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Jesuits Release Preliminary List of Members Credibly Accused of Sex Abuse

By Kim Chatelain
The Times-Picayune
December 7, 2018

https://www.nola.com/news/2018/12/jesuits-release-preliminary-list-of-members-credibly-accused-of-sex-abuse.html

The Jesuit religious order released the names of priests, brothers and scholastics who are credibly accused of sexual abuse over the past several decades. (Ted Jackson)

The Jesuit religious order on Friday (Dec. 7) released the names of 42 priests, brothers and scholastics who are credibly accused of sexual abuse over the past several decades, supplementing a list of 57 similarly accused Roman Catholic clergymen named by the Archdiocese of New Orleans last month.

The new list includes six clergymen who were included in a list of credibly accused men of the cloth released by the archdiocese. There are 13 Jesuits with ties to Louisiana who were not previously named.

Those named Friday were members of the U.S. Central and Southern Province and its predecessor entities: the New Orleans Province, the Missouri Province, or the Independent Region of Puerto Rico of the Society of Jesus.

The men fall into one of three categories:

Jesuits of this province against whom one or more credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or a vulnerable adult have been made

Jesuits from other provinces against whom there are credible claims resulting from their work while assigned to this province

Jesuits of this province whose names have been published on diocesan websites or the websites of other Jesuit provinces

No Jesuit with a credible accusation currently serves in public ministry. Of the 42 names on the list, four men are still members of this province, according to a news release from the province.

“The storm that the (Catholic) church experiences today calls forth from us an unprecedented and yet needed response,” Provincial Ronald Mercier said in a statement released Friday with the list. “Silence in the face of the events of recent months cannot be an option.”

In releasing the names, Mercier acknowledged the pain suffered by survivors of sexual abuse.

“Words cannot possibly suffice to express our sorrow and shame for what occurred, our promise of prayers for healing, and our commitment to work with them. Caring for these survivors – and preventing any such future events – must be our focus as we move forward.”

The U.S. Central and Southern Province, which includes Jesuit High School and Loyola University in New Orleans and facilities in 12 other states, Belize and Puerto Rico, announced recently that that it hired Kinsale Management Consulting, Inc., to review all personnel files of Jesuits going back to 1955. The firm will prepare a list of all Jesuits and former Jesuits of the province who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors.

While province leaders are confident that the list released Friday is inclusive, Kinsale will review nearly 3,000 personnel files of Jesuits who are or were members of the U.S. Central and Southern Province or its predecessors as of Jan. 1, 1955. If Kinsale discovers any additional men with credible accusations, their names will be added to this list. That review will happen in Spring 2019, according to the news release.

In addition to Jesuit High School and Loyola University, the Jesuits of the U.S. Central and Southern Province also oversee Immaculate Conception Church in downtown New Orleans and a church by the same name in Baton Rouge. Manresa, a retreat home in Convent, is also run by the Jesuits.

The preliminary release comes just over a month after the Archdiocese of New Orleans released the names of 57 clergy members who allegedly abused minors over the past several decades. That list included six Jesuit priests but did not include religious brothers and other members of the order.

Since the clergy abuse scandal came to light decades ago, critics have chastised the church across the world for covering up sex abuse, and in some cases transferring predators from one ministry to another. A Pennsylvania grand jury reignited the controversy when it released a report in August that named more than 300 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims over several decades in that state.

Since then, dozens of archbishops across the country have answered a call for transparency in a scandal that has rocked the world’s largest Christian church. New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond joined their ranks on Nov. 2, the day after All Saints Day.

Aymond and other members of the Catholic hierarchy have said identifying those credibly accused of sex abuse is an important step toward full transparency, accountability and renewal of the church, which has approximately 1.3 billion followers worldwide.

While grappling with the raging clergy sex abuse scandal that has moved to the forefront of public consciousness, church leaders have pointed to what they say is the success of the wide-ranging Safe Environment initiative, a program designed to prevent further offenses. Implemented in 2002, its proponents within the church say the program is largely responsible for a drastic decline in abuse cases over the past decade.

In Friday’s news release, Jesuits say they now have a zero-tolerance policy regarding instances of inappropriate conduct between a Jesuit and a minor. The province has enhanced its screening process for men interested in becoming Jesuits. Before a Jesuit is accepted as a novice, he undergoes in-depth screening, including psychosexual screening, and an extensive criminal background check, according to the news release.

