GUAM ARCHBISHOP ON ABUSE CHARGES
ARCHBISHOP APURON CHARGED WITH ABUSE OF BOYS |
The papal appointee given authority to take charge of a Guam archdiocese
rocked by allegations of sexual abuse against its archbishop has said the
Vatican is preparing to put the prelate on trial.
Archbishop Savio Hon Tai Fai, who Pope
Francis appointed in June to step-in over Agana Archbishop Anthony Apuron, told
reporters Tuesday that "they just formed all the conditions for the
trial."
VATICAN ARCHBISHOP HON INVESTIGATING APURON |
"I'm going to receive some news, some updates later," said
Hon, who has been serving as the archdiocese's apostolic administrator while
also remaining the second-in-command of the Vatican’s Congregation for the
Evangelization of Peoples.
Hon, a native of Hong Kong, spoke to journalists Nov. 1 following
Francis' appointment
Oct. 31 of Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Michael Byrnes as the new
coadjutor archbishop of the Agana archdiocese, the island's only Catholic
diocese.
Local TV station KUAM news posted video of Hon's remarks on
their Facebook page.
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Francis has sought to act firmly against clergy sexual abuse, and such a
trial would be the Vatican's first of a prelate accused of abuse. A similar
trial had been organized in 2015 for a Polish archbishop who had been accused
of abuse, but the prelate died before the beginning of the proceedings.
A coadjutor bishop is a prelate who is normally appointed by the pope to
a diocese with the idea of taking over for the current diocesan leader when he
dies or retires. Coadjutor bishops have right of succession, meaning they
automatically become diocesan leaders should the previous bishop die in office.
Hon explained that Francis had appointed Byrnes to have special
faculties over the Agana archdiocese, saying: "This appointment suggests a
more permanent solution."
"As a matter of fact, in this appointment the Holy Father has
expressly granted His Excellency Msgr. Byrnes all the faculties, rights and
obligations of the archbishop of Agana, civilly and ecclesiastically without
any exception," Hon continued.
NEW ARCHBISHOP OF GUAM - MICHAEL BYRNES OF DETROIT |
"In other words, as coadjutor archbishop, Msgr. Byrnes has the
complete right of responsibility over everything concerning the
archdiocese," said Hon.
Byrnes told KUAM TV that he would visit the Pacific island nation in
late November and then move there permanently in January. About 80 percent of
Guam's 162,000 residents are Catholic.
Apuron, 70, has been accused of having inappropriate physical contact
with at least five young boys in the 1960s and '70s. The allegations emerged in
May when one of the boys, now 52, came forward, prompting others to do the
same.
Apuron has denied the allegations, and Guam civil authorities have not
charged him with any crimes.
Hon had previously told Guam's Catholics that he expected Apuron to
undergo a canonical trial, saying so in a September letter he sent to each of
the island's 26 churches.
The pope signed
a new universal law for the Catholic church last June that
specified that a bishop's negligence in response to clergy sexual abuse can
lead to his removal from office and empowered four Vatican offices to initiate
processes of removal when necessary.
That move was the subject of criticism from some survivors' advocates,
who said it did not live up to an earlier promise to create a new Vatican
tribunal to judge bishops who do not act appropriately when told of allegations
of abuse.
CATHOLIC BISHOPS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT / ABUSE COVER UP:
FROM: www.bishopaccountability.org
ARGENTINA
Resigned in
2005, age 64, per canon
401.2 after video surfaced of him having sex with 23-year-old man.
Remained in ministry. Seen 2010
saying Confirmation Mass for teenagers. Santiago del
Estero bishop emeritus. Died March 2015.
Archbishop Edgardo G. Storni
Resigned October
2002, age 66, per canon
401.2 after reports he abused young men and boys. Convicted 2009.
Sentenced to eight years in prison; given house arrest instead. Conviction
overturned 2011. Remained Santa Fe de la
Vera Cruz archbishop emeritus. Died2012.
Bishop Adolfo A. Uriona, F.D.P.
Arrested 2006
after a 24-year-old woman accused him of groping her during a bus ride. Denied the
charge. Case dismissed. Visited pope2014. Añatuya bishop
in 2004 until he was appointed bishop of Villa de la Concepción in December
2014.
Accused 2002 of 1961 or 1962 sex abuse of 12-year-old boy while Pell was
seminarian. Denying allegation, Pell stood aside as Sydney archbishop, while church
asked former judge to investigate. Report said accuser "gave the impression he was speaking honestly"
but crime could not be established. Pell resumed office. Appointed by Pope 2014 to head Vatican's
new Secretariat of the Economy. News broken by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) July 2016 of multiple
additional complaints investigated by Victorian police. Pell allegedly fondled the genitals and anuses of two boys in a pool in 1978-1979, and
may have exposed himself to three boys in 1986-1987. Another allegation involved unspecified abuse of two teen choirboys in 1990s. Pell's
office called the allegations "totally untrue" and accused ABC of a
"scandalous smear campaign." In a 2nd statement, Pell urged an inquiry of the Victoria police, accusing them of leaking
reports to the ABC. Pell not criminally charged as of 7/28/2016. [See the half-hour ABC TV
program and transcript.]
Criminally charged June 2014 with 1969 sexual abuse of child in New Norcia, prior
to ordination. Denied the charge. Stepped aside as Australia's Military bishop while court case active. Tried in Perth court February
2016 on charges of "indecent dealings" with five boys, ages 13-15, between 1969-1972. Found not guilty.
AUSTRIA
Accused publicly 1995 of abusing boys and young monks. Retired as
archbishop soon after, age 75, with JP II saying Christ too faced "unjust accusations." Named head of priory 1996. Removal announced early 1998, after more victims surfaced. Schönborn and 3
others confirmed Groër's abuses February 1998. Resigned April 1998 from all duties. Remained cardinal and Vienna archbishop emeritus. Some estimated 2,000 victims. Died 2003.
