New Orleans Priest Indicted On Child Rape Charges

The Guardian reports:

A retired Catholic priest from New Orleans who years ago secretly admitted to church leaders that he sexually molested or harassed numerous children is now facing criminal charges. State prosecutors in New Orleans obtained an indictment charging Lawrence Hecker, 91, on Thursday with aggravated rape, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated crime against nature and theft.

The crime allegedly occurred at a church attached to a Catholic high school where Hecker worked in 1975, when the accuser was either a 15- or 16-year-old child, according to the alleged victim’s civil attorney, Richard Trahant.

The accuser recalls that Hecker approached him under the guise of showing him a wrestling move, choked him unconscious and “sodomized” him, Trahant said. Trahant said his client and the victim’s mother reported it to the school at the time, but nothing was done.

Read the full article. There’s much more about Hecker’s lengthy history of child abuse, his admission to reporters two weeks ago, and the archdiocese’s role in covering up for him. Last week the archdiocese announced that it was selling multiple properties to help settle the more than 500 abuse lawsuits it faces.

New Orleans priest who admitted to sexually abusing minors faces criminal charges via ⁦@RVargasWrites⁩ https://t.co/3OeLefCAHl

— Sam Levine (@srl) September 7, 2023