Defrocked US Priest Revered in East Timor Accused of Abuse

It was the same every night. A list of names was posted on the Rev. Richard Daschbach's bedroom door. The child at the top of the roster knew it was her turn to share the lower bunk with the elderly priest and another elementary school-aged girl.

Daschbach was idolized in the remote enclave of East Timor where he lived, largely for his role in helping save lives during the tiny nation's bloody struggle for independence. So, the girls never spoke about the abuse they suffered. They said they were afraid they would be banished from the shelter the 84-year-old from Pennsylvania established decades ago for abused women, orphans, and other destitute children. The horrors of what they said happened behind closed doors over a period of years is now being played out in court, the first clergy sex abuse case in a country that is more solidly Catholic than any other place aside from the Vatican. The trial was postponed last month because of a coronavirus lockdown but is expected to resume in May. At least 15 females have come forward, according to JU,S Jurídico Social, a group of human rights lawyers representing them. The Associated Press has spoken to a third of the accusers, each recalling their experiences in vivid detail. They are not being identified because of fears of retribution.