CHARLOTTE — Two civil lawsuits have been filed against the Diocese of Charlotte involving past allegations of child sexual abuse by two priests dating from the 1970s and 1980s.
The allegations involve claims of abuse formerly made against the late Father Joseph Kelleher and Father Richard Farwell, in litigation that was dismissed by North Carolina courts in 2012 and 2014.
The two lawsuits were filed in Mecklenburg County Superior Court April 13, citing a new North Carolina law that permits certain claims for childhood sexual abuse to be asserted even if they were previously barred by the statute of limitations.
Kelleher was removed from ministry in 2010 and died in 2014. Farwell was sentenced to probation in 2004 and remains permanently out of ministry. Both were named on the diocese’s Accountability webpage in December 2019.
The diocese issued the following statement in response to the lawsuits being filed:
“The Diocese of Charlotte is aware of two lawsuits, pertaining to allegations that date back to the 1970s and 1980s, filed Monday by individuals whose claims against the diocese were previously dismissed by the North Carolina courts. We disagree that the diocese is liable to the plaintiffs and will respond to the litigation in court at the appropriate time. The diocese takes allegations of child sexual abuse very seriously and remains committed to providing a safe environment for all people, especially the young and vulnerable.”
— Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — The St. John Paul II Foundation, in collaboration with the Diocese of Charlotte and Belmont Abbey College, will present its “Converging Roads” health care ethics conference virtually this year.
Converging Roads is a regional conference series offering continuing education for health care professionals that equips them to practice the highest ethical and medical standards of their profession. Originally scheduled as an in-person conference, the third year of this conference is being held online.
The conference will take place online Saturday, May 9, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at a discounted rate. By joining the livestreamed conference, healthcare professionals can receive up to seven hours of continuing education credits.
For those unable to be present for the livestreamed conference, the presentations will be available for 72 hours afterwards.
“This conference is incredibly important for Catholics working in healthcare to attend so they can continuously be educated on where their faith and practice intersect,” said Jessica Grabowski, the Charlotte diocese's Respect Life program director. “The topics of the conference cover a wide variety of issues through both the lens of the Church and that of the medical practice.”
This year’s conference will focus on Catholic social teaching in medicine. Speakers will address topics such as “Care for the Sick and Dying: Rooted in Catholic Social Doctrine”; “The Secularist Attack on Religious Liberty of Medical Practitioners in the Literature and Law”; “Religious Freedom and Vaccines Compulsion: A View Through Catholic Social Teaching”; “A Catholic Response to the Opioid Crisis”; “Ethical Standards in the Pharmaceutical Industry”; “Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in Our Midst”; and “Access to Healthcare for the Poor and Undocumented.”
For details and registration information, go to www.convergingroads.com.
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter
