Mark Francis Ford, a 64-year-old former priest from Louisiana, has been indicted on child rape charges related to allegations of abusing a disabled boy between 2006 and 2008. The alleged abuse occurred when Ford, who was working as a priest in New Orleans, met the victim through a church program for youth with disabilities.
Ford co-founded "God's Special Children," a program that provided support and mentorship to children with disabilities. However, authorities claim that he exploited this position of trust to groom the boy, who was on the autism spectrum and had a degenerative spinal condition, and eventually sexually assaulted him multiple times.
Prosecutors allege that Ford ignored the boy's pleas for help and told him that his family would not believe him if he reported the abuse. The victim came forward to police in November 2024 and underwent two forensic interviews before a warrant was obtained to arrest Ford in September.
Ford was arrested at his home in Portage, Indiana, and transferred to New Orleans' jail without bail pending trial. If convicted, he faces mandatory life imprisonment.
The case against Ford is the latest development in a long-standing clergy molestation scandal within the New Orleans Catholic church. Several other men have been arrested by authorities for allegedly abusing children, including retired priest Lawrence Hecker, who received a mandatory life sentence after pleading guilty to decades-old rape and kidnapping charges.
Ford's past as a Catholic priest is shrouded in controversy, with some reports suggesting that he struggled with financial management issues while working at churches. However, his removal from the priesthood by the Vatican remains unclear.
The case has sparked widespread outrage, with prosecutors describing Ford's actions as "violent and reprehensible" and an "unacceptable breach of trust."
Ford co-founded "God's Special Children," a program that provided support and mentorship to children with disabilities. However, authorities claim that he exploited this position of trust to groom the boy, who was on the autism spectrum and had a degenerative spinal condition, and eventually sexually assaulted him multiple times.
Prosecutors allege that Ford ignored the boy's pleas for help and told him that his family would not believe him if he reported the abuse. The victim came forward to police in November 2024 and underwent two forensic interviews before a warrant was obtained to arrest Ford in September.
Ford was arrested at his home in Portage, Indiana, and transferred to New Orleans' jail without bail pending trial. If convicted, he faces mandatory life imprisonment.
The case against Ford is the latest development in a long-standing clergy molestation scandal within the New Orleans Catholic church. Several other men have been arrested by authorities for allegedly abusing children, including retired priest Lawrence Hecker, who received a mandatory life sentence after pleading guilty to decades-old rape and kidnapping charges.
Ford's past as a Catholic priest is shrouded in controversy, with some reports suggesting that he struggled with financial management issues while working at churches. However, his removal from the priesthood by the Vatican remains unclear.
The case has sparked widespread outrage, with prosecutors describing Ford's actions as "violent and reprehensible" and an "unacceptable breach of trust."
i mean, it's like he was right in front of god and still managed to do this to a kid who couldn't even defend himself. the fact that he founded this program to help kids with disabilities just makes it even more sickening. how could someone exploit their position of trust like that? anyway, hope justice is served 
I'm not surprised to hear about this guy's dark past. You can't judge someone by their reputation alone, but it's hard not to when you see a record like his. A 64-year-old priest gets away with exploiting his position of power for years and now he's facing serious time? It's unbelievable. 
The fact that he was able to convince the boy that no one would believe him if he spoke out just shows how twisted he is. And all those kids who were involved in "God's Special Children" are probably still traumatized from being groomed by this monster. 
This case just goes to show that even when you think someone is a good person, they can still be capable of unimaginable evil. I'm not buying the whole "he was struggling with financial issues" excuse either... sounds like he was just too lazy to figure it out on his own. 
. It's like he used his position to groom him and then just ignored him when he needed help most... ugh, it makes me want to scream.
I cant even imagine the trauma that child went through having to deal with this for so long and then finally finding the courage to come forward 
, you know? I mean, some guy who was supposed to be helping these kids through a program called God's Special Children ends up taking advantage of them and using his position of power to exploit and abuse them. It's just unbelievable that someone in such a vulnerable position could get away with it for so long.
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this is absolutely despicable, a priest who was meant to serve & protect vulnerable children instead chose to exploit them. it's mind-boggling how someone could use their position of power to groom & abuse a child with disabilities 
. And the worst part is, he used this 'God's Special Children' program to gain trust with the kid and then turned it all around for his own sick desires 
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it's not just the fact that he abused that kid, but also how he manipulated him into silence. can u imagine if that was ur cousin or brother?
i don't know what kind of twisted mind would think it's okay to prey on vulnerable kids like that.