Despite Allegations Elsewhere, No New Priest Abuse Cases Here since 2012
By Sean Lahman
In June, a 41-year old man sued the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, claiming that one of its priests had molested him years earlier, beginning when he was 12 years old. It's a story that has been repeated across the state during the last few years, as new victims have come forward to say that priests had sexually abused them as children. Since 2014, there have been new cases reported in almost every diocese in New York state, including Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, and the Hudson Valley. But not in Rochester. In June of 2012, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester published a list of priests who had been the subject of "credible allegations" of sexual abuse within the previous ten years. In a column that accompanied the list's publication, then-Bishop Matthew Clark apologized to abuse victims and praised the efforts of the diocese to stamp out sexual abuse. "I take this step to further the cause of openness and transparency in this critical issue, to create a resource and a checkpoint for any victim who might come forward, to assist the process of restoring trust and to help victims in their healing," Clark wrote. Clark also promised to update that list "if and when any new credible allegations of abuse are presented." But some five years later, no updates have been forthcoming. The list at the diocese web site has remained unaltered since its original publication on June 6, 2012. The diocese has not reported any new cases since 2012, nor has it reported the resolution of four cases that were unresolved when the list was first published. In response to an inquiry from the Democrat and Chronicle, Doug Mandelaro, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Rochester, said: "Since 2012, there have been no allegations against any other priests." In an email response, Mandelaro also said that one of the four priests whose case was pending in 2012 has since died. "The rest remain barred from any public ministry or duties of a priest and may not present themselves as priests," he said. The Monroe County District Attorney's Office confirmed that it has not investigated any new cases of sexual abuse by priests since Bishop Clark's announcement. "Since 2012, there have been no incidents that this office has seen regarding sexual abuse by priests," a spokesperson for the DA's Office said. Contact police first With Clark's announcement five years ago, the diocese pledged to help anyone who came forward with a case of possible sexual abuse. It appointed a victim's assistance coordinator and said victims would receive help and guidance from the church. But experts in such cases say the first step should always be to contact law enforcement. "It's not appropriate that any institution ask or insist that they be the first contact," said Deb Rosen, executive director of the Bivona Child Advocacy Center. "Historically and in the recent past, we've seen organizations that want to have their own internal protocol that supersedes law enforcement or child protective services."
Rosen says that often this approach is not borne from nefarious intentions but from leaders who want to know what's happening and to have some degree of authority or influence over how children are being treated. It's a culture that exists in many institutions, not just the church but also schools and youth organizations. "It takes work to undo those types of cultures," Rosen said. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, a national victim's advocacy group known as SNAP, has been critical of the the church's attempts to police itself. Marianne Barone Trent, who led the Rochester chapter of SNAP for more that a decade, says that such efforts were historically used to silence victims and keep the allegations of misconduct from being made public. "Years ago, Bishop Clark announced his diocese had no problems," Trent said. "We knew this to be untrue by the horrific testimonies we heard." She's troubled by the notion that the church should play a role in fielding allegations of abuse. In the past, she said, those that came forward were discouraged from pursuing their complaints. "My advice to people today can be summed up in four words: go to the police," she said. Renewed attention The 2015 movie Spotlight brought renewed attention to how local dioceses handled allegations of abuse by their priests. It depicted a year-long investigation by the Boston Globe of sexual abuse by priests and attempts by church officials in that city to cover up that activity. As the film ends, scrolling text describes the reaction to the Globe's Puliter Prize-winning reportage and lists the many American cities in which priest-abuse scandals ensued. Rochester, New York, was on that list. Bishop Salvatore Matano, who succeeded Bishop Clark in 2013, sent a letter to parishioners shortly after the film opened. He affirmed his commitment to assuring that those problems would not reoccur, and that steps were being taken to be more proactive moving forward. “The issue of sexual abuse of children by clergy and others in our Church has caused much pain, alienation from the Church, hardship and understandable anger,” Matano wrote. "As the Shepherd of this Diocese, I will continue to work unceasingly to ensure that our parishes, schools and every entity connected to our Diocese are safe and holy environments for all.” The diocese also published a three-page document outlining the steps that had been taken to "create a safe environment." It included new training programs, enhanced background checks, and the appointment of victims assistance coordinators. The document said that an independent audit found the diocese had been found "fully in compliance" with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, a comprehensive set of procedures established by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2002 to address allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The charter outlined policies for responding to allegations of the sexual abuse of minors, implementing safe environment programs, and developing codes of conduct for priests, lay employees and church volunteers. "We are in compliance. We've never not been in compliance," Father Daniel Condon, diocesan chancellor, told the Catholic Courier. While Bishop Matano was new to Rochester, he was no stranger to the issue of priest abuse. Before coming to Rochester, he spent 10 years serving as bishop of Burlington, Vermont. During his tenure, the Burlington Diocese defended a series of lawsuits alleging sexual abuse by priests. In 2010, Matano agreed to settle 26 remaining cases for $17.6 million. The list Bishop Clark's 2012 list contained the names of 23 priests accused of sexual abuse. Most of the cases had already been reported by local media. They included Eugene Emo, a priest who had served in a dozen area churches and hospitals over the course of 35 years. Father Emo, then 60 years old, was arrested in February 1996 and charged with sexual abuse. He was a beloved figure to some parishioners but already a subject of scorn to others. Emo had been moved from one assignment to another, and at times assigned to posts where he'd have no contact with young people, because of his behavior. In addition to naming the priests, Clark summarized the action the diocese had taken in response to each one. This ranged from "prayer and penance" to dismissal to voluntary laicization — similar to defrocking — although Clark noted then that "no priest who has harmed a minor remains in public ministry." The dioceses in Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo each publish annual reports on their compliance with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” They also have victim’s assistance coordinators and a process for receiving complaints, part of what they call their “Safe Environment Program.” Despite those assurances, complaints have not disappeared in neighboring dioceses. Two victims in Buffalo came forward with allegations of abuse in 2015, saying that they were not satisfied with the way Bishop Richard Malone handled their cases. Syracuse Bishop Robert Cunningham came under fire after the Syracuse Post-Standard reported on his testimony in a 2011 deposition, in which he said child victims of priest sexual abuse were partly to blame. Cunningham reportedly said, "the boy is culpable" and later referred to victims as "accomplices." He later apologized for those remarks. "I tried my best to answer questions and I must admit gave responses that I wish were different," Cunningham wrote. "It saddens me to read the article and to realize that my words gave the wrong impression to victims, their families and the people of the diocese that I believe the victims of abuse are at fault. Nothing could be further from the truth." Despite public outcry, Bishop Cunningham has rejected requests to release the names of diocese priests connected to credible sexual abuse allegations. That stance has not changed, Cunningham told the Utica Observer-Dispatch in June, noting the challenge of balancing disclosure and respecting the wishes of victims. And earlier this year, the Archdiocese of New York announced it was borrowing $100 million to fund a compensation program for victims of sexual abuse by its priests. More than 100 victims reached settlements, but new cases continue to come forward. While the public discussion of past misdeeds has often been painful, Rosen is among those who says it's been invaluable. "While there is still a way to go, the shroud of secrecy that surrounded childhood sexual abuse has been lifted," she said. "There's more awareness that it is present and we have a greater capacity to deal with it." Contact: Slahman@gannett.Com
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