The Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana has unfairly canceled Father James DeOreo, a young parish priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, for several years now. This is due to baseless allegations from one young man suffering from mental health issues that began before he ever met DeOreo. As bad as it is for Father DeOreo, the greater consequences of overreaction and thoughtless cancellation to our society cannot be ignored.

The young man was informed in 2019 that any opportunity to be admitted to the seminary was delayed for several years. Subsequently, in 2020, this young man was led to believe by his therapist that he developed an eating disorder due to participating in a popular spiritual program at DeOreo’s parish called Exodus-90. Seeking restitution for his “damages,” the man approached the diocese claiming that undue pressure from Father DeOreo led to the eating disorder. Despite seeing no merit to the claim, the bishop and diocese legal advisors elected to pay for the young man’s therapy.

Later, in 2021 after seeing a therapist for the eating disorder, the young man’s therapist “concluded” that his eating disorder was no longer from his Exodus-90 participation or from being denied admission to the seminary. Instead, it was allegedly due solely to Father DeOreo. Based upon this “conclusion,” the young man again approached the diocese and demanded $383,000.

The diocese, perhaps out of over-sensitivity to this type of accusation, immediately removed Father DeOreo from any ministerial duties. He was also banned from living anywhere within diocese property or near anywhere he previously served. He was also banned from communicating directly with parishioners in any way.

Image: Father DeOreo. GiveSendGo screen grab.

Father DeOreo adamantly denies the allegations. The evidence the accuser cites is so ambiguous as to border upon ridiculous. For example, the young man alleges that DeOreo suggested that all the members of the Exodus-90 group look at a picture of the Virgin Mary on a wall of the priest’s bedroom, and this caused him mental anguish.

Nonetheless, many of his scurrilous accusations have been widely published in the state media via multiple outlets. These publications have substantially harmed Father DeOreo, who remains out of work in his chosen vocation. The life-long effects on him are difficult to estimate.

Although Father DeOreo prays daily for this young man and his family, he realized he would need his day in court to clear his name. In September of 2022, DeOreo filed a claim for defamation, hoping to do so.

Through his attorney, DeOreo requested all documents and information held by the diocese, which are the basis for removing him. The diocese claimed that the information is protected and refused to share it. Father DeOreo agreed not to make any of this “protected information” public but demanded that it be shared with him, his legal counsel, and the court.

As of March 2023, Father DeOreo faces a difficult uphill battle to return to his work as a Catholic priest. Pursuing justice is very expensive, and this phase of litigation is estimated to cost more than $25,000. Since cases of this nature drag out over a period of years and become very expensive, a GiveSendGo site had to be set up to raise funds to help cover current and future related legal expenses.

The ability to simply claim an injury with this type of unproven claim is vastly disproportionate to cause harm DeOreo endures. This goes even beyond the “cancel culture” we see in the media every day because it is not based upon anything Father DeOreo was proven to have actually said or done. Instead, it is being foisted upon him by an institution that should have his best interests in mind—as well as those of the parish and the young man.

Our legal system and society are based upon the concept that one is innocent until proven guilty, and the accused has the right to face the accuser and see any evidence against him. In this case, proof of wrongdoing or fault must be provided and adjudicated—and yet, to date, DeOreo hasn’t seen any proof at all. Without due process, any spiritual or other leader can be permanently and irrevocably harmed by false or mistaken claims. We risk becoming a society that considers one guilty until proven innocent with no remedy. That is a travesty of justice regardless of whether it is legal or corporate in nature, and it puts us all at great risk.