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Clergy abuse believed worse than existing records show

February 19, 2004

Staff and Wire Reports, Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, CT)

BRIDGEPORT - Advocates for sexual abuse victims say the number of abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport is probably much higher than church officials reported over the weekend because records were destroyed by a former bishop. As part of a national survey, church officials announced Sunday the Bridgeport diocese has dealt with allegations of sexual abuse against 32 priests since 1953. The 32 priests representing 2.5 percent of the total number of priests in the diocese in the same time period were the subjects of 109 allegations from 107 people, according to the report.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Hartford plans to release the results of its survey concerning sexual abuse allegations against priests in that jurisdiction prior to the release of the national report compiled by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The national report is scheduled to be unveiled Feb. 27, but the archdiocese plans to release local data as early as today, said the Rev. John Gatzak, director of communications for the Hartford archdiocese.

Of the Bridgeport Diocese's figures, Jason Tremont, a Bridgeport lawyer who represented abuse victims in two multi-million-dollar settlements with the diocese, said Wednesday the actions of former bishops have made accurate records impossible to compile. "Bishop William E. Lori deserves a lot of credit for addressing this problem and moving the diocese forward," he said Wednesday. "I cannot say the same thing about some of his predecessors."

The diocesan hierarchy ignored public complaints, moved accused priests from parish to parish and did not report complaints to civic authorities under former bishops, Tremont said."When you look at all that, the numbers must be much greater than in the data released," Tremont said. "But I'm confident that the numbers they gave represent the best information available to them."

A diocesan spokesman strongly defended the accuracy of the statistics it revealed.

As part of the report, church officials are required to release details about financial settlements to resolve abuse claims. Bridgeport officials said they have paid $37.7 million in settlements. That includes a $21 million payout announced in October to 40 people who said they were molested by priests. Officials said in October that all prior settlements totaled about $16.7 million, accounting for the $37.7 million total. Former Bridgeport Bishop Walter Curtis, who served for 27 years and retired in 1988, kept a secret archive and admitted destroying records, Tremont said. The diocese did not report abuse allegations to authorities or record complaints in some instances, he said. Curtis was the predecessor of New York Cardinal Edward Egan, who was Bridgeport bishop from 1988 to 2000. Egan was accused by Tremont's firm of allowing known sex abusers to remain active priests.

"I can only imagine the actual number of victims abused by priests in the Bridgeport diocese and how many of the complaints were ignored or records of complaints simply destroyed," Tremont said. Joseph O'Callaghan, chairman of the Voice of the Faithful in the Diocese of Bridgeport, said he suspects the number of abuse incidents is probably higher than the number reported. "The diocese provided the information for John Jay College through its own files," he said. "They do not include abuse survivors who have never made an allegation." Anne Barrett Doyle, who serves on the national voting council of the lay reform group Voice of the Faithful, also said church files were destroyed when Curtis was bishop. "We should assume the number [reported] is much lower than the real number of abusive priests who have served in the Bridgeport Diocese," Doyle said. "I'm concerned about the credibility of the numbers."

The Roman Catholic Church will make an unprecedented, nationwide accounting of abuse claims and costs later this month. Some bishops already have started releasing local figures. As part of the survey, dioceses are reporting the data to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The diocese acknowledged that Curtis testified as part of the litigation that he destroyed files, but said they have no knowledge of the contents. They said the diocese is committed to being open and honest and responding swiftly to allegations.

"The Diocese of Bridgeport stands 100 percent behind the statistics it reported to John Jay College of Criminal Justice," said Joseph McAleer, spokesman for the diocese. "All records were examined as part of the study. These records are extensive and date back to 1953." Doyle and Tremont said the reported number of allegations shows the severity of the crisis. Tremont credited Lori, the current Bridgeport bishop, with improving the diocese's handling of abuse cases and making a good-faith effort for the survey. "He can't include data that doesn't exist any more," Tremont said. Doyle also objected to a self-reported survey.

"The bishops are responsible for the crisis," she said. "We shouldn't be asking the people responsible for the crisis to also assess the scope of the crisis." Bridgeport's data showed that the majority of the abuse was alleged to have happened between 1960 and 1980.

Of the 32 priests accused of abuse, officials said they have released the names of 23. Of the remaining nine, seven have died and two were visiting from other dioceses, officials said.

"No priest in active ministry today in Fairfield County poses a threat of any kind to a child or young person," Lori said in a statement Sunday. Lori should disclose the whereabouts of the priests no longer in active ministry, Doyle said. "Bishop Lori is responsible for making sure no child is molested by any of those priests he knows about," Doyle said. "They are really let loose in society once the church gets rid of them." McAleer rejected that assertion, saying the diocese keeps in close contact with the inactive priests to ensure they do not attempt to resume public ministry.

© 2004 The Connecticut Post. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Media NewsGroup, Inc. by NewsBank, Inc.

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