This just in: A sext scandal of biblical proportions.
A priest in California was just suspended after allegedly sending unsolicited photos to the church’s pool boy then firing the poor guy after he turned down his unwanted advances.
Monsignor Lawrence McGovern is, er, was the pastor of Presentation Parish. In a sexual harassment complaint filed late last week, the parish’s former pool boy, a married father of two, claims McGovern sent him naughty photos along with a text that read, “Oops. Sorry about that. The curse of the Internet. Shame on me. What is my penance?”
Related: Catholic Priest Allegedly Stole Millions Of Dollars To Pay Rent Boy Lover
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When the pool boy asked the 73-year-old priest about the whole vow of celibacy thing, McGovern said: “Oh, that just means that you’re not married.” And when the pool boy said he really wasn’t interested in hooking up, McGovern fired him.
The lawsuit also claims McGovern used to lounge around in a speedo while the pool boy worked, making him “very uncomfortable.”
“It’s extremely disturbing that the person who is head of this parish would be sending photographs of his exposed genitals,” attorney Vince Finaldi, who represents the pool boy, said. “Someone’s who’s engaging in that type of conduct has very, very serious credibility issues and issues with judgement.”
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For its part, the diocese office says it was totally unaware of any misconduct by McGovern until they received the lawsuit. Soon after, he was put on administrative leave “pending a full and complete investigation.”
Finaldi added that McGovern had absolutely “no business being in a parish and head of a school where numerous young children” walk around and called on the diocese to fire him immediately.
So far, McGovern has yet to comment on the matter.
h/t: Raw Story
Billy Budd
Religion is the root of all evil.
TheBigOne
Pics or it didn’t happen 🙂
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
“Presentation Parish”
Hallelujah! No lies detected.
Juanjo
totally improper for a priest or any employer to do something like this for a large number of reasons. And as a secondary question, the church has its own pool? And pool boy?
Jere
Um…so…Why exactly does a church have a swimming pool?
robho3
@Juanjo: is was thinking the same think. The church will just pay the pool boy millions of dollars and reassign the priest to another Parrish where he can prey on boys.
Curtispsf
“It’s extremely disturbing that the person who is head of this parish would be sending photographs of his exposed genitals,” attorney Vince Finaldi, who represents the pool boy, said.
It’s extremely disturbing to ME that a church tending to the spiritual needs of its’ parishioners would have a pool. It’s even MORE disturbing to me that a married father of two is working as a “pool boy”.
StuBur
So is this another incident that took place years ago and the Pool Boy did nothing about it but has suddenly decided to … when did this take place?
StuBur
@Curtispsf: I doubt he was a married father of 2 when he was a Pool Boy hence my post asking when all this happened?
Curtispsf
@StuBur: This would be even MORE disturbing if “pool boy” waited a few years to have two children before bringing a law suit. But you can’t REALLY blame the priest. After all, it was “Presentation” Parish.
pscheck2
This is another agonizing incident regarding the ‘fallen angel’ aspect of the priesthood in the Catholic Church! When will it stop? Also, a swimming pool for them? Boy, this parish must be located in one of the wealthy ‘burbs of Los Angeles! What about the vow of poverty? (Incidentally, back in the ’60tees it was well known in gay circles that a Bishop in Mi. opened his house to twinks, on weekends, for full blown orgies! And,(it was rumored) his lover was a young priest who also indulged in these orgies! It bemuses me to hear the argument that these indiscretions by the priests would stop or at least be minimal if they were allowed to be married! Come on, their interest in the opposite sex would be only for show (to family, friends and parishioners) and nothing else. (Oh, wait! I forgot they can now marry their boyfriends
DDstar1me
This kind of thing has been going on since the bible days.
Maude
@Jere: It’s a church/school
Maude
@Jere: It’s a church/school
and ‘pool-boys’ are more often men, than boys.
JamJewel
@robho3: This was not a boy, it was a fully grown man… don’t try to make him out to be something he is not. We have enough bad apples to go ascribing that kind of behavior in this case.
JamJewel
@Curtispsf: Didn’t the term ‘pool boy’ come off to anyone as a journalistic choice by Queerty? Gimme a break! He is obviously a man. And now we are shaming a guy for having a job? How do you know he is not a small business owner working for himself… and maybe have others on the payroll? Judgemental are we?
JamJewel
@StuBur: Can’t believe you don’t know how to do a google search to find the bloody story, mate: http://californiadolphin.com/news/81802/stockton-priest-named-in-retaliation-lawsuit-over-alleged-sexting
Heywood Jablowme
@Maude: Yes, I think pool “boy” is just a generic term and doesn’t literally mean “under age 18.” Some people here are misunderstanding it.
Heywood Jablowme
@JamJewel: Yeah, you have a point. The link by JamJewel says: The pool guy is 42 years old and has been working there for 7 years. So even at 35 hardly a boy. The link refers to “pool guy” and “pool man.”
Juanjo
So if one reads the actual news report Jam Jewel provided one would know this is a recent event, the lawsuit was filed recently and the story is from two days ago. The “poolboy” in question is actually a 42 year old man who runs his own business servicing pools on contract basis for private individuals and businesses. Finally the pool in question is located at the priest’s residence across the street from the Church.
