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Maui parish members LAHAINA >> A standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 people jammed a cafeteria last night to express their support for a Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually abusing a minor more than 20 years ago.
rally for accused priest
The popular pastor insists he
is innocent of sexual misconductBy Gary T. Kubota
gkubota@starbulletin.comA number of them at Sacred Hearts School raised questions about why the Catholic diocese put the Rev. Joseph Bukoski on administrative leave, and said they believed in his innocence.
"We like him to come back here," said Consolacion Perlas, a Lahaina resident.
"He's a good priest."
Perlas said she was skeptical of the allegation against Bukoski and wondered why the charge was raised more than 20 years later.
Some 100 people wore buttons, and a banner was placed along a cafeteria wall supporting Bukoski, 49, the head of the school and the pastor of Maria Lanakila Church.
He has been on administrative leave in Honolulu pending the outcome of an investigation by the Catholic diocese.
"We are a family without a father," said John Pope, a Puamana resident. "Father Joe's a great guy."
Pope said the people attending the meeting expressed their anger, frustration and sadness about the allegations. He said the people attending the meeting did not receive much detail about the allegation and the person charging Bukoski with sex abuse.
The diocese has not said whether the complainant is a man or a woman. Bukoski has denied the accusation.
Pope's 12-year-old son, Jack, an altar boy, said he hoped Bukoski could return soon. Keoni Lee said even if Bukoski was guilty, the incident took place more than 20 years ago, and the priest should be given a second chance.
The Rev. Joseph Secor, representing the Catholic diocese, said he was grateful to the parishioners for attending the meeting. He said the diocese has an obligation to Bukoski, the parishioners, the community and the alleged victim and could not discuss the matter in any great detail.
Bukoski, originally from Kauai, was an associate pastor at St. Patrick's Church in Kaimuki when the alleged misconduct occurred.
Hawaii Catholic Bishop Francis DiLorenzo removed Bukoski from public ministry last week following a recommendation by the Diocesan Standing Committee for Sexual Misconduct.
The committee, comprised of psychiatrists, psychologists and priests, reviewed the complaint in April. The committee also recommended Bukoski undergo an evaluation at a behavioral science facility for clergy on the mainland. The committee's action is the first to take place in Hawaii since allegations of sexual misconduct involving Boston priests spurred nationwide alarm earlier this year.
Bukoski was ordained as a priest in 1979 after obtaining a Master of Divinity degree in pastoral work and a master's degree in canon law from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
In the early 1990s, Bukoski served as provincial of the Sacred Hearts order and chairman of the Hawaiian Commission for Damien of Molokai.