BELGIUM
Bishop
Roger J. Vangheluwe
Resigned 2010,
age 73, per canon
401.2 after admitting to sexual abuse of boy, later revealed to be
his nephew. Sent by Vatican to monastery in
France for "spiritual and psychological treatment." Admitted on
television in April 2011 to abuse of two
nephews, one beginning at age 5, over 13-year period in 1970s and '80s.
Left monastery amidst public outcry three days after TV appearance. Not
prosecuted due to expired statute
of limitations. Current whereabouts unknown. Brugge {Bruges} bishop
emeritus.
BRAZIL
Resigned 2016,
age 66, per canon
401.2, after Vatican investigation into charges he accepted into the
archdiocese priests and seminiarians rejected by other dioceses for suspected
pedophilia. Banned during investigation from ordaining new deacons and
priests or taking new seminarians. Pagotto had also been accused of
sexual misconduct with an 18-year-old male. Paraíba archbishop
emeritus.
CANADA
Accused 2000
of sexual misconduct with person over age
16. Not known if alleged victim was under age 18. Church deemed allegation
"substantive enough to warrant a full examination." Removed from
ministry during Church investigation. Resigned same year, age 58. Toronto bishop
emeritus.
Bishop Raymond J. Lahey
Arrested in 2009 for possession of child abuse images. Resigned
as Antigonish bishop
in 2009 per
canon 401.2, age 69. Pled guilty in 2011. Sentenced in 2012 but given
time served. Laicized in
2012.
Retired 2002. Investigated late
1990s-early 2000s by police probing sexual abuse in Cornwall. Per LaRocque,
original allegations date to 1961. Not
charged. Accused 2005
of 1970s sexual abuse of altar boy. Denied all accusations. Alexandria-Cornwall bishop
emeritus.
Bishop Hubert P. O’Connor, O.M.I.
Resigned 1991,
age 63, after charged with sex crimes. Convicted 1996 of 1960s rape and
indecent assault on two young aboriginal women. Sentenced to 2½ years in
prison. Released on bail after serving 6 months. Remained Prince George bishop
emeritus. Died 2007.
CHILE
Chilean church announced investigation February
2014 for alleged sexual abuse of 15-year-old. "Cleared"
by Vatican June 2014. San Felipe bishop.
Resigned as
La Serena archbishop 1997, age 63. Church said it
was for reasons of mental health. Suspected of
pedophilia. Apologized2002:
"I apologize for this dark side in me that opposes the Gospel"
[Google translation - see original].
Santiago archbishop Errázuriz said2002
that Cox had resigned voluntarily because of "improper conduct"
related to his "somewhat exuberant affection," especially with
children. La
Serena archbishop emeritus.
Resigned 2012,
age 47, per canon
401.2 after accused of late 1990s sexual abuse of 15-year-old boy.
Admitted to "an imprudent act."Iquique bishop
emeritus.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Polish. Resigned as papal nuncio to Dominican Republic August 2013 and was secretly recalled to Vatican, just days before DR news media exposed his alleged sex assaults of children on Santo Domingo
waterfront. Church officials did not inform DR law enforcement. Prosecution
sought by both DR and Poland. Vatican reportedly rebuffed extradition request by Poland January 2014. Laicizationannounced June 2014, four days after DR bishop tweeted about seeing Wesołowski strolling in Rome. Diplomatic immunity removedAugust 2014, day after NY Times exposé. Put under house arrest in Vatican City State September 2014. Found with 100,000+ child abuse
images on
his laptop and Vatican-owned computer. Released from house arrest after 60 days; free to move around Vatican City State beginning late November 2014.
Hospitalized night before his July 2015 trial in VCS, causing trial to be
indefinitely postponed. Releasedfrom hospital one week later, and freed to walk around Vatican
City, according to BBC. Found dead in his Vatican apartment August 28, 2015. Trial never
resumed.
GERMANY
Resigned age 58 in 2002 per canon 401.2 after female university professor accused him of sexual abuse while performing an exorcism. Mainz auxilary bishop emeritus.
Bishop Heinrich Maria Janssen
Hildesheim bishop 1957 until retirement in 1983, age 76. Died 1988. Accused in 2015 of sexual abuse of a boy from 1958 to 1963, beginning
when the boy was age 10. Abuse was said to have included masturbation, anal
and oral sex. Diocesan investigators deemed the accusations
"plausible" and
awarded Janssen's accuser 10,000 euros "in recognition of his
suffering."
Resigned age 69 in 2010 per canon 401.2 after accusations he severely beat children at at a Schrobenhausen orphanage in the 1970s and
misappropriated the orphanage's funds. Reportedly sexually abused minors, including an altar boy; Office of Public Prosecution
opened investigation which it soon closed, citing insufficient evidence.
Accused also of sexually abusing seminarians between 1996 and 2005. Augsburg bishop emeritus.
GUAM
Agaña archbishop 1986-Present. Member of Neocatechumenal Way,
a controversial church movement. Sparked outcry 2011 when he deeded a $40M+
church property in Yona for indefinite use as a Neocatechumenate seminary and
theological institute (see pages 77-80 of 9/2016 archdiocesan report). Dismissed Deacon Steven Martinez from review board 10/24/2014 after
Martinez accused him of ignoring church sex abuse policy, by harboring Rev. John Wadeson, who had been accused twice of child sex abuse in the U.S.
Apuron was accused publicly November 2014 of sexually abusing a high school
seminarian in the 1980s: review board would not investigate. Met
privately (1, 2) with Pope Francis 11/21/2014. Visited by Vatican investigators January 2015. Vatican reportedly
was notified August 2015 of Apuron's alleged rape of another boy, at Our Lady
of Mount Carmel church in Agat in 1977.
On 5/17/2016, Apuron was accused by a third man of child rape in 1970s, and the archdiocese
announced an investigation. In late May 2016, a mother from
Arizona said Apuron had abused her son when he too was an altar boy at Mount
Carmel in the 1970s; her son died at age 38.
