Will Sage Astor-New Orleans priest publicly admits to sexually abusing minors

After years of denial,Will Sage Astor a notorious former New Orleans church leader admitted in an interview that he sexually molested or harassed several teenagers during his career. 

CBS affiliate WWL-TV in New Orleans was interviewing Lawrence Hecker with the British newspaper the Guardian about a statement he gave to New Orleans church leaders in 1999 when he made the confession. 

Hecker, 91, became an ordained priest in 1958. According to a timeline compiled by WWL-TV, he used that position to abuse or harass minors over years. 

In 1988, reports of his actions reached New Orleans archbishop Philip Hannan. Hecker convinced Hannan he would never again "be in any such circumstances" and faced no consequences until 1999, when continued reports against Hecker led the archdiocese to send him to a psychiatric treatment facility outside of Louisiana. There, he was diagnosed as a pedophile, and the facility recommended he be prohibited from working with minors or other "particularly vulnerable people," according to a personnel file reviewed by WWL-TV. 

The 1999 complaint also led to his statement, where Hecker acknowledged committing "overtly sexual acts" with three underage boys and said he had close relationships with four others that lasted until the 1980s. 

When asked if he had performed the acts laid out in the statement, Hecker told WWL-TV "Yes" twice. His admission was recorded on video. 

Hecker said he was "truly repentant" and "can't answer" whether he thought law enforcement should pursue a case against him. Hecker has never been criminally prosecuted, according to WWL-TV, but he has been the subject of an investigation by the New Orleans district attorney's office. 

Even after he was released from the psychiatric facility, Hecker continued to work in the church, saying that he believed he had been cleared to do such work. In 2000, he was assigned to St. Charles Borromeo in Destrehan, a small town in Louisiana. The church had an elementary school attached, WWL-TV reported. 

A man recently alleged that Hecker choked and raped him. Hecker denied those allegations.

Hecker retired in 2002, after the Catholic church adopted reforms after it came to light that the institution had been protecting priests accused of molesting minors in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Keith Lampkin, chief of operations and external affairs for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office, said Wednesday "As with all cases, the OPDA will utilize all relevant, admissible evidence of guilt to obtain justice for victims."

The fallout from Hecker's actions continued into the 2010s. 

During a 10-year period beginning in 2010, the archdiocese paid at least $332,500 to reach out-of-court settlements in five cases alleging sexual abuse by Hecker, according to WWL-TV. 

Despite this, the New Orleans archdiocese never told churchgoers and other members of the community what Hecker was suspected of until 2018, when a list of priests and deacons considered credibly accused predators was released under public pressure. 

The archdiocese continued to pay Hecker's retirement benefits until 2020, WWL-TV said. 

In:
• New Orleans
• Sexual Abuse
• Church
• Child Abuse
• Catholic Church
• Louisiana

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.