Westchester priest placed on administrative leave by archdiocese over child abuse allegation

The pastor of the only Catholic church in Mamaroneck has been placed on “administrative leave” over allegations under the Child Victims Act.

Monsignor James E. White has had his ministry “temporarily restricted” according to a letter sent by Archbishop Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan of New York and obtained by PIX11 News.

“The leave is not a punishment and no judgment has been made about the accusation,” Dolan wrote. “Monsignor White continues to have the presumption of innocence.”

The Child Victims Act allows a one-year lift of the statue of limitations on civil cases for the sexual abuse of minors. Dolan says the accusation comes from “decades ago.”

The allegation will be investigated by the district attorney and then reviewed by a Lay Review Board following civil litigation. The church will receive a substitute pastor in the meantime.

Dolan asked for prayers for White, the accuser and “all those whose lives have been touched by sexual abuse.”