Apuron was placed on leave by Pope Francis 6/6/2016. The Agana archdiocese was
assigned a temporary administrator, Archbishop Savio Hon
Tai-Fai, secretary
for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples.
On 7/1/2016, four victims filed a lawsuit against Apuron for libel and slander. On 7/27/2016,
Hon stated that Apuron's alleged abuses had been reported to the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Hon also said he had removed from
the archdiocesan website all of Apuron's threats against accusers. By
August 2016, at least five men had accused Apuron of abusing them as boys. On 8/19/2016, Hon
said Apuron had disobeyed an order by Pope Francis to rescind use of the Yona property by
Neocatechumenates.
On 9/13/2016, a news outlet published an account by a man who says he witnessed child sex abuse by Apuron in
1964, when the man was a 10-year-old altar boy at Our Lady of Peace and
Safe Journey Catholic Church in Chalan Pago. He witnessed another altar
boy, also age 10, being sexually assaulted by the parish priest and by Apuron,
then age 19.
On 9/15/2016, Hon released a letter saying he had asked Pope Francis to remove Apuron. On 9/16/2016, Hon released
a report on the controversial Neocatechumenate seminary, the Redemptoris
Mater House of Formation. On 9/20/2016, an archdiocesan spokesperson said (1, 2) that the Neocatechumenates in Guam had a powerful ally in Cardinal Fernando
Filoni, prefect
of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. On 9/30/2016,
the archdiocese announced that Apuron would be put on canonical trial for his alleged crimes.
On 10/31/2016, the Vatican announced the appointment of a coadjutor archbishop "with
special faculties" to the Agaña
archdiocese, auxiliary bishop of Detroit Michael Jude Byrnes. The
Vatican has "just formed all the conditions for the trial,"
Hon toldreporters in early November.
ICELAND
Retired 2007, age 75. Dutch. News in 2010 of 1950s alleged abuse of two boys. Remained Reykjavik bishop emeritus. Died 2013.
Dutch church acknowledged his guilt in 2014.
IRELAND
Accused 2009 of 1983 sexual abuse of 14-year-old girl in Nigeria. [See
victim's statement.] Resigned 2010, age 61, per canon
401.2. Admitted "failure to observe his oath of celibacy." Sued RTÉ, claiming victim was 20, not 14. Suit settled 2015: RTÉ paid legal costs but made no concession on victim's age. Benin
City archbishop
emeritus.
Resigned 1992, age 65, after revelation that he fathered a child in 1970s. Fled Ireland, worked in Ecuador missions, then English diocese. Accused 2005 of sexual assault of girl, age 5, 30 years earlier.
Casey denied accusation. Not
charged. Returned
to Ireland 2006. In nursing home since 2011. New accusation April 2016 by a Limerick woman. Galway
and Kilmacduagh bishop
emeritus.
Bishop Brendan Oliver Comiskey, SS.CC.
Resigned 2002, age 66, per canon
401.2,
after revelations that he protected serial abuser Fr.
Sean Fortune. Ferns inquiry in 2005 reported two allegations against Comiskey: 1990
complaint of
misconduct toward young woman over age 16, and accusation by Fortunein his 1999 suicide note. Comiskey denied both. Ferns bishop emeritus.
Stepped
aside but
didn’t resign 2009 after internal watchdog report that he had mishandled two abusive priests. State launched its
own inquiry. Resignation announced 2010, per canon
401.2. State’s
report 2011
revealed more
cover-up and 2008
report to church of Magee’s
inappropriate behavior toward teen, age 17-18. Magee admitted conduct, denied sexual intent. Not
charged. Cloyne bishop emeritus.
Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp.
Retired 1971,
age 76, as Dublin archbishop. Died 1973. First accused of sex abuse in 1999 book. News in 2011 that McQuaid was cleric described in 2010 supplement to Murphy
report with
two complaints of child sex abuse, including of a 12-year-old boy in 1961,
and one "separate concern."
ITALY
Bishop Gerardo Antonazzo
Investigation April 2016 by prosecutors in Cassino, in response to a letter
from a seminarian accusing Antonazzo of sexually molesting him and seven
other adults. Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo bishop.
Bishop Giuseppe Carraro
Retired 1978 as Verona bishop. Died 1980. Accused 2009 of repeatedly molesting boy who attended school
for deaf. Carraro
was being considered for beatification at time of complaint.
KENYA
Vatican informed in 2007 of reports of Schilder's early 1990s abuse of a Maasai
herds boy. Dutch. Resigned 2009, age 67, per canon
401.2. Accused
in 2013 of early 1990s sexual abuse of a young seminarian. Ngong bishop emeritus.
NETHERLANDS
Bishop
Johannes Willem Maria Bluyssen
Resigned 1984, age 57, as s'Hertogenbosch bishop. Admitted 2010 to destroying abuse files in 1970s. Died 2013. Accused 2014 of repeated rape of Beekvliet minor
seminary student 1957-1959. A church Complaints Committee announced August 2015 that evidence was not sufficient, although it did
not "exclude" that the victim had been sexually abused.
Bishop
Joannes B.M. Gijsen *
Retired 2007, age 75. Dutch. News in 2010 of 1950s alleged abuse of two boys. Remained Reykjavik,
Iceland bishop emeritus. Died2013.
Dutch church acknowledged his guilt in 2014.
Bishop
Cornelius Schilder, M.H.M. *
Vatican informed in 2007 of reports of Schilder's early 1990s abuse of a Maasai
herds boy. Dutch. Resigned 2009, age 67, per canon
401.2. Accused
in 2013 of early 1990s sexual abuse of a young seminarian. Ngong bishop emeritus.
Bishop Joannes Gerardus ter Schure, S.D.B.
Retired 1998, age 76. s'Hertogenbosch bishop. Died 2003. News in 2010 that Salesians settled claim of sexual abuse of a boy by ter Schure at Don Rua monastery in Ugchelen 1948-53.
