Maine Catholic Bishop Defends Priest At Center Of Firestorm Over Cancelled Meetings With Sexual-Abuse Group

A Maine priest refusing to meet with a group representing sexual-abuse victims has now won the public support of his boss – the state’s top Catholic official.

Voice of the Faithful in Maine has been trying to set up a meeting with the Rev. Steven Cartwright of Falmouth.

Twice now Cartwright has cancelled scheduled meetings with Paul Kendrick of Freeport and Michael Sweatt of North Yarmouth, founders of the sexual-abuse support group.

Kendrick and Sweatt have appealed to the volunteer Parish of the Holy Eucharist Pastoral Council so far unsuccessfully to help set up a meeting.

Cartwright “is adding insult to injury by refusing to say why he is shutting the door on us,” Kendrick and Sweatt wrote the council. “We’ve asked each of you if you agree with Fr. Cartwright’s decision.

“Sadly, not one of you has responded,” they wrote. “So, we’re asking you one more time – do you agree with Fr. Cartwright’s outright refusal to meet with us?

“If we don’t hear from you, we will consider your answer to be in the affirmative – that you agree with Fr. Cartwright.”

The parish council includes a Falmouth town councilor who, like her fellow eight members, isn’t talking.

Meanwhile, the state’s Catholic diocese told The Maine Wire it is recommending that neither Cartwright nor any priests meet with Kendrick and Sweatt.

“The Diocese of Portland has a long-standing history of interactions with Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Sweatt,” said Molly DiLorenzo, diocese director of communications. “Given the nature of these interactions, we would not advise any of our priests or parish staff accept a meeting.”

“We will not comment further on this matter,” DiLorenzo added.

Kendrick and Sweatt say that as baptized Catholics they should be able to meet with a priest.

They want to meet with Cartwright to ask him whether he recognizes parishioners as instrumental in leading the church.

“In addition, there are other matters we wish to discuss with Fr. Cartwright in private,” they said.

Cartwright , a Boothbay Harbor native who has been pastor of Parish of the Holy Eucharist since 2022, has declined to respond to questions about the meeting controversy.

He claims to be open to meetings on a schedule he posted online. “Welcome to my scheduling page,” he says. “If the times offered below are not conducive with your schedule, then please email me.”

The sexual-abuse victims’ advocates describe Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Yarmouth, part of the parish council, as “ground zero in our diocese for the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy.”