Status of Credibly Accused Friars

POLICIES MAKING A REPORT GETTING HELP REVIEW BOARD FRIAR STATUS

Friars Convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor or of an Adult Lacking the Use of Reason

The Province of St. Joseph remains committed to protecting minors and other vulnerable persons.  The Province of St. Joseph was one of the first religious communities to establish a Safeguarding Policy, with our first policy being adopted in 1990.  As stated in our current Safeguarding Policy, we are committed as a Province “not only to strive to prevent sexual abuse, but also addressing allegations in a way that is pastoral, just and transparent.”  To carry this out, the Safeguarding Policy of the Province contains protocols for the proper reporting and public disclosure of such allegations.  This requires a balancing of our desire to be transparent in dealing with allegations and our obligation to preserve the rights of the accused.

In 2024, the Dicastery for Legislative texts made public a letter (prot. no. 18316/2024) regarding the public listing of those “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of minors.  In that letter, the Dicastery emphasized the legal obligation to observe an individual’s right to his good name (Code of Canon Law, can. 220; Catechism of the Catholic Church nos. 2477-2479); the presumption of innocence (can. 1321 §1); and the prospective (rather than retroactive) force of penal law (see cann. 9, 18, 1313).  It also cited the statement by the Supreme Pontiff, Pope Francis, who said “it is necessary to avoid the publication of the lists of the accused, even by the Dioceses, before the preliminary investigation and the definitive conviction.”  For these reasons, the Dicastery has advised against the public disclosure of accusations where there has been no process to determine guilt, particularly in the case of the deceased who are not able to defend themselves.

Therefore, following consultation with the Province’s Review Board, the Provincial and his Council has decided to include on the Provincial website the names of friars accused of the sexual abuse of minors or adults lacking the use of reason whose guilt has been established following a penal process, whether secular or ecclesiastical, or in cases where the accused has freely admitted his guilt thereby forestalling a penal process.  The Province will make public other such allegations as the circumstances warrant according to our Safeguarding Policy and in consultation with the Provincial Review Board.  The Province will report such allegations of abuse to civil and ecclesiastical authorities as required by law and its Safeguarding Policy.

Friars convicted of sexual abuse of a child following a penal process:

Aaron Joseph Cote (deceased)

  • Birth: 1951
  • Profession: 1981
  • Ordination: 1986
  • Removed from public ministry in 2005 based on an allegation deemed to be credible of committing abuse in 2001
  • Criminal conviction for said allegation in 2009
  • Canonical process for his dismissal underway at the time of his death in 2012
  • Death: 2012

Robert Leo Pelkington (deceased)

  • Birth: 1941
  • Profession: 1962
  • Ordination: 1968
  • Removed from public ministry in 1999 based on an allegation deemed to be credible of committing abuse that year
  • Criminal conviction for said allegation in 2000
  • Petition for laicization granted in 2011
  • Death: 2015

We encourage anyone who has been abused by a member of the Province of St. Joseph to contact the appropriate civil and ecclesiastical authorities, regardless of when the abuse occurred.  We also encourage you to contact the Province’s Victim and Survivor Assistance Coordinator, whose contact information is listed on the Getting Help page of this website.

Last updated 31 March  2026