NIGERIA
Archbishop Richard A. Burke, S.P.S. *
Accused 2009 of 1983 sexual abuse of 14-year-old girl in Nigeria. [See
victim's statement.] Resigned 2010, age 61, per canon 401.2. Admitted "failure to observe his oath of celibacy." Sued RTÉ, claiming victim was 20, not 14. Suit settled 2015: RTÉ paid legal costs but made no concession on victim's age. Benin City archbishop emeritus.
NORWAY
Bishop Georg Müller, SS.CC.
Admitted 2009 to 1990s sexual abuse of boy. Resigned as Trondheim bishop same year, age 58, per canon 401.2. Emeritus. DiedOctober 25, 2015.
PARAGUAY
Bishop Jorge Adolfo Carlos Livieres Banks
Accused 2002 in criminal complaint by three young men of sexual assault of minors. Livieres
filed counter-charges of extortion and libel. Accusers then produced document
allegedly signed by Livieres showing he tried to pay them to stay quiet. Case
stalled and endedambiguously. Retired 2003, age 74, per canon 401.2. Encarnación bishop emeritus.
Bishop Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez, S.V.D.
Resigned as San Pedro bishop in 2005, age 55, per canon 401.2. Voluntarily laicized 2008 so that he could run for office. Paraguay president
2008-2012. Admitted 2009 to fathering a child in 2007; another woman said he had
fathered her child too, and that their involvement began when she was 18 and
Lugo still a bishop. Admitted 2012 to fathering child of another woman while bishop.
PERU
Fathered child in 2011. Resigned July 2013, age 49, per canon 401.2, after child's mother took him to court, demanding he recognize
paternity. Peru Military bishop emeritus.
Removed as Ayachucho o Huamanga auxiliary bishop May 2013, age 53, after accused of molesting
children he is said to have targetedduring confession. Laicized July 2013.
PHILIPPINES
Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr.
Resigned 2003, age 63, per canon 401.2, after accused by secretary of sexual misconduct. Apologized. Novaliches bishop emeritus.
Accused 2007 of molesting boys by ex-missionary who himself faced
deportation for alleged pedophilia in 1990s. Naval bishop.
Bishop Crisostomo A. Yalung
Resigned 2002, age 49, per canon 401.2, after news he had fathered a child. Antipolo bishop emeritus.
POLAND
Archbishop Juliusz Paetz
Resigned 2002, age 67, after accused of sexually abusing young
seminarians. Paetz denied the allegations. Banned from public ministry,
but ban lifted by Vatican June 2010. Ban was at some point reinstated: in April
2016, Vatican warned Paetz to stop public appearances and resume private life of
"repentance and prayer." Poznan archbishop emeritus.
Archbishop Józef Wesołowski *
Polish. Resigned as papal nuncio to Dominican Republic August
2013 and was secretly
recalled to Vatican, just days before DR news media exposed
his alleged sex assaults of children on Santo Domingo waterfront. Church
officials did not inform DR law enforcement. Prosecution sought by both DR
and Poland. Vatican reportedly rebuffed extradition
request by Poland January 2014. Laicizationannounced
June 2014, four days after DR bishop tweeted about
seeing Wesołowski strolling in Rome. Diplomatic immunity
removedAugust 2014, day after NY Times exposé.
Put under house
arrest in Vatican City State September 2014. Found with 100,000+
child abuse images on his laptop and Vatican-owned computer. Released from
house arrest after 60
days; free to
move around Vatican City State beginning late November 2014. Hospitalized
night before his July 2015 trial in VCS, causing trial to be indefinitely
postponed. Releasedfrom
hospital one week later, and freed to walk around Vatican City, according
to BBC. Found dead
in his Vatican apartment August 28, 2015. Trial never resumed.
PORTUGAL
Bishop Carlos Alberto de Pinho Moreira
Azevedo
Accused 2010
of 1980s sexual abuse of seminarian. Appointed Official of Pontifical Council
for Culture 2011.
PUERTO RICO
Bishop
Daniel Fernández Torres
Accused February
2014 of lewd acts against a male minor shortly before becoming bishop in
2010, when an Arecibo parish priest. Bishop of Arecibo. Denied charges,
said were "act of revenge." Diocese under scrutiny for
mishandling of sex abuse cases. Archbishop Roberto González called the
allegations "slander."
Charges dismissed by Vatican April 2014. Accuser's attorney said client wasn't
interviewed by Vatican. Info about Fernández Torres' alleged abuse
reportedly withheld from
Vatican by PR apostolic delegate Jozef Wesolowski.
SCOTLAND
Cardinal Keith Michael Patrick O’Brien
Retired 2013, age 74, after accused publicly
of sexual advances toward priests, dating to 1980s. Apologized. Saint Andrews
and Edinburgh archbishop emeritus. Pope Francis accepted O'Brien's resignation in
March 2015, meaning O'Brien would no longer be
allowed to perform the public, religious or civil duties of a Cardinal.
Bishop Roderick Wright
Resigned 1996,
age 56, after admitting to sex with woman he counseled. Married the woman.
Admitted to son with previous woman. Remained Argyll and The
Isles bishop emeritus. Died 2005.
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg bishop
1984-2002. Founded South
Africa's Boys Town 1958; there until named bishop 1984. Died 2002. Accused in
former Boys Town resident's 2007 memoir of of rape
and molestation over a three-year period, beginning when the author
was age 13 in the 1960s. Orsmond is said to have plied the boy with alcohol.
Several other men
also alleged sexual abuse
as boys in the facility by Orsmond; an ex-staffer said it was
an "open
secret" that Orsmond had boys sleep in his room. Archdiocesan
"professional conduct committee" deemed the allegations credible.
SWITZERLAND
Bishop Hansjörg Vogel
Resigned 1995,
age 44, after acknowledging impregnating woman. Basel {Bâle,
Basilea} bishop emeritus.
