
Cardinal Bernard Law, Archbishop of Boston
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the New England region of the United States. It comprises several counties of the state of Massachusetts...
, criticized the media attention Porter's case received, calling Porter's case "aberrant". A decade later, Law resigned the Boston see
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
after widespread criticism of his handling of cases like Porter's.
By 1993, dozens of lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
s had cropped up against Porter in Minnesota, Texas and New Mexico; in Minnesota alone, he was charged with over 200 counts of sexual abuse. Porter's lawyer struck a plea bargain
Plea bargain
A plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, and Porter was sentenced to 18–20 years in prison, with possibility of parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
, with counseling, after six years. Parole was consistently denied.
Death
Porter died February 11, 2005, of cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at New England Medical Center in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, where he had been transferred the month before from a Massachusetts hospital. He had finished his prison sentence in 2004, but was being held pending a civil commitment hearing.