Priest Caught on Tape (soliciting BJs)

KTVA TV ^ | 5/5/05 | ben deci

[pissant]

An Anchorage Priest on administrative leave today. He's facing accustaions that he used his positon of power to pressure a man into sex.

Those accusations only came to light after an exclusive 11 News investigation. The graphic sexual nature of what we uncovered is deepy disturbing and viewer discretation is certainly advised. But as hard as this may to be listen to, what is perhaps most troubling about this investigation, is that it centers on a spiritual leader, a preist, and it all takes place inside his Anchorage church.

Parishoners here at Our Lady Of Guadelope have reason to rejoice. Right next door they are bulding a new Cathedral. It'll be a million dollar house of worship. But even now, before it's finished, this house is hiding a secret so sinster, it will shake this church to it's foundations. It's revelation: enough to cause doubt for even the intensely devout.

Fredrick May says Father Bob wanted to trade him- sex for work- specifically for a job buidling the new cathedral.

I asked him, "What made you contact us?"

May responded, "I said, man, nobody's gonna believe me. This guy is way up in the church and I ain't not saint. I said they're not going to believe me and so I called Channel 11 News."

May's story of a priest, pushing to perform oral sex on a perspective employee seemed increadible to us too. But he showed us checks for 100, 150, even 500 dollars written to him by Father Robert Bester. Some of those checks written directly from the Church's account.

It was time to take a closer look. So we sent May back to Our Lady of Guadalupe, this time armed with a hidden camera, and voice recorder. What was said once He and Father Bob were alone, will shock you.

The following is an exerpt from the recording:

"Fred May: But uh, you're Dracula?

Father Bob Bester: Yes. When I was twenty I would have drunk you without you're saying anything.

Fred May: Drinking the seamen, you would have just hold me down and drink the seamen?

Father Bob Bester: Uh-huh.

Fred May: Ohhh...

Father Bob Bester: But I've developed more manners.

Fred May: You also know, you also know that the angel that sits beside me has great strength and great authority. You also know that.

Father Bob Bester: Yes.

Fred May: He has great strength.

Father Bob: And I combat them often.

Fred May: Yeah, I knew that. I knew that.

Father Bob: Are you surprised that I'm Dracula?"

We recorded two separate conversations between Fred May and Father Robert Bester. 33 minutes of tape- with contents so disturbing I had to seek out the priest for an explanation.

After thanking Father Bester for meeting with me, I played back the recorded conversations. I showed him checks he had written and transcripts of what he said. And then I asked him, "How do you respond? I mean, that is your voice. How do you repsond to some of that recorded material that he's got?"

Father Bester responded, "Well it went around that Dracula claim."

I said, "But you're saying there that you, you're making the claim yourself according to that tape."

Father Bester's answer was, "Yes, but I was kidding with him."

But Fred May says it was no joke. "That scared me. I couldn't sleep."

Not only was he losing sleep, May says he was losing money - never allowed to work at church, because he never allowed Father Bester to perform oral sex.

Another exerpt from the tape follows:

"Father Bob - I'm their Boss, but he knows I'm sassy. He knows I put people down, left and right.

Fred May: Okay, now, what made, what made me, what made you want to have the baby from me though?

Father Bob - Number one, you're comely.

Fred May - What does comely mean?

Father Bob - Good looking.

Fred May- Oh Serious?

Father Bob - Number two you're young. Number three you're straight. Number four I knew you had a lot of cum."

Recalling the conversation from the tape, Fred wondered, "I'm thinking, how many kids has this dude done this to? Or how many other people has this dude done did this to?"

I asked father Bester if he ever had a history of sexual misconduct. He told me no, and that he wasn't likely to start now.

"I'm too old to have sex." Father Bester said, "Every time he came he wanted money for clothes or for his court situation. I hardly know the man."

I asked, "Why would he then have the idea that he would be able to get that money?"

Father Bester's response was, "Well, I suspect because I've been generous with so many people including him. Money has not been a prime concern for me. No more than sex would be."

