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SANTA ROSA, Calif. (AP) - A Roman Catholic bishop apologized Saturday for waiting several days to notify authorities about sexual abuse allegations against a priest, a delay that may have allowed the priest to flee to Mexico.
Bishop Daniel Walsh of the Santa Rosa diocese said in a one-page statement to parishioners that he put "caution" before "doing the right thing" in handling the allegations against The Rev. Xavier Ochoa.
Church officials say Ochoa admitted April 28 to sexually abusing a 12-year-old altar boy, but the allegations were not reported to Child Protective Services until May 1, and Ochoa disappeared the next day.
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