‘It wasn’t a big deal’: secret deposition reveals how a child molester priest was shielded by his church | New Orleans

An undated photo of a younger Lawrence Hecker. Photograph: Provided photoLongtime New Orleans Catholic priest Lawrence Hecker received a special honor from the Vatican nearly 25 years ago despite having confessed to molesting children. Then, for another two decades, church leaders in the city strategically shielded him from law enforcement and media exposure – while also providing him with financial support ranging from paid limousine rides and therapeutic massages to full retirement benefits, according to his own, previously unreported testimony.A sworn deposition Hecker gave in private…