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May 11, 2010 in City
Post Falls priest placed on leave
Gould denies claim of sexual misconduct in ’81
Gould
(Full-size photo)
The Catholic Church has placed a Post Falls priest on administrative leave after an allegation of sexual misconduct with a man younger than 18 dating back to 1981 in Idaho Falls.
Bishop Michael Driscoll notified the North Idaho parish last weekend that the Rev. William R. Gould was placed on leave May 4.
Gould was ordained in 1965 and was the priest at St. George’s Catholic Church.
Gould has denied the allegation, according to a statement issued Monday by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Boise.
“Father Gould, as well as the person who made the allegation, will remain in my prayers as this difficult situation is resolved,” Driscoll said in the statement.
The bishop said he is following procedures for handling the allegation as directed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002 at the peak of a priest sexual abuse scandal.
Driscoll said there is no way to determine how long it will take to investigate the allegation. Findings will also be sent to Rome for guidance.
It’s not the first time Gould has been placed on leave. The Diocese of Boise granted Gould’s request for leave in 2005 amid allegations of sexual misconduct.
A diocese spokeswoman at the time told The Spokesman-Review that Gould had done nothing illegal. The Post Falls Police Department was told of Gould’s 2005 suspension but was assured by the diocese that it was not a criminal matter, meaning no youths were involved, according to Lt. Greg McLean.
Administrative leave means Gould can’t function publicly as a Catholic priest, can’t wear a priest collar and is forbidden from publicly celebrating Mass.
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tothetop on May 11 at 11:19 a.m.
Same old story, it won’t be the last. This Father Gould, who became a Priest in 1965 will have abused children back to that date I believe. I believe he entered the seminary because he was confused about his twisted sexual needs, more than likely with young boys. He might have believed that a life in the church would either straighten out his thoughts before he acted on them or protect the young children from himself. Neither is true, it only placed him a position to gain trust from children leading to the abuse he inflicted on them. This is the case with many of the Priests and as time goes on and Victims gain the courage to come forward maybe the Catholic Church will do something for the Victims instead of re abusing them when the speak out. The Church on the outside may look to care but in reality they would cover it all up and go on, as they have for so many years if they could.
gdj on May 12 at 1:37 p.m.
People are pilloring Father Gould and I think someone should speak up for him. I haven’t seen him in 38 years, but he was one of my best friends in high school and we maintained an active correspondence through his seminary days. He is no pederast! I recall when he was a high-school sophomore and told a group of us that he had decided to go into the priesthood. Father Gould, even at sixteen, had a brilliant, inciteful mind. He had a unique sense of humor and was a skilled cartoonist—he could have done well in that trade.
I regret that we lost touch, but I still trust in his integrity both as a person and as a priest. I am, by the way, not Catholic, if that matters.