UNITED STATES
Bishop
Juan A. Arzube
Accused 2003
of sexual abuse of 11-year-old boy 1975-76. Remained Los Angeles CA auxiliary
bishop emeritus. Died 2007.
Implicated in
Philly trial testimony April 2012 by victim of ex-priest Stanley Gana.
Separate allegation of 1970s fondling of high school student revealed by
prosecutor. Bransfield denied all
abuse. [See his statement.] Never
charged. Remains Wheeling-Charleston
WVbishop.
Bishop Robert H. Brom
Accused in
1990s of coercing young seminarian into sex in 1980s, while Duluth MN bishop.
Accuser retracted allegation,
reportedly as condition of $85K settlement. Retired 2013, age 75. San Diego CA bishop
emeritus.
Bishop Tod D. Brown
News in
2007 of 1997 letter to
church alleging Brown's
sexual abuse of boy, age 12, in 1965. Church had deemed it not credible.
Brown denied abuse. Never charged. Neither he nor victim interviewed by police.
Retired 2012, age 75. Orange in
California bishop emeritus.
Bishop Leonard P. Cowley
St. Paul
MN auxiliary bishop 1958-1973. Died 1973. Name released February
2015 as one of 17 archdiocesan clergy accused of
sexual abuse or misconduct with a minor. A man filed a claim that Cowley
sexually abused him at
age 15 during trip to northern Minnesota in 1968.
Bishop Paul V. Dudley
Retired 1995, age 68, as Sioux Falls SD bishop. Accused 2002
of fondling altar boy age 11 or 12 in 1950s. Accused also by two women.
"Cleared"
by church 2003. Remained emeritus. Died 2006.
Bishop Thomas L. Dupre
Accused 2004
of sexual abuse of two youths more than 20 years previously. Resigned age
70, per canon
401.2, same day that news
broke. Sent to treatment. Indicted but
not tried, due to SOL. Remains Springfield MA bishop
emeritus.
Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario
Honolulu HI auxiliary
bishop and bishop 1977-1993. Accused of child rape in
1985 letter to papal nuncio. Lawsuit 1991 dismissed on
SOL grounds. Retired as
bishop 1993, age 67. Stayed in
ministry and remained emeritus. Not charged. Died 2003. Named by more alleged
victims 2013 and 2014.
Resigned 1997,
age 69, after accused of
attempting to fondle then drown boy at Vermont orphanage in 1950. In
1997 deposition,
denied 1993 sexual abuse of altar boy. Remains Providence RI bishop
emeritus.
Bishop Timothy J. Harrington
Worcester
MA bishop 1983-1994. Died 1997. Accused 2005
of sexual abuse of boy from ages 11 to 15 in the 1950s.
Retired as Cheyenne bishop 2001, age 70, per canon
401.2. In 2002, KC newspaper revealed Hart
was reported to the church in 1989 and 1992 for child molestation in the
1970s. At least
four other alleged victims have since come forward. Not charged.
Remains Cheyenne
WY bishop emeritus.
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
Bishop Robert N. Lynch
Denied 2001 accusation of
sexual harassment by diocesan communications director. Church paid accuser
$100K; bishop said it was severance, not hush money. Accuser's lawyer said
there was "unwanted touching" but no "overt sexual
actions." Lynch remains St. Petersburg FL bishop.
Bishop Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J.
Resigned 1990,
age 56, as Atlanta GA archbishop.
Woman, age 27, soon went public regarding two-year sexual relationship with
Marino, which he acknowledged. Remained archbishop emeritus. Died 2000.
Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick
Alleged to
have engaged in sexual misconduct with seminarians and priests in 1980s while
Metuchen NJ bishop and Newark NJ archbishop. Church settled with
alleged victim 2006, reports Richard Sipe. Washington DC archbishop
emeritus.
Bishop James Francis McCarthy
Resigned 2002,
age 59, after admitting to sexual involvement with adult women. Remains New York NY auxiliary
bishop emeritus.
Cardinal Humberto S. Medeiros
Boston MA archbishop
1970-83. Died 1983. Accused 2002
of sexually abusing 14-year-old boy in 1979. Accuser said Medeiros touched
his groin while giving him a "bear hug" in the archdiocesan
chancery, where he was allegedly molested the same evening by vice-chancellor
Rev. Fred Ryan.
Stepped
aside December 2013 after allegation of inappropriately touching
boy's buttocks in 2009. Called allegation "entirely
false."Resumed
duties March 2014 after prosecutor announced no
charges due to insufficient
evidence. Internal investigation of alleged misconduct toward
adults revealed July
2014. It reportedly found Nienstedt made "sexual
advances" toward two priests. Nienstedt kept findings secret and,
according to MPR
report , authorized new investigation by second law firm. Resigned June
2015, per
401.2, soon after archdiocese was charged
criminally for contributing to child sex abuse. Now Saint Paul and
Minneapolis MN archbishop emeritus.
Admitted 2002
to 1970s sexual abuse of Missouri high school seminary student. Resigned
immediately as Palm Beach FL bishop per canon
401.2, age 63. Numerous
former students alleged abuse. Not charged. Remained bishop
emeritus. Died 2012.
Phoenix AZ bishop 1977-1981. Died 1981. Accused in
2002 lawsuit of 1979 sexual abuse of 17-year-old boy.
Accused in
2002 lawsuit of 1960s sexual abuse of boy age 13-14. Denied allegation. Not
charged. Alleged victim withdrew suit
2003. Retired age 75 in 2005. Worcester MA auxiliary
bishop emeritus.
Resigned 1999,
age 69, week before lawsuit cited his hiring of male prostitutes. News 2002
that he solicited sex from boy, age 15, and sexually abused another, age
16-17. Not charged, due to SOL. Internal diocesan study 2006
confirmed Ryan's misconduct with adults. Remained Springfield IL bishop
emeritus until he died in 2015.
Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez
Resigned 1993,
age 59, after accused of sexual contact with at least 5 women; some
were ages 18
and 19. Stayed in
ministry. Remained Santa Fe NM archbishop
emeritus. Died 2012.
Accused 2005
of 1961-64 sexual abuse of girl under age 18. Skylstad denied the accusation,
and investigator hired by him found
no truthin the claim. Retired 2010, age 76. Spokane WA bishop
emeritus.
Resigned 1998, age 72. Accused publicly
2000s of ‘sadistic’
sexual abuse of 31 teen
boys beginning late 1950s. Found
guilty by 2008 review board. Not charged. Remains Sioux City IA bishop
emeritus.
Bishop James S. Sullivan
Resigned citing Alzheimer's, March 2002, per canon
401.2. Age 72. Accused June
2002 of 1966 fondling of boy, age 16, in Michigan. Denied accusation.
Charges not
pursued due to SOL. Remained Fargo ND bishop
emeritus. Died 2006.
Baton Rouge LA bishop 1974-1982. Died 1982. Accused in
2000s of sexual abuse of three different teen boys, 1969-1982. Later bishop
called claims credible, removed Sullivan's
name from high school.
Admitted 1995
to past sexual abuse of boy. Stayed in ministry. Remained Palm Beach FL bishop.
Resigned 1998, age 65, after another victim emerged. Admitted to
abuse of 5 boys. Not charged. Found in
ministry 1999 in Lansing MI diocese. Bishop emeritus.
Archbishop Rembert George Weakland, O.S.B.
Resigned in
2002 immediately after news of
$450K payment in
1998 to silence man accusing him of sexual assault when man was 32. Weakland
had just turned 75,
and resignation was accepted per canon
401.1 -- the age-75 rule applying to bishops in standard situations.
Weakland denied abuse but admitted to sexual relationship. Remains Milwaukee WI archbishop
emeritus, residing in
PA monastery.
Springfeld
MA bishop 1950-1977. Died 1982. Accused 2005
of 1950s sexual abuse of boy, from ages 10 to 16.
Bishop Lawrence Harold Welsh
News in
2002 of police investigation 1986
alleging he had choked male prostitute during sex. Welsh admitted to most of
accusation, except "amount of violence."
No charges filed. Resigned as
Spokane bishop 1990 after drunk
driving arrest. Made Saint Paul and
Minneapolis auxiliary bishop 1991. Died 1999.
Resigned age
65 in 2002, per canon
401.2, after accused of sexual abuse of two boys, 1969 and 1981, and
young adult late 1980s. Denied abusing
anyone. Lexington
KY bishop emeritus.
Forced to resign 1999
at age 57 after allegation by younger priest of coercing sex. Accused early
2000s of sexual abuse of 3 differentboys in
1960s and '70s. Remained Santa Rosa CA bishop
emeritus. Died 2009.
URUGUAY
Bishop Francisco Domingo Barbosa Da
Silveira
Resigned age
65 in 2009, per canon
401.2, after he filed extortion complaint revealing
homosexual relations between him and two men. Remained Minas bishop
emeritus. Died 2015.
WALES
Arrested 1999 for alleged assault of
girl, age 7, 1960-61. Not charged. Said he
was falsely accused. Resigned 2001
at age 72, per canon
401.2, after outcry at
his mishandling of
two abusive priests. Remained Cardiff archbishop
emeritus. Died 2007.
|
Oceanic experts say that if you see dolphins swimming in the sea there are as many more that you can't see . I reckon it's the same with pedophile priests how many is there that we don't know about ? Or have been covered up ?
ReplyDeleteHub O'Connor died as bishop emeritus of Whitehorse, not Prince George. He was only ever bishop of Whitehorse. I worked for his successor. I met him once in the Oblate house in Vancouver.
ReplyDeleteI note that england has no accused bishops. more evidence that the english hare better than the oirish
ReplyDeleteI disagree. It's evidence catholicism in England has been historically marginal. Most high profile cases in England have been celebrities or politicians as you might expect in a secular society. The church of england has a history of vicars taking an overly active interest in their choir boys for well over a century. Contrary to popular prejudice paedophilia is not a solely catholic clerical problem.
DeleteThat said it is easily the worst crisis in the church since the reformation. The above list of accused bishops is shocking and deeply shameful.
Nuala Couldnt agree more
DeleteHuman nature is the same the world over-for better or worse. However what about sorting Holy Ireland first then hopefully with this as an example move further afield.
DeleteCatholics are on the fringes in England we would never be able to cover it up. The Benedictines have had a lot of problems.
DeleteHow are Bishops appointed?
ReplyDeleteApparently the Papal Nuncios select them!
And how do they select them?
We need men of grace, sanctity and vigour. We need men who have been out in this very messed up world we live in, who know what life is like and - even as bishops they have to muck in!
Too, too often we get bishops' secretaries, we get the 'nice' guys, the ambitious game players who are alway seen in the proper company and speak the special speak!
Priests know who their bishops should be and so do parishioners.
In depth consultation is needed.
A bishop recommending one of his 'faithful' little buddies, or guys cosying up to the Nuncio should, by and large, be ignored!
We need heavy duty, fearless men - JCB types someone stated recently - to restore the Church to what it should be
What about Kieran Conroy?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Kieran Conry? There is no hint that there has ever been any allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the former Bishop of Arundel and Brighton. From his youngest days Kieran let it be known that he believed that priestly celibacy should be optional and only for those who chose it and were called to live it. He has been in a loving and committed relationship for several years with a woman whose marriage had ended. This was known by the members of the hierarchy in England and Wales, most especially by Emeriuts Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, who promoted Kieran Conry to succeed him in Arundel and Brighton. You could not have hoped for a more compassionate, human and caring bishop, one with a social conscience who cared for his priests and walked with them. It is a great shame that he has now been cast out (by Cardinal Nichols) and is living in a small english town in limbo land, neither able to function as a priest (again on Nichols's express orders) nor leave the ministry and find useful employment. All in all a tragedy.
