Jailed deacon slams Dominican Catholic Church’s “degenerate” priesthood

Santo Domingo.- Francisco Javier Occis Reyes, a Catholic Church deacon being held on charges of the sexual abuse of a minor, on Saturday revealed that he provided the names of other pedophiles priests to authorities.

The revelations come in the wake of international repercussions from the child abuse cases of Catholic priest Wojciech Gil (Padre Alberto), and ousted Vatican envoy Jozef Wesolowski, both Polish nationals.

Interviewed by the journalist Nuria Piera, Occis said he has already cited some names "of people involved in such acts" (sexual abuse of minors).

He said however, that before speaking with the authorities he asked them to help him, because it’s a "very delicate" case.

"I think the authorities are making the investigations required in this case, if anything happens, the authorities have everything I have said, written and recorded, what I already mentioned to you," he said to Piera.

The suspended deacon, being held since June 24 at the San Pedro de Macoris prison (east), told the Piera that he could provide her with some of the names, but off camera.

"There are cases being talked about that not only I know it, but many people in the Church know," Occis said, interviewed on Piera’s program on Color Vision channel 9.

He said there are gay priests that like adults and those who only like children and that many of them are seen speaking in the media and in public activities.

He blamed the mounting case of homosexual and pedophile priests on the seminaries which he affirms accept those people with those aberrations and those who aren’t so inclined, degenerate when they enter a seminary. "When they enter the seminary, young men degenerate and if you don’t speak with anyone and hide it, things get worse."