BishopAccountability.org

Connecticut must investigate the crimes committed within the Catholic Church

Hartford Courant
February 3, 2019

https://bit.ly/2Sjl8EI

The Archdiocese of Hartford's 175th anniversary celebration at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in November 2018.
Photo by Brad Horrigan

The Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford recently released a list of dozens of priests against whom it found “credible accusations” of sexually abusing minors. The archdiocese should be commended for its efforts to be transparent about a past that for too long was hidden in shadows.

The Hartford archdiocese and the Bridgeport diocese have both hired well-respected judges to review how allegations were handled in the past. That too is a positive step.

But serious questions remain unanswered, and despite their efforts at transparency, church officials are not law enforcement.

This was a crime of unthinkable proportions, and nobody knows the extent of it. Was there an active cover-up? Or was it more a matter of tacit complicity? Who outside of the church knew about the ongoing sexual abuse of children? Did teachers know? Was the Department of Children and Families ever involved? What about the state Judicial Department?

Even though a federal investigation is underway into parishes across the country — possibly looking into whether the church committed a criminal conspiracy — the state of Connecticut has a role to play as well.

Chief State’s Attorney Kevin T. Kane should investigate how far the crimes extended and prosecute any offenders the law permits. Is there an ongoing effort to hide what happened, and if so, does it constitute a criminal conspiracy? Are any of the offending priests who are still alive subject to prosecution? These are questions that demand answers.

The stunning results of a Pennsylvania grand jury investigation, released last year, showed that Catholic priests abused more than 1,000 victims in that state and that church leaders covered it up. It’s easy to wonder what a grand jury would find in Connecticut.

Many of the priests identified by the Hartford archdiocese were repeatedly moved from parish to parish. It’s not uncommon for priests to change parishes, but how many were moved to keep their crimes from being discovered?

It’s possible that church officials’ motivations were good — perhaps they wanted to give the offending priests chances to repent, or they could have been concerned about the reputation of the church. But many priests, after they were reassigned, brought their penchants for depravity along with them.

Church leaders could be responsible for that, and despite the current attitude of apparent transparency, the question must be answered: What was the role of the bishops and other leaders in what could be criminal conspiracies? Who else was involved? The point is: We don’t know. It’s long past time to find out.

In a statement on the archdiocese’s website, Archbishop Leonard P. Blair wrote: “I have been a bishop now for almost 20 years and most of them have been overshadowed by the sin and scandal of sexual abuse and its devastating effect on the victims, survivors and their families, on the morale of our priests and on the faith and even the practice of the faith among the Catholic people.”

And for those 20 years — and long before — none of the church leaders who signed off on the transfers of predatory priests have been brought to justice.

It’s possible that these recent moves by the Connecticut diocese could be an attempt to show a degree of cooperation in the face of federal investigations. And while that’s laudable, it shouldn’t forestall legitimate prosecutions.

It’s incredibly sad that an institution that should be a loving, safe refuge of faith and compassion harbored predators for decades. State prosecutors, not church officials, must decide whether any remain inside or outside the church who are criminally culpable.

Forgiveness of sins is the church’s business. Holding criminals accountable is the business of the state’s attorney’s office.




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