Priest Accused of Abuses – But Lack of Due Process

Altoona-Johnstown Bishop Mark Bartchak suspended Father Donald Dusza, 63, in June based on an accusation of an “abuse” that allegedly happened in the 1980s.

But Dusza’s longtime friends Tony and Shari Stopka, Frank Wyland, and Sam Piccioni doubt. “There’s never been any inkling to any of this in Dusza’s behavior," they told TribDem.com (July 8).

Dusza is presently exposed to a secretive procedure. The accuser’s name is secret. The diocese keeps the ongoing legal matter secret. For Tony Stopa “there is a lack of due process.” Piccioni adds: “I’m very fearful for priests.”

The media present Dusza as a criminal. “No matter what happens, his name’s ruined,” Frank Wyland notices. According to him, Dusza is experiencing “despair and determination, all in one.”

For Wyland the dioceses simply throw accused priests “under the busses.” And: “Anybody can come with an allegation.”