Seminary professor arrested for groping teen
August 12, 2011
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A seminary professor attending a conference for canon lawyers has been charged with assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Father David Szatkowski, SCJ, recalls having several drinks at his hotel and talking with the teen but denies assaulting her.
Educated at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and the Angelicum in Rome, Father Szatkowski has resigned from his positions as professor of canon law and director of the English as a Second Language program at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Wisconsin.
In January, the priest defended his doctoral dissertation, which was devoted to “the power of the major superior to resolve cases of child abuse,” he said at the time.
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Further information:
- Priest charged with assault on teen (La Crosse Tribune)
- A difficult but necessary statement (Priests of the Sacred Heart)
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Posted by: Tex132 -
Aug. 13, 2011 5:34 PM ET USA
Unfortunately, whatever the investigation reveals, I don't see how there can be any happy ending here. In this day and age priests should know better than to have alcoholic drinks around a teenager. It's just asking for trouble. It's especially disturbing this priests' doctoral dissertation dealt with child abuse. Sounds like he was book smart but didn't have common sense. Lord help him, the Church and those who will ask how this can keep happening?
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Posted by: koinonia -
Aug. 13, 2011 9:12 AM ET USA
We ought not jump to conclusions or to pronounce guilt prematurely. However, what is a man with those credentials thinking when "having several drinks" and "talking" with a teenage girl at a hotel? After all, one might simply lose one's balance after "several drinks" and accidentally "grope" anyone nearby to avoid falling. It seems that Catholic clerics are particularly slow at learning that alcohol, teenagers, and motels are not the best mix.