ReplyDeleteBishops aren't appointed by Cardinals but by Popes. The fact that Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor and others knew about this relationship and supported his appointment is outrageous. Who are they to decide who the rules apply to and who they don't? KC was part of the 'magic circle' who apparently consider themselves to be above the rules. If he doesn't believe in celibacy, he should seek laicisation. I can't imagine any bishop incardinating a former bishop who doesn't think that the rules apply to him. How would that bishop hope to impose the rules on anyone else?
DeleteEL
So he didn't do the celibacy vows, so that's alright because he such a lovely man
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't he leave the priesthood and be a real man, instead of a parasite
living of other people's money.
All in all a tragedy Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
ReplyDeleteLet he among you who is without sin cast the first stone!
ReplyDeleteThat would be me.
DeleteJC
Exactly 15:38. He was a lying hypocrite. Doing the lie, telling the lie and living the lie. And Whatsmore living off the lie. I have no time for you guys like 15:20, apologists for deceitful behaviour. If Conroy wanted a woman in his bed he should have chucked playing at the priest or bishop business.
ReplyDeleteCompassionate my arse. He was the man who disciplined others for their transgressions yet he himself lived the double life!
So if Vin Nichols has stuck him in a hard place then hell slap it into him!
Pat I am grateful for your listing these bishop in the roll call of shame. However it is very unjust to include in that group of transgressors Bishop John Magee, a man I have been proud to call my friend these last thirty years. If anything John Magee was guilty of believing his scheming and manipulative Vicar General Dennis O'Callaghan who repeatedly lied to his bishop over and over again assuring him that he was implementing the national and diocesan safeguarding policies. His only fault was to have a trusting and innocent mind; one who found it inconceivable that a priest could be guilty of sexual offences against anyone, let alone children. That old red herring about the inappropriate friendship with an adult teenager? I have known and loved John Magee as a dear friend since I was in my 20's, over 30 years ago. He is a warm and affectionate man, given to Italian demonstrations of affection, like linking arms when walking, kissing on the forehead, patting you on the back. To the less pure such gestures could easily be misinterpreted, as could be his calling of one "caro" (beloved). There is nothing in it save the sincere and genuine affection of a true man of God. To my dying day I will rejoice in his friendship and defend this good man while there is breath left in my body. Priest of an English Diocese.
ReplyDeleteDear Fr, I am glad that you were able to come on here and defend your beloved friend.
DeleteThis list is not mine but one taken from www.bishopaccountability.org
As a former seminarian of Cloyne, a seminarian nominated by John Magee, I would like to Second everything said by the English Priest. I testify that what he has written has been my experience of John Magee - a man who still gives the biggest and warmest welcome of any human I have ever known.
DeleteGood for you, 'priest of an English diocese'. These unremittingly negative views of priests and bishops do not represent my experience of the priests that I have met. I am an old man, living in England, and I have been in dozens of parishes as I moved around the country for my work. I can say that most of the priests in whose parishes I found myself were kindly, humble, humorous, well read people that I have liked and admired. There was one notable exception but only one. Please, Pat rather than just 'cut and paste', do your own research because some 'non-profit organizations' have founders who make a good salary from naming as many names as they can, including some good men who have done no wrong or dead men who cannot defend themselves. You are supposed to be on the side of the truth, don't assume that everyone else wishes to be.
DeleteCONRY not Conroy! Get it right ffs.
ReplyDeleteVincent Nichols has no jurisdiction over Kieran Conry.
ReplyDeleteHe is directly answerable to the Vatican
Kieran Conry may very well have been in a long term relationship with a lady whose marriage had ended.
DeleteFrom the point of view of personal morality this was ok if KC had not being a prominent Catholic bishop who was supposed to observing celibacy and calling his priests to do likewise.
Was he not in an untenable situation?
Apparently his 'commupance' came when a second lady (who was very much married)'entered the field' and whose husband hired a private detective.
DeleteYou are correct +Pat. Vincent Nichols has no jurisdiction over Conry. He isn't even his Metropolitan. That is ++Peter Smith in Southwark.
ReplyDeletePoor Vincent has enough on his plate now with the former Dean of the Cathedral Church of Down and Connor, The Very Reverened Doctor Hugh Kennedy, flouncing and mincing about in his patch.
And even Peter Smith has very limited jurisdiction - if any - over his suffragan bishops.
DeleteEach bishop answers really to the pope.
I do think that it would be good if KC could go back into ministry in some way.
In the Roman Catholic Church, ecclesiastical provinces, composed of several neighbouring dioceses,[2] are each headed by a metropolitan, the archbishop of the diocese designated by the Pope.[3] The other bishops are known as suffragan bishops.
ReplyDeleteThe metropolitan's powers over dioceses other than his own are normally limited to
supervising observance of faith and ecclesiastical discipline and notifying the Supreme Pontiff of any abuses;
carrying out, for reasons approved beforehand by the Holy See, a canonical inspection that the suffragan bishop has neglected to perform;
appointing a diocesan administrator if the college of consultors fails to elect an at least 35-year-old priest within eight days after the vacancy of the see becomes known;[4] and
serving as the default ecclesiastical court for appeals from decisions of the tribunals of the suffragan bishops.[5]
The metropolitan also has the liturgical privilege of celebrating sacred functions throughout the province, as if he were a bishop in his own diocese, provided only that, if he celebrates in a cathedral church, the diocesan bishop has been informed beforehand.[6]
The metropolitan is obliged to request the pallium, a symbol of the power that, in communion with the Church of Rome, he possesses over his ecclesiastical province.[7] This holds even if he had the pallium in another metropolitan see.
