Exorcist cleans house before sale

Associated Press

BOISE - The house of a retired Boise priest who is awaiting trial on child pornography and drug possession charges has been cleaned out and blessed by an exorcist.

The Rev. John Worster, pastor at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Boise who is preparing the property for sale, said he had a diocesan exorcist and others pray over the house.

The Diocese of Boise evicted the Rev. W. Thomas "Tom" Faucher soon after he was arrested, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Mark Manweiler, Faucher's attorney, declined to comment on the exorcism of the church-owned property.

Faucher is being held at the Ada County Jail. A trial is set to begin Oct. 15, but his attorney indicated last month that he's in negotiations with prosecutors on a plea deal.

The diocese has accepted an offer to sell the two-bedroom, two-bathroom house in the range of $240,000 to $260,000, Worster said. He said the property was filthy, and infested with mice.

"Our main goal is to turn the house over in good condition to the next owner," he said. "We're painting, cleaning up the floors and cleaning carpet, even as we speak. Part of that is taking care of the spiritual side of things."

He said he wanted the exorcism to clear away the "spiritual filth" associated with the house and its former occupant.