The head pastor from Our Savior Catholic Center at USC was placed on administrative leave on April 29 because of allegations that he had inappropriate physical contact with an adult.
"Both the archdiocese and the university have received a report about a serious violation of ministerial ethics and essential professional boundaries involving inappropriate physical conduct by our campus minister, Father Bill Messenger," Jenny Schwartzkopf, religious director of the Catholic Student Association, said in a press release on May 1.
The alleged victim has not been named by the Catholic Center, which has declined to comment on the issue.
The Los Angeles Police Department is not investigating the allegations because of a lack of evidence and witnesses, police officials said.
"No one has come forward - no adult, no minor - so we have no victim," said Capt. James Craig of the LAPD. "Any actions the school took is separate from the LAPD, and as of now, there is no criminal prosecution of Messenger taking place."
Regardless of criminal investigation, Messenger, 55, was placed on leave in accordance with rules within the "Priests' Policies and Guidelines" of the archdiocese and the "Guidelines and Governance for Religious Life at USC," Schwartzkopf said.
"We have extended pastoral counseling to the person who made the report and we are working in conjunction with the University of Southern California to bring a resolution to this matter that is in accord with each institution's respected policy and procedures governing these types of allegations," said Todd Tamburg of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles,
Neither the university nor the archdiocese has given word as to whether or not Messenger will resume his role at the Catholic Center, as the investigation is still in its early stages.
The investigation consists of an interview of the alleged victim by a board of 13 lay persons. After making a decision, the group then submits a recommendation to Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony.
Despite being placed on administrative leave, the actions taken by the university and archdiocese does not equate to guilt, Schwarzkopf said.
"Being placed on leave does not imply any judgment about the factual nature of the reports, but does provide an opportunity to review the matter with the care that it deserves," Schwarzkopf said.
Messenger, who could not be reached for this article, has been at USC since 1993. He started "Theology on Tap," a monthly meeting where young people can meet in a relaxed atmosphere and talk about religious issues.
"It's good to see a pastor with a lot of the same views as college students - it makes it easier for college students to incorporate religion into their daily lives, and it encourages more students to attend mass," said Brian Gendron, a member of the Catholic Trojans.
This is not the first time questions regarding priests within the Los Angeles Archdiocese and inappropriate behavior have come into the spotlight.
A report released in 2004 states that, based on files and lawsuits against the local chapter, more than 5,000 priests have served in the archdiocese since 1930, and in that time, 656 people have accused 244 clergymen of child sexual abuse.
According to the current zero-tolerance policy, which was implemented in 2002, if the archdiocese determines a priest to have engaged in inappropriate sexual contact, that person will be promptly removed from all positions, and will never return to the active ministry.
The number of incidents and reports directed to the attention of the Los Angeles Archdiocese went from a total of two reports in 2001, to 102 in 2002, and 420 reports in 2003, according to the diocese.
Students like Gendron are having a difficult time placing Messenger into these reports.
"I have never heard of Father Bill acting inappropriate and the news definitely came as a complete shock to me; I am having a hard time picturing how the situation came about for anything like this to happen," Gendron said.
"With the numerous allegations brought up against other Catholic Priests in these last couple of years, you would think the last thing someone like Father Bill would do is put himself in this type of situation," he added.
Gendron said he worries that students, who in college may be attempting to figure out who they are through religion, may be turned away from the church because of these allegations.
But despite the allegations, Gendron still supports Messenger.
"No matter what happened, Father Bill is in our prayers for sure," Gendron said.
