Law Firm Demands Names of North Country's Abusive Roman Catholic Priests
By Brian Mann
A law firm that represents victims of sexual abuse by clergy is urging the North Country's Roman Catholic diocese to release the names of priests suspected of committing sexual crimes. At a press conference yesterday, the firm Jeff Anderson and Associates published the names of eight priests suspected of molesting children. They say Church officials have other names which haven't been made public, a claim the Diocese of Ogdensburg confirms. "Many many survivors still think that they are alone," said Attorney Mike Reck, speaking yesterday in Syracuse, calling on the Diocese of Ogdensburg to release names of priests who face credible claims of sexual abuse. "The time for thinking about what's right is done. It's time to take action. It's time to actually do the right thing." Brian Mann joined Martha Foley to talk about how the priest abuse scandal continues to unfold in the North Country. Abuse, acknowledgement, but no arrests Martha Foley: Brian, remind us first what the Diocese of Ogdensburg is and what we know about how the priest sex abuse scandal has affected the North Country. Brian Mann: The Diocese of Ogdensburg is the regional body that shapes Roman Catholic life in our region. It's headquartered in Ogdensburg and led by Bishop Terry LaValley. Back in 2004, church officials acknowledged there were predatory priests in the North Country and they formally removed eight of them from the ministry. They said at the time there were as many as 56 victims so far. Because of statute of limitation laws and because local district attorneys chose not to pursue those cases, no priests were ever tried or convicted. Martha: Okay. What did we learn new yesterday? Brian: This law firm Jeff Anderson and Associates named eight priests, men who faced credible claims that they committed sexual crimes They also published a map showing where these priests served and it really covers the entire North Country. The hope they say is that more potential victims will now start to step forward. Facing a demand for more transparency, Bishop LaValley says he'll protect "victim's privacy" Martha: There’s also the claim that there are other priests, more, not yet named or made public. What does the Diocese say about that? Brian: They say that’s accurate. I spoke with Jim Crowley yesterday, he’s a Deacon in the in Ogdensburg, in the church. He says they aren’t releasing the identities of these men because they want to protect the privacy of their victims. "Yes, there are other priests we believe that there are credible allegations against," Crowley confirmed. "We've not released it publicly. It's been quite a discussion here. The concern of Bishop LaValley and the diocese remains with the victims of sexual abuse by clergy and their healing. To protect the privacy of those victims, the diocese will not release or confirm the names of accused clergy. Some of those victims have asked Bishop LaValley to not release the name of their abuser." Martha: So, if they’re not releasing the names, Brian, what about the public now being protected from men who are, at least allegedly, sexual abusers - and are still free? I mean couldn’t these men be a danger to other children, other people? Brian: I asked Jim Crowley about that. He says these men have all been removed from the ministry. Church officials do keep some kind of track of them. He also says their names were also provided to the proper district attorneys. But so far, so far as we know, none of these men have been arrested or brought to trial, so it’s hard to know, actually, where they are, or whether proper safeguards are in place. This is one of the strangest parts of this history, Martha, that we know all sides acknowledge that there were numerous abusers here in the North Country - they may still be here - no one has ever been held publicly accountable. Compensation for people who "work through the process" Martha: The Church did launch a new initiative just this month aimed at compensating some of the victims. We learned something about that yesterday, right? Brian: Right, it's called the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. Jim Crowley says church officials are urging people to come forward and work with a pair of independent administrators they’ve enlisted – these are the same people who handled compensation for the World Trade Center victim families after 9/11. "They created a model," Crowley said. "From all reports that we're getting, that model is successful in delivering reconciliation and compensation to the victims who come forward and have worked through that process." Martha: Brian, how much will this cost the Diocese of Ogdensburg and where does that money come from? Brian: It’s unclear what the financial hit will be and it’s not clear that the public or rank-and-file Roman Catholics will ever know the total cost. But this stuff is expensive. Back in 2004, the Diocese disclosed that they had already spent $1.6 million to deal with the sex scandal among clergy. Church officials said in a statement this month that additional victims will be compensated with money borrowed in a long-term loan, not using normal charitable contributions from parishioners. I think one thing that is clear is that nearly two decades after the priest scandal erupted, it's still a big problem here in the North Country, it’s still a huge issue for Catholic leaders and for that part of the community.
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