FILE - In this Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018 file photo, Pope Francis prays for the victims of the Kerala floods during the Angelus noon prayer in St.Peter’s Square, at the Vatican. Pope Francis has issued a letter to Catholics around the world condemning the “crime” of priestly sexual abuse and cover-up and demanding accountability, in response to new revelations in the United States of decades of misconduct by the Catholic Church. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia, File)
A Roman Catholic priest has been charged with sexually assaulting a young girl while staying in her family’s Massachusetts home in 2006. The Rev. Christian Ohazulume pleaded not guilty Tuesday to aggravated indecent assault and battery of a child under 14. Bail was set at $5,000.
Prosecutors say Ohazulume lived with the family in the Boston suburb of Randolph after coming to the U.S. from Nigeria.
The alleged assault occurred when the girl, about 7 or 8 years old, went to Ohazulume’s bedroom for help with homework.
Ohazulume was a chaplain at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center but has since been fired. The Boston Archdiocese has barred him from ministry.
His attorney says Ohazulume denies the allegations and asked for his release on personal recognizance. APnews
