Monsignor Roger Landry takes leave as Massachusetts diocese investigates conduct allegations

The Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts, has restricted Monsignor Roger Landry from public priestly ministry as it investigates allegations concerning his conduct with adults, while the prominent Catholic priest says he is innocent of any canonical violation or crime.

The diocese announced Sept. 11 that it had received allegations against Monsignor Landry from multiple individuals, including alleged violations of clergy codes of conduct in both the Diocese of Fall River and the Archdiocese of New York. It also stressed that there are no allegations involving minors.

Monsignor Landry, who is incardinated in the Diocese of Fall River but has served outside the diocese for more than a decade, said in a separate statement that diocesan officials had verbally informed him that the accusations concern “alleged violations of prudence, pastoral boundaries, and diocesan codes of conduct with adults.”

“There are no allegations of sexual activity whatsoever or of misconduct of any kind with a minor,” Monsignor Landry said.

The diocese did not disclose the specific conduct underlying the allegations or identify the individuals who raised them. Its statement also did not characterize the allegations as involving sexual activity.

According to the diocese, the Archdiocese of New York, where Monsignor Landry’s ministry has been based, conducted an initial investigation. Following consultation with the archdiocese and canonical advisers, the Diocese of Fall River determined that “sufficient evidence exists to restrict him from the public exercise of priestly ministry, pending the resolution of this matter. This action is consistent with Diocese of Fall River policy.”

The diocese added that Monsignor Landry is entitled to the presumption of innocence while the investigation continues.

Monsignor Landry has also voluntarily requested a temporary leave of absence from his position as national director of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA, a role he assumed in January 2025 after his appointment was announced the previous year.

“I do so for the sake of protecting the important work of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA as well as my own reputation as a priest,” Monsignor Landry said in his statement. 

“I maintain my innocence,” Monsignor Landry said, adding that he intends to cooperate fully with the investigation.

“Those who have raised concerns deserve to be heard,” he said. “I am grateful that canon law respects my natural human right to be presumed innocent and the right to protect the good reputation I have enjoyed throughout the many years the Lord has given me the privilege to serve Him and His holy people.”

Monsignor Landry said he had been told the investigation and ecclesiastical process could take several months. He asked for prayers for those who brought the accusations, Bishop Edgar Moreira da Cunha of Fall River, his colleagues at the Pontifical Mission Societies, and himself.

The diocese acknowledged the difficulty individuals can face in reporting concerns about clergy conduct and encouraged anyone with concerns to come forward.

Monsignor Landry has held a number of prominent positions in the Catholic Church in the U.S. and has become widely known as a preacher, writer, and commentator.

A graduate of Harvard College and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Monsignor Landry was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Fall River in 1999. His work in the diocese has included service as a pastor, high school chaplain, and newspaper editor, according to reports from Vatican News and Agenzia Fides.

Beginning in 2015, Monsignor Landry served for seven years as an attaché to the Holy See’s Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations in New York. He subsequently served as Catholic chaplain at Columbia University from 2022 through 2024 and as ecclesiastical assistant to Aid to the Church in Need USA from 2021 to 2024.

Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Landry a Missionary of Mercy during the 2016 Jubilee Year of Mercy and appointed him as a Chaplain of His Holiness, making him a monsignor in late 2024.

Monsignor Landry also played a visible role in the U.S. bishops’ National Eucharistic Revival. As one of the initiative’s National Eucharistic Preachers, he helped lead the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage in 2024 and was the only priest to walk the roughly 1,500-mile route in its entirety from New Haven, Connecticut, to Indianapolis.

He was appointed national director of The Pontifical Mission Societies USA in 2024 and formally took up the position in January 2025. The societies, which operate under the pope’s direction, support the Church’s missionary work and young churches around the world through prayer and financial assistance.

Pope Leo XIV appointed Monsignor Landry in June to serve as a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization’s Section for First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches.

Monsignor Landry has been set to participate in events planned for the beatification of Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen in St. Louis Sept. 24, as Zeale News has reported. Although no official announcement had been made at the time of publication, he was no longer listed as a speaker for the Celebrate Sheen Show ahead of the beatification nor as a concelebrant at one of the Masses of thanksgiving or a participant in the Sheen Awards ceremony in Peoria, Illinois.

The Diocese of Fall River said it has “no further comment at this time.”