US priest put on administrative leave following arrest for child porn

Fr Mark J. Haynes hit with six criminal charges by Philadelphia authorities.

United States:  A 55-year-old priest in Philadelphia was placed on immediate administrative leave after being arrested on child pornography charges.

According to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Father Mark J. Haynes was arrested by Chester County Police and “charged with two counts of dissemination of child pornography, two counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of criminal use of a communications device”.

“These charges are serious and disturbing,” the archdiocese said in an October 24 statement. “The Archdiocese is cooperating fully with law enforcement regarding this matter and remains fervently committed to preventing child abuse as well as protecting the children and young people entrusted to its care.”

The charges involve lewd photos of underage children posted to an Instagram account that was traced to the rectory of the parish where Fr. Haynes was stationed, a local Fox affiliate reported. Police said the email account was identified as being used by Fr. Haynes.

Authorities also charged that the priest had been posing as a teenage girl while sending and receiving emails with lewd content, including from at least one underage girl, according to local reports.

Source: Catholic News Agency