PALMETTO, Fla. — Six Catholic priests named in a grand jury investigation for sexual misconduct with minors have ties to the Bay Area.

  • One priest fathered child with teenage girl before moving to Florida
  • Priests all had ties to Diocese of Venice
  • Others never identified themselves as priests while in Manatee County

One of the six priests, Rev. Robert Brague, worked as an assistant pastor at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Palmetto in the early 1990s. 

Before moving to the area, however, Brague fathered a child with a teenage girl when he worked at a Pennsylvania church, according to the findings of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation released last week. 

When asked about Brague and the investigation's findings, the Diocese of Venice, which oversees several counties including Manatee, issued the following statement:

“The Diocese is not aware, nor was it ever informed, of any abuse allegations in the Diocese of Venice pertaining to Father Brague.”

A church spokesman also said the five other priests named in the grand jury findings never identified themselves as priests, and there were no complaints about their behavior or Brague’s.  

According to the investigation's findings, more than 300 priests in the Pennsylvania area committed sex-related crimes with more than 1,000 minors.