Parishioners celebrate "Father Juan's" liberty

By TOM RUE

BETHEL - Friends and family of the recently freed Father Juan Bazalar, formerly of St. Peter's Church in Monticello, gathered for a pot-luck picnic lunch at Lake Superior Park in the Town of Bethel on Sunday, August 13.

Attended by over 100 guests, the get-together was not sponsored by the church. Festivities lasted several hours.

Zulema Bazalar of Queens, the cleric's sister, said a Monticello jury's verdict two weeks ago clearing Bazalar -- freeing him after three years in prison -- has strengthened her faith. "It was a miracle, because he was innocent. We knew that from the beginning," Ms. Bazalar said.

Convicted in 1993 and sentenced to 5 to 15 years in 1993, the conviction was overturned when the Court of Appeals ruled Bazelar did not receive a fair trial because some defense witnesses were not allowed to testify.

Bazalar has been cleared of three alleged acts of forcible sodomy and three counts of sodomy against a 15-year-old, said defense attorney Gary Greenwald of Goshen. Additional misdemeanor charges of consensual sodomy with a person under 21, and endangering the welfare of a minor, were left unresolved by the jury, Greenwald said.

Bazalar continues to maintain his complete innocence.

The young man who accused the priest of molesting him was William Shuart -- now 19 -- of Monticello, Greenwald said. At trial, Shuart endured intense examination by Greenwald, being branded a liar with a history of drug abuse.

Spiritual leaders also lied, Greenwald asserted, mentioning a number of specific individuals who testified at the trial. "The thing that really bothered me was the lack of support from the Catholic church. Church officials lied. I was so angry at them!" Greenwald told the crowd.

Bazelar maintained a quiet presence during the picnic, talking with guests who had come to congratulate and support him.

Greenwald said jurors split 9 to 3, finally compromising. Three jurors "did something they should not have done. They assumed something had to have occurred, and they weren't ready to cut him loose on the lowest charge," Greenwald stated.

District attorney Steven Lungen has not said whether he will pursue the two remaining charges. Greenwald said he thinks Lungen will conclude it is not in Shuart's "best interest" to be subjected to another trial which will most likely be lost.

To convict Bazelar of consensual sodomy, Greenwald explained, Shuart will have to swear he agreed to have sex with the priest, contrary to his own prior testimony. Since Bazelar has been acquitted of forcibly raping Shuart, Greenwald went on, it could not follow that Bazelar endangered his welfare.

"The likelihood of conviction is extraordinarily low," Greenwald claimed. "Sullivan County has an excellent district attorney and he will weigh very carefully the pros and cons, as he normally does."

Greenwald predicted the case will be called for trial within a month or so. Lungen will tell him whether he plans to re-try the two remaining counts sometime before then, he added.

Attributing Bazelar's incarceration to social prejudice, Greenwald urged supporters to organize politically and vote. "You've got to learn to protect yourself. It's no longer enough to believe that you're a part of this great country. You've got to take control. That's the lesson of Father Bazelar," Greenwald said in extemporaneous remarks to the crowd.

Bazelar is staying in Queens with his sister. He said he has been resting and enjoying his privacy, noting that he is awaiting instructions from his supervising bishop -- Msgr. Alcides Mendez of the Archdiocese of Lima -- about his next official station.

After receiving permission from Mendez' predecessor in February 1991, Bazelar said, he signed a 3-year contract to work for the Archdiocese of New York at St. Peter's parish in Monticello under the late Father Daniel Croston.

Bazelar thanked people who supported him and helped pay his defense fees. He also thanked Greenwald. Bazelar said he met many people in the Sullivan County Jail whom he believes innocent. He blamed such injustices on inadequate public funds being directed to the legal aid bureau, in contrast to powerful investigative resources at the district attorney's office.

Bazelar said the "vow of obedience" he took upon entering the priesthood requires him to follow instructions of his superiors. He declined to say whether he personally has hopes of remaining in the U.S. or returning to his homeland.

Most of his immediate family live in New Jersey and Queens.

"That's not the main problem now. The main problem now is to clear my name and show my innocence," Bazelar said.

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