Bishop addresses seminarian dismissal

En Español

Bishop Anthony B. Taylor issued the following statement Dec. 3, 2015, regarding the dismissal of Deacon Luis Miguel Pacheco from seminary formation for the Diocese of Little Rock. He was scheduled to be ordained a priest in 2016.

I think we all know that it is normal that in the course of the year a few seminarians leave formation, whether for honorable reasons at their own initiative, or for cause at the initiative of the seminary or the diocese.

In these cases no general announcement is made out of respect for the privacy of the one who is leaving, some of whom may return to formation at a later date ... and this year is no exception.

The situation changes however in the extraordinary case of a transitional deacon who is incardinated in our diocese and has already begun public ministry as an ordained minister of the Church, about which a public notification seems necessary.

Deacon Luis Miguel Pacheco Calero, who was scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood on May 28, has been dismissed by our diocese for cause and with the full concurrence of Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin.

I have removed his faculties for three reasons described below — each of which of itself requires dismissal from formation.

This dismissal was triggered initially by the discovery of extensive plagiarism in his long overdue philosophy thesis. This led us to discover other significant areas of falsification, in particular lies regarding the status of that thesis and serious misrepresentations in his application to study for our diocese.

And even before these discoveries, we were already questioning his viability for ministry due to grave concerns about underlying behavioral and personality issues with much broader implications. These behaviors, which are completely incompatible with priestly ministry became much more pronounced following his ordination to the diaconate last year.

I should add that while these also are so serious as to disqualify him for ordination to the priesthood, they did not include any allegations of sexual misconduct. Please keep him in your prayers as he contemplates the future direction of his life.

Sincerely in Christ, 
+Anthony B. Taylor
Bishop of Little Rock