INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – A priest within the Indianapolis Archdiocese has been suspended after an individual reported they were abused as a child.
Father John Maung, 79, has been suspended by the Indianapolis Archdiocese following the allegation.
Fr. Maung is prohibited from all public ministry while an investigation is pending. While he retired in 2009, the archdiocese said he continued to serve sacraments at parishes within the archdiocese.
Since his retirement in 2009, the parishes he continued to serve sacraments in are not known at this time.
He has officially served at the following parishes:
- St. Lawrence, Indianapolis
- St. Gabriel, Connersville
- St. Joseph, Shelbyville
- Holy Spirit, Indianapolis
The Archdiocese said they immediately made a report to IMPD, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, and the Archdiocesan Review Board. Fr. Maung has denied the claim.
Read the archdiocese’s entire statement below:
“Fr. John Maung, a priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, has been suspended after an individual made a report to the Archdiocese that they were abused as a child several decades ago by Fr. Maung. The Archdiocese immediately made a report to civil authorities and the Archdiocesan Review Board.
Fr. Maung has denied the claim.
Fr. Maung served in the following parishes: St. Lawrence, Indianapolis; St. Gabriel, Connersville and St. Joseph, Shelbyville. He also resided at Holy Spirit Parish in Indianapolis. Following his retirement in 2009, Fr. Maung continued to help with sacramental needs at parishes in the Archdiocese.
Fr. Maung is prohibited from all public ministry while an investigation is pending.
If you are a victim of sexual misconduct by a person ministering on behalf of the Church, or if you know of anyone who has been a victim of such misconduct, please contact civil authorities and the Archdiocesan Victim Assistance Coordinator Carla Hill.”
“When one person steps forward it provides leadership for others to see that they’re not alone,” said Tim Lennon, President of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, or SNAP, “it’s very good that a survivor steps forward to name someone that was abusive.”
Earlier Wednesday, the Diocese of Gary released the names of ten former priests who were deemed guilty of sex abuse against children. That stemmed from the grand jury report released a few weeks ago detailing allegations of a massive cover-up within archdioceses in Pennsylvania.
In response to that report, Indianapolis Archbishop Charles C. Thompson called for “renewed transparency” and “accountability” in a letter to his parishioners. He ends the letter with a message to find survivors of child sex abuse.
“We need to know of anyone who has been hurt and how you have been violated. We must do everything necessary to make sure neither abuse nor cover-up ever happens again,” he wrote. You can read the full letter here.
According to Maung’s bio on the archdiocese website, he was born on July 23, 1939 and was ordained in 1963.
Maung has a criminal past as well. The Chicago Tribune reports that in 1979, a jury convicted Maung of grand theft and check deception after he stole $100,000 from a California church to cover alleged gambling debts. In Shelbyville, he was accused of sealing more than $75,000 from St. Joseph Parish in 1998.
Those charges were dropped after he agreed to repay some of the money.
If you were a victim of child sex abuse and want to speak out, email Carla Hill with the archdiocese, or contact your local law enforcement authorities.
