Rev. Edmundo Paredes, who has been accused of sexually abusing multiple teenage boys, is missing, officials at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, where he served as pastor, have said. (Diocese of Dallas)
A Catholic priest in Dallas who has been accused of molesting young boys and stealing from the parish has disappeared, church officials announced.
Rev. Edmundo Paredes, a longtime pastor at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, is accused of having molested teenage boys – an allegation Dallas police have found to be credible, Bishop Edward Burns, of the Dallas diocese, said.
Burns informed church members of Paredes' disappearance during Sunday's mass, the Dallas News reported. Church officials said he could have fled the U.S. for the Philippines, his native country.
Paredes had already been suspended from St. Cecilia Catholic Church and removed from its ministry in June 2017, according to Burns. At the time, he was accused of stealing $60,000 to $80,000 from the parish. Paredes admitted to the financial misconduct.
In February, church officials were informed Paredes allegedly molested at least three teenage boys during his time at the church – where he was pastor for 27 years, according to the Dallas News.
“I recognize this diocese cannot cover its ears, its eyes, its mouth. We need to look at this head on.”
Church officials haven’t disclosed the exact time when the alleged molestations occurred but have said they reportedly took place more than a decade ago.
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The Catholic Diocese of Dallas wasn’t aware of the sexual assault allegations at the time of his suspension for financial misconduct, a spokeswoman said. But the church is under fire for just now disclosing the allegations to its members.
“Why would Bishop Burns suppress this crucial information? Was it to protect the diocese from scandal?” Lisa Kendzior and Paul Petersen, local chapter leaders of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said in a statement. “What about concern for the safety of children and the need to comfort any survivors? Where is the transparency that the Catholic bishops promised?”
A spokeswoman told The Associated Press the allegations weren’t made public earlier because officials did not want to hinder the police investigation or compromise the victims’ identities.
While he had been removed from ministry last year, church members told the Dallas News they believed, until Sunday, Paredes was still living on church grounds. The church had a celebratory mass for Paredes in June 2017, which was reportedly referred to as a retirement celebration.
Burns said he consulted with the Diocesan Review Board, a group of non-clergy Catholics who counsel the diocese on matters involving the sexual abuse of minors, before revealing the allegations to the church. According to the Dallas News, last week’s bombshell grand jury report that claimed hundreds of priests molested more than 1,000 children – at least – in Pennsylvania was a catalyst to Burns being forthcoming.
“I need to come face-to-face with the frustration. I need to come face-to-face with this issue, with the anger, with the rage,” Burns told the Dallas News. “I recognize this diocese cannot cover its ears, its eyes, its mouth. We need to look at this head on.”
Rev. Martin Moreno, St. Cecilia Catholic Church’s current pastor, also promised Sunday he would “do anything I can with my own life to protect” his parishioners.
“The actions of one person do not represent the entire clergy of Dallas,” he said.
The Catholic Church is hiring private investigators to find Paredes, Burns said.
Clergy sex abuse scandals have reportedly cost the Catholic Church more than $3 billion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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