The Diocese of Bridgeport has placed a priest on administrative leave amid an investigation into allegations of abuse.
Rev. Frank J. Caggiano, the Bishop of Bridgeport, posted a statement on the diocese website that says he has placed Rev. Jaime Marin-Cardona on administrative leave after being informed by the state Department of Children and Families “that it has substantiated allegations of abuse after a lengthy investigation.”
The diocese said it has fully cooperated with the investigations by DCF and Danbury Police Department.
“The diocesan Sexual Misconduct Review Board has also met and accepted the determination of credibility reached by DCF. As a result, I have removed Father Marin-Cardona’s priestly faculties and prohibited him from engaging in public ministry,” Caggiano wrote in the online statement.
Father Marin-Cardona has been a priest of the Diocese of Bridgeport since 2010 and had assignments at Saint Joseph Parish in Norwalk, Saint Charles Borromeo Parish in Bridgeport, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Danbury and his most recent was at Saint Mary Parish in Bridgeport, according to the diocese.
The diocese started investigating in September 2019 when it received a letter indicating that parents were concerned by Father Marin-Cardona’s contact with a family member who is a minor and Caggiano said Marin-Cardona was immediately removed from ministry and ordered to move out of the parish to an adult facility and restricted contact with any minor during the investigation, according to.
Read the full statement from Bishop Frank J. Caggiano.
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The diocese is urging anyone with concerns or information to come forward and call the office of Safe Environments at: (203) 416-1406 the Survivor and Witness Hotline: (833) 990-0004 or submitting a report online. They said all calls are confidential.
Danbury police said they are currently investigating one complaint against Marin-Cardona.
NBC Connecticut also reached out to the state Department of Children and Families and Vannessa Dorantes, the commissioner of the state Department of Children and Families, released the following statement:
“The Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Bridgeport and the Danbury Police Department, investigated the allegations made against Father Jaime Marin-Cardona. A report was first brought to our attention by the Archdiocese in September 2019 with additional, more specific information reported by the Danbury Police Department in October 2019.”
“We remain very appreciative of the collaborative efforts made with our community partners to quickly address the reported maltreatment,” the statement says.