Every member of the province completes two units of training each year and signs the province’s “Code of Ethical Conduct,” affirming that he has read and accepts the policies and protocols of the province regarding abuse. Every year, all members of the province renew their training by participating in a program mandated by the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, designed to foster within Jesuits a deeper understanding of healthy relationships and awareness of appropriate boundaries, the province said in its news release.

Most of the accused named Friday have served in various locations, but the province said that is not because of the accusations made against them. Unlike diocesan priests, Jesuits are not ordained to a limited geographic area such as a diocese. Part of the Jesuit vocation is a willingness to go wherever they are needed. Especially during their initial training, they are “sent to a variety of places to learn to serve in a variety of settings,” according to the province.

Faculty and staff members at Jesuit High School in New Orleans were told Thursday in an email from the school’s president that the religious order’s regional leaders would release names of priests and other members of its scholarly congregation who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse and the list will include people who have not previously been named.

On Friday, the school released a statement saying it shared “the regret expressed by the provincial for the pain experienced by victims and all those affected by abuse, especially those members of our school community.” Six Jesuits have allegations that relate to their time at vaunted Mid-City high school.

They are:

Cornelius Carr (1976-1980; priest; religion teacher, chairman of religion affairs, associate chaplain; member of the New York province)

Edward DeRussy (1969-1978; priest; English and Latin teacher)

Donald Dickerson (1973-1975; scholastic; English and theology teacher)

Francis Landwermeyer (1961-1962; scholastic; English and Latin teacher)

Claude Ory (1973-1980; religious brother; maintenance staff)

J. Donald Pearce (1960-1968; priest; Spanish teacher, prefect of discipline, president)

Other names of Jesuits listed in the province report have an employment history at Jesuit High School, but their allegations stem from other assignments, the school said in its news release.

Loyola University issued a statement Friday afternoon expressing support for victims and saying it remains dedicated to providing a safe, supportive environment where students can thrive. It said none of the individuals named are active in the church community.

“We share in the hope of the Jesuit provincial that the public release of this information will help to begin to rebuild community trust, always with the well-being of victims in mind,” the university said in its statement. “We pray that today’s acknowledgement will be yet another moment in the healing process for our community.”

Here is the complete list of names released by the province Friday:

Michael O. Barry, SJ

Charles Bartles, SJ

Jody Blanchard, SJ

Claude P. Boudreaux, SJ

John Campbell, SJ

Cornelius J. Carr, SJ (New York Province which is now part of USA Northeast Province)

Mark A. Clark, SJ

Francis X. Cleary SJ

James A. Condon, SJ (Chicago Province which is now part of USA Midwest Province)

Charles G. Coyle, SJ

Edward D. DeRussy, SJ

Donald Dickerson, SJ

Burton J. Fraser, SJ (Wisconsin Province which is now part of USA Midwest Province)

Chester E. Gaiter, SJ

Thomas J. Hatrel, SJ

Thomas J. Hidding, SJ

John W. Hough, SJ

Francis J. Kegel, SJ

Dennis P. Kirchoff, SJ

Bernard P. Knoth, SJ (Chicago Province which is now part of USA Midwest Province)

Philip D. Kraus, SJ

Francis M. Landwermeyer, SJ

Gerhardt B. Lehmkuhl, SJ

Alfonso Madrid, SJ (Province of Mexico)

Eugene A. Maio, SJ

Vincent R. Malatesta, SJ

James L. McShane, SJ

Edward P. Murphy, SJ

Thomas J. Naughton, SJ (Priest of the New Orleans Province, NOT Brother Thomas Naughton of the Missouri Province)

Patrick H. O’Liddy, SJ

Vincent A. Orlando, SJ

Claude L. Ory, SJ (Brother, formerly in New Orleans Province, now Maryland Province)

Austin N. Park SJ

J. Donald Pearce, SJ

George M. Pieper, SJ

Paul C. Pilgram, SJ

Elmo J. Rogero, SJ

Norman J. Rogge, SJ

Anthony J. Short, SJ

Arthur O. Verdieck, SJ

Richard H. Witzofsky, SJ (Brother)

Benjamin Wren, SJ

 

 

 

 

 




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