DENVER – A Catholic priest from Denver accused of sexually abusing an adult seminary student was temporarily placed in a parish after officials learned of the allegations over a decade ago.
The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported on the case Monday after former seminarian Stephen Szutenbach went public partly because he is upset Rev. Kent Drotar wasn’t officially defrocked.
In a statement, the archdiocese said former Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput (SHAP’-yoo), now archbishop of Philadelphia, immediately suspended Drotar from the seminary as officials investigated but assigned him to a church following a psychological evaluation. He was removed after Szutenbach testified before a church panel and Drotar was ordered not to present himself as a priest.
In his weekly letter to Philadelphia Catholics, Chaput says the archdiocese’s policies were followed at all times in the case.
