The Vatican has ordered a formal investigation against the Bishop of Baton Rouge (Louisiana, United States), Michael Duca, for the handling of a complaint filed against a priest in his diocese accused of inappropriate sexual conduct and of having made alleged confessions about sexual contacts with minors.
The investigation will be conducted under the norms of Vos estis lux mundi, the procedure approved by Pope Francis to investigate possible cases of episcopal negligence in matters of abuse and child protection.
The Dicastery for Bishops has entrusted the investigation to the Archbishop of New Orleans, James Checchio.
The complaint was filed in February
The case originated from a complaint filed in February by Luke Zumo, a layperson linked to the Diocese of Baton Rouge, through the reporting system established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to investigate possible improper conduct by bishops.
In his report, Zumo claims that Bishop Duca and the diocesan vicar general, Father Jamin David, did not act in accordance with the established protocols after receiving accusations against Father Charbel Jamhoury, then pastor of St. Isidore the Farmer in Baker (Louisiana).
According to the complaint, an adult accused the priest of inappropriate behaviors and further assured that the cleric would have mentioned alleged prior sexual acts with minors.
The priest denies the accusations
Father Jamhoury has denied the accusations. In statements to The Pillar, he affirmed that he “absolutely did not” attempt any sexual contact with the complainant nor made confessions related to minors.
The priest assured, on the contrary, that it was he who was suffering an abusive situation from that person, although he did not specify the meaning of that statement.
The Diocese of Baton Rouge did not respond to several questions posed by the U.S. media outlet about the case and the development of the internal investigation.
The diocese’s actions are questioned
One of the central points of the complaint against Bishop Duca is the accusation of having discouraged the complainant from going to the police after learning of the priest’s alleged statements about minors.
According to the published information, although the diocese initiated a preliminary investigation and subsequently removed the priest from the parish in February 2026, some diocesan bodies responsible for child protection would not have been formally informed of the case during the initial phase.
The complainant further claims that the diocese’s public communications minimized the severity of the accusations.
For its part, the diocese previously explained that the priest was removed from his position following an internal investigation, conversations with the parties involved, and additional evaluations, including interviews conducted by civil authorities.
Investigation under the norms of “Vos estis lux mundi”
The formal opening of the investigation comes after The Pillar reported a delay of several weeks in the Vatican’s response to the initial complaint.
The norms of Vos estis lux mundi establish that the Dicastery for Bishops must act “without delay” and, in any case, within thirty days after receiving a complaint.
According to the complainant, ecclesiastical authorities finally communicated the opening of the investigation a few days after the U.S. media outlet published information about the delay in Vatican action.
Archbishop Checchio will now conduct the investigation and subsequently submit his conclusions to Rome.