Ottawa priest was convicted of sex assaults

Questions are being asked by parishioners at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Ottawa after it was discovered that one of the priests at their church is a convicted sex offender.

Father John McCann , 82, was sent to prison in 1992 after being convicted of sexually assaulting two girls in British Columbia.

The assaults happened in the 1970s, when both girls were under 16 years of age.

McCann pled guilty to molesting the two girls and was sentenced to 10 months in prison,

But church members at the church on St. Laurent Boulevard, expressed shock on Saturday after learning of McCann's past through media reports.

Asked for their reaction after gathering for a special prayer service on Saturday morning church-goers said the mood in the church was sombre.

A letter was read out during the service, with church officials saying McCann who has been in Ottawa for about 10 years will no longer have a presence in the parish.

Late last month, McCann's whereabouts were uncovered by the U.S.-based support group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Although retired, McCann filled in to conduct mass when the regular priest was away.

Some parishioners say their trust in the Catholic Church is damaged by the revelation.

The regular priest at Our Lady of Mount Carmel said even he didn't know of McCann's past - and that if he or his superiors at the archdiocese had known, McCann wouldn't have been allowed to officiate.

The Archdiocese of Ottawa revoked McCann's permission to perform occasional ministry on April 29.