The concern is now for his congregation, hearing in uncomfortable detail the differance between Father Bester's message at the alter and the conversations behind closed doors in this house of God.

As mentioned earlier, Father Robert Bester was, just this evening, put on admisitrative leave as a result of our investigation. We offered to show Father Robert Bester's superiors the material we collected before we broke this story tongiht. We wanted to give Anchorage's Arch Bishop Roger Schwietz a chance to repsond. But more than that, we want to give him a chance to fully address a potentially scandous situation within his own house. The Diocese Declined.

Archbishop Schwietz didn't meet with us, instead his staff told 11 News that they didn't need to see the video at this time.

[pissant]

Clinton's fault

[martin_fierro]

Ben Deci needs a spell checker.

[pissant]

Maybe his hands were shaking in excitement

[mike182d]

Once again, evidence that homosexuality, not celibacy, is the problem.

[ArrogantBustard]

Rule One: No Poofters!

[IronJack]

I don't know who this written report came from, but I'm with martin. This is so poorly written it calls the entire story's credibility into question.

[newgeezer]

Continued Catholic-bashing in the MSM.

[Rodney King]

Continued Catholic-bashing in the MSM.

So it is your contention then that this story should not have been told by the press, and that this sick freak not be exposed?

[pissant]

Yep, the scandal in the church is one of homos, not pedophiles.

[Born Conservative]

Dracula? I guess I'm a bit rusty on my gay lingo...

[pissant]

that's poofers, w/o the T in theses parts....

[dead]

I think Fred is every bit as big a poofter as Father Bob.

[pissant]

check the link, and decide.

[pissant]

This sick freak nedds to be giving the boot and fast! Hopefully being a bee-yatch in jail will cure him of his desire for man sex.

[pissant]

me too.

[dighton]

.
preist, drinking the seamen, message at the alter, admisitrative leave, potentially scandous situation.

[r9etb]

If we give Fr. Bester the benefit of the doubt and believe his claim that he was "just kidding," he should still be tossed out. That sort of talk is completely inappropriate for a priest. (This is the sort of disqualification for priesthood that St. Paul is talking about in 1 Timothy.)

[Antoninus]

Do ask, do tell, do defrock. That's the only way to end this insanity.

[ctlpdad]

And teh grammer aren't good, too.

[HamiltonJay]

Catholic bashing? Please, the Catholic Church opened the doors to openly gay "but not practicing" homosexuals in teh 60s, and now its coming home to roost... they've turned the church in many dioceses into their own little bath houses... trading sex for position, access, power... Pushing any that threaten them out into the boonies.

I say these things not as a basher but as a practicing Catholic! Our church has been defouled and the people doign it are not only inside the organization but now are in greater and greater positions of authority in the organization.

The priesthood MUST BE PURGED!

[pissant]

Being a Catholic myself, I agree with both of you. Purge the scumbags. These bastards are giving a black eye to the Church.

[Tijeras_Slim]

It's Friday with a vengence this AM. Whew!

[biblewonk]

Definitely not Clinton's fault.

[pissant]

Oral sex ain't sex anymore, don't ya know (just kiddin)

[ctlpdad]

I think it is better to take a small hit now and rid the church of these people, as well as scare away any future homo priest wanna-be's. Shuffling them from parish to parish will only come back to haunt the church later. S4itcan the bum!

[general_re]

deepy disturbing and viewer discretation is certainly advised, seemed increadible to us too, The following is an exerpt, How do you repsond, we broke this story tongiht

[george wythe]

It sounds like this priest has "issues," as many as the runaway bride.

[reagan_fanatic]

If priests are getting as much action as we've been hearing about lately, even Mark Morford must be seriously considering the priesthood.

[Delphinium]

It sounds like this priest has "issues," as many as the runaway bride.

as many as the run away bride? Are you kidding?

[pissant]

Myabe he needs to hook up with the Republican Mayor of Spokane, WA, who was busted for being a poofer yesterday!

[ImaGraftedBranch]

It sounds like this priest has "issues,"

His ISSUES have issues...

