BATON ROUGE – According to The Pillar, the Vatican ordered an investigation in the Diocese of Baton Rouge after Bishop Michael Duca allegedly discouraged a whistleblower from calling police after a local priest allegedly admitted to sexual contact with minors.
The diocese confirmed to WBRZ that in October 2025, it received a report of “serious boundary violations with an adult” regarding Father Charbel Jamhoury, a pastor of St. Isidore the Farmer in Baker; the diocese said afterward, it “contracted with an independent, private investigator to examine the matter further.”
As a result, it was announced on the weekend of Dec. 27-28, 2025 that Jamhoury would temporarily leave the parish for a “full health evaluation of his physical, mental, and psychological well-being at a professional, inpatient facility outside of the diocese,” with Jamhoury being removed from office in early February…