Advocate Urges Ex-Priest Be Added to Clergy Abuser List

A prominent church accountability advocate is calling for a former Roman Catholic priest, recently charged with the sexual assault of a disabled child, to be formally recognized as a credibly accused clergy abuser by the various ecclesiastical bodies where he once served. Mark Francis Ford, who ministered in several U.S. dioceses, faces accusations stemming from his time in New Orleans.

Ford, 64, was a member of the Vincentians religious order and was ordained in 1992. His ministry spanned the Archdiocese of New Orleans, as well as the dioceses of Dallas and Gallup, New Mexico. The specific allegations involve the rape of a boy he encountered through “God’s Special Children,” a New Orleans program he helped establish to support disabled youths. These alleged acts occurred both before and after Ford successfully petitioned the Vatican in 2007 for laicization, a process that removed him from the priesthood.

Investigation Into Ford’s Ministerial Past

News of Ford’s arrest in Indiana last September, where he was working for a hunger-relief nonprofit, sparked a deeper examination of his clerical career. New Orleans police had issued a warrant for his apprehension. This development prompted media outlets and Terry McKiernan, director of BishopAccountability.org, to delve into Ford’s history within the church.

McKiernan’s investigation revealed concerning inconsistencies in Ford’s record. He noted that Ford was conspicuously absent from the lists of active clergy in the 1994, 1999, 2002, and 2003 editions of the Official Catholic Directory (OCD). Such disappearances, McKiernan explained, typically “correlate with problems in ministry that are not being managed in a transparent way, and/or periods during which the priest has been sent to a treatment center.”

Unexplained Absences and Treatment Center Stays

Only the earliest of these career interruptions received public explanation. A 1997 report in The Dallas Morning News stated that Ford had previously entered a program in Albuquerque, New Mexico, administered by the Servants of the Paraclete. The official reason provided at the time was an issue with managing money. However, the Servants of the Paraclete program is widely recognized for addressing a broader spectrum of challenges, including substance abuse and pedophilia, not solely financial mismanagement.

McKiernan expressed significant doubt regarding the stated reason for Ford’s attendance at the Servants of the Paraclete facility. His organization, he stated, was “skeptical that this was the real reason that Ford was with the Servants of the Paraclete, whose missi…” The implication is that a more serious underlying issue may have prompted his enrollment in a program often used for clergy facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

The advocate’s call underscores a persistent demand for greater transparency and accountability within the Roman Catholic Church regarding individuals accused of abuse, particularly when their past contains unexplained gaps or ambiguous explanations for their removal from active ministry.

Source: The Guardian