So no improper contact with underage minors and the events are recent since a lawsuit of this sort would have had to be filed within 2 years of the final event. Likewise from the allegations in the case there was no actual physical contact attempted simply the improper sending of the photo. Then there is the firing of the pool service after he complained.
All this conduct is disgusting enough, regardless of who was doing it. But there is no need to make into something else such as an attempted child molestation case or to imply that this happened some years ago and the victim is just now bringing a lawsuit. Facts are your friends folks – use them.
jamessavik
Sounds like one heck of a sexual harassment suit.
Judges really love it when the perp fires the victim.
Mack
@Jere: I was thinking the same thing. One reason why I don’t go to any church, they use the tithes for things OTHER THAN HELPING PEOPLE. When you have a church that has millions of dollars in assets, then what you gave didn’t go where it was suppose to.
Paco
“Finaldi added that McGovern had absolutely “no business being in a parish and head of a school where numerous young children” walk around and called on the diocese to fire him immediately.”
——
So a grown adult trying to have a sex life with other grown adults, has no business being around children? I guess it is time to ban parents.
Heywood Jablowme
@pscheck2: “Boy, this parish must be located in one of the wealthy ‘burbs of Los Angeles!” Actually it’s in Stockton, a grubby, rundown crime-ridden hellhole way up in the Central Valley. Hot as hell though so pools are probably fairly common there.
kevininbuffalo
@Paco: You make a good point. Finaldi is using the old slur that Gay men are pedophiles. The victim here is a middle aged man, not a kid. McGovern, if this is true, is a vile turd but there’s no evidence he’s a pedophile.
Curtispsf
@JamJewel: AND SOME people obviously do not understand the term “SARCASM” as applied to the term “pool boy”. Give me an ‘effing break, idiot.
kevininbuffalo
@pscheck2: McGovern is a diocesan priest, they don’t take a vow of poverty. Some of them store away a nice nest egg for themselves and it’s perfectly legit. They also don’t take a vow of celibacy. Priests are forbidden by church law from marrying so the vow isn’t necessary. The only vow a diocesan priest takes is obedience.
Ken A.
Unfortunately I suspect the DA in the case is going to demand a full investigation. The “poolboy” is a 42 year old man–poor journalism on Queerties part–whom the unwanted sexual advances were made to. Has nothing to do with kids as far as we know and I do not assume all priests have a thing for kids. One has nothing to do with the other.
craigm2379
@robho3: Did you mean PRAY? LOL
robbyr2
@Paco: Obviously, only gay men can’t.
seaguy
@Jere: And a pool boy to attend to the pool. Church is only on Sunday so surely the priest could have found some time to clean and check the pool, instead of spending money on a pool boy. Some churches only care abnout money anymore. Look at Joyce Mayer and some of the other televangelists who fly pricey private jets and live in mansions.
seaguy
It is bad enough when you have a lecherous old man in a speedo hitting on you and then not taking the hint that your not interested and continuing with his pursuit, but then to have him be the priest of the church that is awful. Pool boy musta been cute if the for the old fat to have then fired him after he was spurned.
MediaGuy
All the priest was doing was trying to get himself some dick, the SAME thing that everybody on Queerty does every day. So, what’s the problem?
martinbakman
@MediaGuy: Maybe they’re not getting any.
baggins435
@Curtispsf: Both the First Baptist and First Methodist Churches in my home town not only had Olympic size pools, but full size gyms with basketball courts, and outside tennis courts, plus other amenities like men’s and women’s locker rooms. Apparently, like apartment complexes, you have to offer “extras” to get people to show up.
Louis
Totally unaware my ass these people are the biggest self loathing closet cases on this planet no question.
Sluggo2007
Back in the 50’s and 60’s, when a young man announced he was entering the priesthood, he might just as well have said, “I’m a homosexual, so I’m going to become a priest to cover it up.” Everyone knew what “entering the priesthood” meant, but nobody ever said anything.
ErikO
Is anyone really surprised by this? The pool boy is too old for him, and what sort of church has a pool?
GayEGO
Reminds me of the movie Spotlight which publicized the Catholic priests in Boston that molested boys. I wish the Vatican would wake up and join the real world to realize that hiding sexuality is absurd. Their celibacy rule which was created after the Vatican found it cost too much money to support the priests’ families has also put pressure and stress on their priests to not have sex, an abnormal expectation of human nature.
RIGay
Wait? The church has a POOL? They are closing parishes left and right up here in the Northeast – no attendance, can’t afford the building overhead, any extraneous salaries, etc.
Okay, all creepiness aside; WTF does a church need with a pool?
Maude
@seaguy: “Church is only on Sunday” is a common mistake made by the ill-informed.
Many churches hold their religious meetings on Saturdays, which is the true ‘day of rest to keep holy’. HE rested on the last day, not the first.
SteveDenver
@Jere: My question, too! Catholics don’t immerse for baptism, so maybe the pool just goes with the swim-up communion bar.
lelandjr
What is it with these sagging, shriveled old fucks who still think they’ve got it because they happen to be a Priest or a Senator etc. They believe power equals masculinity? And any young buck is going to go weak in the knees with lust when they reveal all they do is talk, stand up and sit down as a career choice.
i43neile
Honestly thought, boy or man – unwanted advances = sexual harassment