Charlotte Priest Put On Leave Amid Sex Abuse Accusations

CHARLOTTE, NC — A pastor of a Charlotte Catholic church parish that is among the largest in the U.S. has been placed on administrative leave following accusations that he sexually abused a boy more than two decades ago in Pennysvania.

Rev. Patrick Hoare of St. Matthew Catholic Church in Ballantyne was placed on leave Monday after a man said Hoare abused him before going into the ministry and while the victim was a minor, the Charlotte Observer reported.

“Please understand administrative leave is standard procedure under our policy and does not imply guilt,” Rev. Peter Jugis said in a statement to the congregation Monday evening, the newspaper said. “We do not yet know the facts and have no indication of any issues at St. Matthew Church.”

As of last month, the St. Matthew Catholic Church parish had nearly 11,000 registered families, ranking it among the largest in the country, the newspaper said.

The victim has reported the allegations —which Hoare denies—to the diocese, police and social services, Jugis told parisherners.

In recent years, Hoare has spoken out on the allegations of sex abuse in the church, WSOC reported.

Last year, following a Pennsylvania Grand Jury report alleging the abuse of more than 1,000 children by more than 300 priests, Hoare said in a statement that the report “reminds us once again of the terrible crimes that were committed by some members of the clergy, and reveals inexcusable instances of poor judgment, deception and negligence in the pastoral care of the victims of sexual abuse.”