[Constitution Day]

Ben Deci

I was a cub reporter writing for my college newspaper, "The Michigan Daily," when a network affiliate in Detroit, picked up on a story of mine. I clearly remember the reporter who came to interview me. I remember the way she gathered bits of sound and video to fold into her story. I was hooked.

Fast-forward through a bachelor's degree in literature from the University of Michigan and a master's in journalism from Boston University...

That's the most deepy disturbing, increadible, scandous thing of all.

[george wythe]

I did not know that the mayor of Spokane was involved in a sexual scandal.

It's difficult to keep up with all these weirdos.

[newgeezer]

My tagline should have said "Sarcasm content: 100.00%."

Sorry about the confusion.

[sandydipper]

Sicko! But then why must priest be celibate. I mean the church promotes sickisms by only accepting homos as candidate's for the priesthood.

I don't think JC preferred men.

[pissant]

I posted a thread on it yesterday..

[ctlpdad]

I worked my way through college as a night shift janitor. I spent a bunch of my time teaching the business majors how to use a computer and correcting Communications majors grammar. I don't claim to be a pro at either, but those people were PATHETIC!

[pissant]

I've been a Catholic my entire life. Went to Catholic schools. I only met ONE questionable character out of the many dozens of priests I've known. But even if 1% are homos, its too many.

[avg_freeper]

Here's the statement from the Archdiocese of Anchorage

IMMEDIATE
Anchorage, AK May 5, 2005
PRIEST PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE

Fr. Robert Bester, Pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, informed the Archdiocese today, that he had been made aware by local media that an adult male has made an accusation against him of a recent incident of inappropriate behavior. Fr. Bester indicated that he had made a report to the police regarding this accuser. In consultation with Fr. Bester, the Archdiocese has placed Fr. Bester on administrative leave pending investigation conducted under the direction of the Anchorage Archdiocesan Review Board. The Archdiocese, as of this time, has not received any contact from the accuser. There will be no further comments until the Archdiocesan Review Board has completed their investigation.

The link to the PDF containing this statement is located at the link above.

[Rodney King]

Oh, sorry.

[aculeus]

But even now, before it's finished, this house is hiding a secret so sinster, it will shake this church to it's foundations. It's revelation: enough to cause doubt for even the intensely devout.

Its a pity he never learned how to use the apostrophe correctly. ; )

[appleton14]

I totally agree with you. I recently read an excellent book "Goodbye, Good Men" by Michael Rose. And, what he discovered is that many seminaries (not all) are hotbeds of homosexuality.

[SoothingDave]

C'mon give the guy a break on grammar. It's TV news, not journalism.

SD

[Eska]

There's an entire slough of cases such as these up here in Alaska; but the catholic church really has been hit hard. Mainly because of years of cover ups, not addressing the problems.

Rural areas are harder hit than urban areas and you find quite a few people hiding out from the law or skeletons in rural areas. Tons of self ordained woke up one morning praising the lord and everyone follow me & give me money preachers; but personally I think they just were run out of towns in the lower 48.

Indian villages suffer from all kinds of child sexual abuse; all the girls and quite a few boys raped before the age of 8 or 10. I always thought it was related to all the alcohol dysfunction but I am seriously beginning to wonder? The natives all claim it stems from sexual abuse committed for years by white clergy, child welfare, and indian school staff. Notice those little white bow pins on most of the older natives hats and you realize there is something to what the indians claim.

[ctlpdad]

What you say makes perfect sense. I am surprised, though, that the problems don't solve themselves. I could easily see someone taking the priest for a little one-way fishing trip. Lots of space for the guy to just disappear.

[Dashing Dasher]

Perhaps apostrophe usage is not taught in Journalism TV News classes?

[Dajjal]

Sickened BTTT

[withteeth]

"I don't know who this written report came from, but I'm with martin. This is so poorly written it calls the entire story's credibility into question."

Seems to be a trend nowadays to publish spoken, local TV transcripts onto the web. Never reads very well.