Catholic priest who said gays ‘must remain celibate’ faces child sex abuse claims
A Catholic priest who claimed God wants gay people to remain celibate for life has been suspended over child sex abuse claims.
Father Anthony Giuliano has served as a priest in the Archdiocese of New York for many years, becoming known for his views on homosexuality.
He insisted in 2014 that gay people should be celibate for life if they want to be accepted by God.
But the priest has now been suspended after a man told police that the police had molested him as a teenager in the late 1980s.
The allegations date back to 1987-88, when the victim was working in the rectory of Holy Rosary Church in Baychester.
He told Bronx Special Victims Squad that the priest used to “play wrestle” with him, and in one session told the boy he was going to “take him to the back and give him a frontal.”
The priest then stripped the boy and molested him.
The NYPD has launched an investigation, but the crimes fall outside the current statute of limitations on child sex abuse in New York.
According to the New York Daily News, Auxiliary Bishop Gerald Walsh confirmed the suspension, telling Giuliano’s parishioners: “The allegation has been found to be credible.”
A Florida pastor who claimed the Orlando massacre was homosexuals getting “what they deserve” was also last month arrested for alleged child molestation.
