CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ Four more claims of sexual misconduct against a former top official of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte have been found "credible," Bishop Peter Jugis said Tuesday night.
Monsignor Mauricio West stepped down as vicar general and chancellor of the diocese _ second in command _ in March after an initial claim of sexual misconduct against him was found to be credible, Jugis said in a statement with Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari, chancellor of Belmont Abbey College.
Additional allegations of inappropriate behavior, including unwanted kissing, surfaced after he stepped down, the statement said.
West, who remains on administrative leave, has denied the allegations, according to the statement.
"The finding of a credible allegation is not a finding of guilt but is an allegation of improper behavior that both the diocese and the college take seriously," according to the statement.
The "alleged behavior did not constitute sexual abuse and did not involve a minor," Jugis said in his March statement and again Tuesday.
No criminal charges have been filed, The Catholic News Herald reported in March.
The initial allegation involved an adult student at Belmont Abbey College in the mid-1980s, while West was vice president for student affairs at the school, according to the statement. The school is a small, Catholic liberal arts college in Gaston County.
Two of the newer allegations also involved adult students at the college in the 1980s while West supervised students, Jugis and Solari said.
A third claim involved a 1991 incident with an employee at the House of Mercy in Belmont, according to the statement. House of Mercy is a Catholic Sisters of Mercy home caring for persons with AIDS.
The fourth stemmed from a 1993 incident with an employee at St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Charlotte, while West was parochial vicar at the parish, Jugis and Solari said in the statement.
"All of the alleged incidents occurred while Msgr. West was a monk serving under the authority of Belmont Abbey but were not reported to the college or monastery at the time," Jugis and Solari said in the statement. "Each incident was described by victims as unwanted kissing and, in one case, touching on the thigh as well ...
"The diocese's independent Lay Review Board investigated all of the allegations this year, after they were received by officials at the college and the diocese," according to the statement. "Clergy placed on administrative leave are not given a ministerial assignment. A final determination of Msgr. West's status will be made by the diocese at a later date."
In their statement, Jugis and Solari said: "Personally, and on behalf of the Diocese of Charlotte and Belmont Abbey College, we extend our sincere apologies to all who have suffered from sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy. Both the diocese and college have zero tolerance for sexual abuse or misconduct of any kind.
"We continue to strengthen policies and procedures adopted by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 2002 to protect against abuse, and to maintain and strengthen an environment founded on civility and respect. To promote justice and healing for victims, we also encourage anyone who believes he or she has suffered sexual abuse or misconduct to report the allegation to civil authorities."