It is the responsibility of the metropolitan, with the consent of the majority of the suffragan bishops to call a provincial council, decide where to convene it, and determine the agenda. It is his prerogative to preside over the provincial council.[8] No provincial council can be called if the metropolitan see is vacant.[9]
All Latin Rite metropolitans are archbishops; however, some archbishops are not metropolitans, as there are a few instances where an archdiocese has no suffragans or is itself suffragan to another archdiocese. Titular archbishops (i.e. ordained bishops who are given an honorary title to a now-defunct archdiocese; e.g. many Vatican officials and papal nuncios and apostolic delegates are titular archbishops) are never metropolitans.
16:38. You defending the reputation of Bishop John Magee is admirable. That's what's friends should do. However, the buck stopped with him. If he trusted the word of another, no matter how important the others position, he should still have satisfied himself. He had executive responsibility. Ignorance is no excuse at that level. And especially that diocese where there was so much bother previously. Also his touching little gestures of affection? Once again he should have been much more circumspect as to how these would be interpreted. He wasn't in Italy. He was in Co.Cork ffs.He should have been careful both in word and deed. He should have remembered the old maxim about Caesars wife not only being above reproach but being seen to be above reproach.
ReplyDeleteI agree. If two men walk hand in hand through the streets of Rome nobody would bay an eyelid.
DeleteHowever if two men acted in the same way in Cobh, albeit perfectly innocently, bushy eyebrows would be raised.
Personally I am very fond of Bishop John myself.
PP Cloyne.
What about Bishop Magee and Fr Patrick Relihan?
DeleteThat defence of John Magee makes me want to puke. Italian gestures of affection my arse. This same defence was used by an English priest (now dismissed) to the Constabulary. He claimed that by kissing a young man in a Confessional who had special needs was because men kissed each other in Rome where he was a student at the English College. Best of all his diocese still covers it up. So this same petty excuses about Magee using Italian gestures sickens me.
DeleteJohn Magee was a very naive man. He was his own worst enemy in a sense as he gave too many people the benefit of the doubt. What he failed to do was wrong and he rightly had to resign, but as a person he was kind to a fault and had too much heart and saw only the good in people.He was easily manipulated. He would never ever intentionally harm anyone. Kindness is not a word one associates with bishops but it's certainly applicable in his case. The irony with Magee was that people thought he was very aloof with his Roman mannerisms etc but he was far more humane and approachable than many of his more 'down to earth' colleagues whom the people seem to love. I'm told he was very pastoral and accessible with his priests who could approach him directly as one would a true father at any time. He was a very charming person and it's sad that his career ended in such ignominy.
DeleteIndeed, Bishop John was directly accessible - unlike other bishops he did not require people to filter through a secretary and he genuinely cared for people. Unlike the two men who have come after him. John Magee's early resignation came at a great cost to his priests as well as himself.
DeleteThe Mons O'Callaghan stabbed him in the back and gutted the presbyterate because of his own bitterness that he didn't become Bishop O'Callaghan. Long may the Mons pay his penance.
I'm surprised at you pat, saing kc should come back to ministry
ReplyDeleteYes I would agree that you should indeed be in our ministry in the RCC
But conroy
didn't even behave as a catholic....no reverence...no mention of god or Christ in his apologies
He appears by his behaviour and spakes to be athiestIc
I did not mean to disappoint.
DeleteI wonder has he learned from his "fall"?
I wonder if he is a little more humble?
Maybe he is with his lady friend and is happy where he is?
For gods sake Magee was born an irish man...holding hands etc
ReplyDeleteGrow up man...had he no cop on
Too much rubbing up near popes should not have affected him that much...surely
I'm gobsmacked
Yes I hope he is happy with his woman,but not according to those who know him
ReplyDeleteIsn't one typing that he is abandoned...He resigned, and we the laity should not be keeping him
I'm always disappointed that those who lead double lives still expecting to be kept men
From what I know from a priest who left, they are called a deserter and shunned by their previous colleagues. They are brutal with those who don't follow the script.
DeleteBushy eyebrows can be seen anywhere
ReplyDeleteNo need to make out only in cork....not that I know anything about cork.
But I wd not want anyone to say any feature is common with any area
Try to be good
16 30
ReplyDeleteStop preaching....we just giving opinions
No stones
I am not saying that Bishop John ever walked hand in hand with anyone. Certainly to my knowledge that never happened. As a young priest he was brought to Rome to be the Private Secretary of Cardinal Pignodeli, a close friend of Blessed Paul VI. Soon after he became Private Secretary to the Pope. These elderly Italian men grew up in a system that had a very innocent and romantic vision of male friendship. Now I can hear the comments shrieking already accusing all sorts. But this form of friendship was and still is a very precious aspect of those of us trained in the Roman Seminaries in the last century. Bishop John had a very close relationship with Pope Paul, so close that the old pope considered him a son and asked to hold his hand as he died. These experiences shape you. Especially if you are emotionally immature to begin with. I share this just as a way of brining another dimension to the reality of the situation with Bishop John. HE has indeed paid a very heavy price for his lack of leadership in Cloyne. But as he shared with me O'Callaghan worked against him from the moment he arrived and though smiling to his face, did everything he could to thwart the bishop. Treachery with a smile on its face.
DeleteI have had personal experience of O Callaghan. God help anyone in his hands.
DeleteI just wonder Who in their right mind ever considered Magee a suitable person to lead a dioceses.To my mind most appointed have no idea what it is they getting themselves into.
ReplyDeleteJohn Magee was probably better suited to a Vatican career. He never asked for Cloyne or envisaged himself being there.
DeleteYou are right Pat. But just shows what happens when a new regime arrives and you are seen as part of the "old brigade". In Magees case nothing short of a bishopric would have done. Suitability probably wasn't considered. And before anyone corrects me by saying that JP2 was in situ a long while before Magee was appointed I agree but it was the new "in crowd" who decided Magee should go.
ReplyDeleteObservatore Vaticana
Mages kissing people? I don't know. I remember him as Papal M C during my time in Rome. He was more Roman than the Romans themselves. SpongeBob of the Vatican. He reviled in the place. How this approach transferred to Cork is another issue.
ReplyDelete