In a first, New Orleans priest accused of abusing minors admits wrongdoing

Lawrence Hecker, 91, acknowledged he had committed overtly sexual acts' laid out in statement given to church leaders in 1999

For the first time ever, one of the New Orleans Catholic church's most strongly suspected abusers has publicly admitted that he sexually abused or harassed several teenagers during his career as a priest. He's also described himself as remorseful yet unsure if he's deserving of any criminal consequences.

Lawrence Hecker gave the rare admission when reporters for the Guardian and local news outlet WWL-TV asked him to discuss a statement he gave to New Orleans church leaders in 1999. In the statement, he acknowledged committing overtly sexual acts" with at least three underage boys in the late 1960s and 1970s and revealed his close relationships with four others stretching into the 1980s.