The Catholic Church in Illinois has yet to explain how a priest called 911 after getting stuck in handcuffs and a gag inside a rectory.
Fr Tom Donovan told emergency services: ‘I’m going to need help getting out before this becomes a medical emergency.’
The priest, from the St. Aloysius church in Springfield, is on leave after the embarrassing incident according to the Daily Mail.
The paper’s website says the diocese is refusing to offer up an explanation for what exactly happened.
The pastor is on a leave of absence after he was forced to call 911.
The incident took place last November but has only come to light now.
The paper has gained access to a copy of the 911 call released by the Sangamon County Emergency Telephone System Department.
On the tape the priest’s muffled voice can be heard asking for help.
On arrival police discovered a gag covering the priest’s mouth.
The tape features Fr Donovan saying: “I’m going to need help getting out before this becomes a medical emergency.”
The dispatcher asks: “You’re stuck in a pair of handcuffs?’”
Fr Donovan replies: “‘I was playing with them and I need help getting out.”
The report says that Fr Donovan was alone in the front room of the rectory. No explanation has been made available by the priest or his diocese.
Kathie Sass, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Springfield, told the Illinois Times that Donovan’s request for a leave of absence was accepted by Bishop Thomas Paprocki after the incident.
Sass refused to disclose if Donovan was staying at a church-affiliated location.
She also declined to offer up an explanation for how Father Donovan ended up calling 911.
Read more: Irish leader says Pope Benedict’s advice not helpful on abortion issue
14 Comments
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.Will Hamilton | Jan 14, 2013, 06:52 PM EST
Was there anyone else there or was this just another Catholic priest playing with himself?
Smyrnian | Jan 10, 2013, 05:12 PM EST
Well, I spent 15 years in RC schools including 4 years boarding school and 5 years as an altar boy. I was taught by various orders of Brothers and Nuns in two different countries and NEVER saw, suspected or heard anything that was even remotely inappropriate. Sorry, RC haters. I did experience wonderful and nurturing teachers who had a profound positive experience on my life.
dallas75216 | Jan 10, 2013, 01:14 PM EST
So he's gay, had a trick who left him handcuffed and he had to call for help. It doesn't take a shrink to figure out he wanted to get caught. Why would it be an Altar boy? merefalow and/or kilaspy Hollabackgurl have you even heard on of the Priests sermons? You can also get hypocrisy in other groups. If you need further direction go to failed messiah dot com
merefalow | Jan 10, 2013, 11:57 AM EST
i guess the choir boy escaped.and you wonder why people turn away.
hollabackgurl | Jan 10, 2013, 12:11 AM EST
The day before I'm sure he preached on the evils of allowing other people to live dignified lives free from the church's condemnation. The next day he put on a ball gag and had some guy handcuff him in the rectory. Ah, Catholicism. Where else would you get it?
eiriamach | Jan 09, 2013, 11:10 PM EST
Ah yes, Bishop Paprocki of Illinois approved Fr Donovan's leave of absence. No doubt the bishop was happy to give the guy a rest. I was reading earlier about Bishop Paprocki at the Association of Catholic Priests web site in an interesting article entitled "Bishops investigating US nuns have poor records on sex abuse cases." Paprocki is one of the three bishops in charge of reforming the American nuns!
Curitiba | Jan 09, 2013, 06:05 PM EST
"I can explain everything, honest..."
Ms.Gail | Jan 09, 2013, 02:42 PM EST
Hate to laugh at the poor Fr, but having managed to lock myself in a police detectives handcuffs while flirting at an Irish American club I know it is very easy to lock them on yourself, but not so easy to get them off, in fact, if you fiddle with them they get tighter. Fortunately the detective I was with wanted to dance so he managed to get them off while we were both laughing.
Smyrnian | Jan 09, 2013, 02:26 PM EST
I wrote just this morning that I was shocked that the IC search engines had not dug something new on the anti-Catholic topic in 24 hours and then this nonsense hits. IC just loves to hate Catholics.
kilaspy | Jan 09, 2013, 01:23 PM EST
Did the alter boy make a run for it ?
katiemac | Jan 09, 2013, 12:46 PM EST
if he was gagged, how did he call?
Scrivner | Jan 09, 2013, 12:12 PM EST
Maybe he was trying out rituals for a new holy order- The Bound Brothers of Silence?
pilib04 | Jan 09, 2013, 10:44 AM EST
He was "playing with them (handcuffs)," is that before or after he "gagged" himself?
handsome68 | Jan 09, 2013, 09:06 AM EST
Springfield Illinois is, of course, where Mr. Lincoln lived and had his law practice. Maybe this "Irish-American" priest was trying out one of Harry Houdini's (born Appleton Wisconsin) tricks, since Houdini used handcuffs a lot. As for the gag, maybe he was under a gag order and took it literally. Hey, life is strange; get used to it.