Williams added that the district attorney’s office hopes “to achieve truth and accountability” that can “assist in a restoration of those lives and a sense of closure.”
The Archdiocese of New Orleans told CNA that Hecker was included on the list of clergy removed from ministry for abuse of a minor in 2018. On May 1, 2020, the archdiocese announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after being named as a defendant in a number of clergy sexual abuse lawsuits.
The Guardian reported in June that in 1999, Hecker admitted to sexual misconduct with seven teenage boys between 1966 and 1979 but was allowed to remain in ministry until his retirement in March 2002. The report noted that he was sent to a psychiatric treatment facility that diagnosed him with pedophilia after his confession but was not removed from ministry.
“I had thought I had buried this part of my life and would only think about it to remind myself not to have anything like this happen again,” Hecker’s 1999 confession read in part, according to The Guardian. “I have made it a point not to be alone with anyone under 18, and if possible not to be alone with anyone — and certainly not to hold anyone, except for a ‘holy hug.’”
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests applauded the district attorney’s office for its efforts to indict Hecker. The statement said that “children are always safer when their abusers are behind bars” and criticized the leadership of the Archdiocese of New Orleans during Hecker’s time as a priest.
“We also hope that all of the survivors of Father Hecker’s crimes feel a sense of justice and relief that law enforcement is finally taking action,” the statement read. “Three New Orleans archbishops ([Philip] Hannan, [Francis] Schulte, and [Alfred] Hughes) shielded this clergyman from the authorities. We say shame on them!”