Study Details Clergy Abuse

By Michael McAuliffe mmcauliffe@repub.com
Springfield Republican
February 21, 2004

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SPRINGFIELD - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield yesterday released a report that states 22 priests were found to have abused 70 children and teen-agers over a period spanning more than a half century.

The study shows that 1.6 percent of diocesan priests were found to be abusers, significantly lower than the roughly 4 percent figure of clergy accused of abuse included in the draft of a national survey scheduled to be released next week.

According to the report, allegations were deemed to be credible through an admission by a priest, the determination of the diocese's Review Board or by a finding in a court case.

A national organization representing victims of clergy sex abuse and lawyers who have brought lawsuits on behalf of alleged victims criticized the diocese's report, questioning the validity of the data and the omission of the names of abusive priests.

The report, published yesterday in The Catholic Observer, the diocesan newspaper, is part of the national study of clergy sexual abuse of minors requested by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002 and does not include allegations leveled against former Springfield Bishop Thomas L. Dupre. Dupre retired last week after The Republican confronted him with a list of questions regarding alleged abuse against two adolescents that began more than 20 years ago.

"There can be no greater sadness than failing our children. We, as a church, have failed our children and this has been acknowledged by the U.S. bishops," Monsignor Richard S. Sniezyk, who is serving as diocesan administrator in the wake of Dupre's retirement, said in the local report.

According to the report, none of the priests found to be offenders are in active ministry in the diocese. But David G. Clohessy, national director of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said the names of the abusers should be made public.

"You can't protect yourself from ... predators if you don't know who they are," he said, "and we would not tolerate a chemical company that announced in Springfield, 'Hey, we have 22 toxic waste dumps but we're not going to tell you where they are.'"

Greenfield lawyer John J. Stobierski, who represents about 20 people who have filed clergy sexual abuse suits against the diocese, said making public the names of the priests would show the diocese is truly interested in correcting the problem of clergy abuse.

"Other dioceses have released the names. Particularly given the state of affairs these days, I think it would behoove our diocese to do the same," he said.

Boston lawyer Roderick MacLeish Jr., representing the men who said Dupre molested them in the 1970s and 1980s, said there was no independent review of the report and the document should not be seen as evidence that the diocese has made significant progress in addressing clergy sexual abuse.

"This data should be in no way cause for celebration in the Springfield diocese," he said.

Laura F. Reilly, the diocese victim advocate, said names were not sought for the report.

"It's supposed to be a confidential report. They did not want names," she said.

Reilly did say all the information in the report, including the names of the offending priests, has been turned over to the law enforcement officials.

The report, covering the period from 1950 through May, states that 30 priests were accused of sexual abuse and that three were exonerated and five cases remained unsolved by the end of the review period. The data was then submitted to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. The college is overseeing the national study.

The report states that 60 of the victims were male and most - 43 of the 70 - were between 11 and 14 years of age. The total number of diocesan priests during the study period was 1,003, meaning the 16 offenders comprised 1.6 percent of the population of priests.

Six of the offenders were priests from outside the area who were serving in the diocese.

According to the report, four of the abusive priests have died.

The Republican has reported that in 2002 Dupre removed five priests from ministry after sexual abuse accusations were found to be credible: the Revs. John A. Koonz, Edward M. Kennedy, Richard F. Meehan, Alfred C. Graves and the late Donald V. Dube. The Rev. Ronald Malboeuf was voluntarily defrocked in 1989.

The study was prepared by the Office of the Chancellor using information from diocesan files. Additional information was provided by diocesan lawyers and the diocesan Review Board.

Clohessy said there are still "dozens and dozens and dozens" of victims who have yet to come forward.

"I think that both history and common sense would support that," Clohessy added, explaining that the report is a self-survey by the diocese.

The report also states that 10 abusive priests had one credible allegation leveled against them; eight had two; two had three credible allegations brought against them; one had four allegations made against him; and 35 credible allegations were made against Richard R. Lavigne.

Lavigne was convicted in 1992 of two counts of child molestation and sentenced to 10 years probation. He also was the only suspect in the unsolved 1972 murder of Springfield altar boy Daniel Croteau.

Lavigne was defrocked last year.