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The Vatican recently upheld the removal of Father Patrick Hoare from his position as pastor of St. Matthew Catholic Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, concluding that his dismissal was consistent with Church law.
The ruling follows Fr. Hoare’s appeal of his 2020 removal, which was initiated by Charlotte’s then-Bishop Peter Jugis after a diocesan Lay Review Board (LRB) found “a semblance of truth” to allegations of boundary violations involving minors, The Charlotte Observer reported.
The board, composed of members appointed under Church law, had reviewed three complaints involving Fr. Hoare’s conduct in group settings at both St. Matthew and St. John Neumann parishes. These included allegations of hugging, touching the shoulders or abdomen of a minor, and being described as “very touchy,” according to a May 29 letter to parishioners from current Bishop Michael Martin of Charlotte, published by the Catholic News Herald.
“I am aware that this process has been long and difficult for many,” Bishop Martin wrote. “However, the faithful can be confident that in matters involving the welfare of minors we do not take shortcuts or risks.”
Fr. Hoare denied the allegations and remained on administrative leave during his appeal process. In January 2021, he formally appealed the decree to the Dicastery for the Clergy in Rome, according to Bishop Jugis’ 2023 letter to the parishioners of St. Matthew. After reviewing the case, the Dicastery denied the appeal in July 2021, stating that the diocese had “sufficiently demonstrated grave and lasting cause for the removal.”
Fr. Hoare then brought the case to the Apostolic Signatura, the Church’s highest court. In November 2022, the court dismissed the appeal as “manifestly lacking in foundation.”
The LRB had also evaluated two additional claims from Pennsylvania dating back 25 years, before Fr. Hoare entered the priesthood, according to Bishop Martin’s letter to parishioners. These accusations, which he also denies, involved alleged misconduct with relatives during his youth.
The board found some of the claims to be credible but noted uncertainty about the ages and circumstances due to the passage of time. Pennsylvania authorities reviewed the matter in 2020 and informed the diocese they could not pursue charges.
Because Fr. Hoare’s appeal was ongoing, the diocese had not been able to install a permanent pastor at St. Matthew, where Father John Allen has served in an interim role since 2019, the Charlotte Observer reported. With the Vatican’s ruling now concluded, Bishop Martin stated in the letter that he would move forward with appointing a new pastor as part of broader diocesan clergy assignments.
On May 30, the diocese announced that Bishop Martin appointed Father Patrick Cahill, the pastor of St. Eugene Catholic Church in Asheville, as the new pastor of St. Matthew, effective July 8.
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