The New Bedford Priest Who Shattered the Catholic Church

Trust is a powerful force. It can bind individuals and groups in a way few things can. When faith and trust are combined, that bond is almost impenetrable.

Almost.

When trust in one's faith is shattered, the resulting damage can be unimaginable.

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Father James Porter was a Catholic priest. He was also a serial pedophile. Porter's legacy of child sexual abuse was shocking. He once claimed to have molested more than 100 children in the 1960s and 1970s as a priest with the Fall River Diocese.

That included assignments at St. Mary's Church in North Attleboro, Sacred Heart Church in Fall River and St. James Church in New Bedford.

Porter, who grew up in East Boston and Revere, pleaded guilty in 1993 to molesting 28 children and was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in prison.

According to the Standard-Times, after completing his prison sentence, Porter "remained in custody pending a civil commitment hearing to determine if he should be committed as a sexually dangerous person." Porter died in 2005 before a hearing was possible. He was 70.

Complaints about Porter's behavior began almost immediately after his first assignment, St. Mary's. Rather than punish Porter or report his activities to authorities, church officials transferred him to Fall River and New Bedford, where he molested more children.

Porter received treatment at hospitals and was reassigned to more parishes where he continued to offend.

Porter also served parishes in Texas, New Mexico and Minnesota.

Porter left the church in 1974, married, and had four children. He was convicted in 1987 of molesting his children's babysitters.

James Porter was not the first, last, or only priest to sexually molest children taught to trust him, but Porter's case was the first to bring international attention to a worldwide crisis concealed for years by the church community.

Many in the church community lost faith in the Catholic Church as a result of the scandal. The damage to the church and its bond with the faithful may be irreparable.