New Name Added to Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge’s List of Names of Clergy Credibly Accused of Sexually Abusing Minors
By Kevin Foster, Nick Gremillion, and Matt Houston
Another name has been added to the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge’s list of clergy members accused of sexually abusing minors. The diocese released the updated list Friday, Feb. 8. It includes a new name, one that was released in a report from the Diocese of Little Rock in September of 2018. The Baton Rouge diocese was reportedly not notified he had served in Louisiana. Timothy Sugrue reportedly left Baton Rouge in 1987. The Baton Rouge diocese says they have no record of a credible allegation against him while he served in Baton Rouge, but that since he’s listed on the report from Little Rock, his name has been added to their list. The diocese also noted another change to the list in which an individual accused was misidentified. “The change involves Myles Joseph Kearney, whose is name No. 17 under Section A of our list. Two individuals named Myles Joseph Kearney served the Diocese of Baton Rouge. The allegation listed is NOT against the Fr. Kearney who was ordained in 1938 and served at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in St. Francisville. In addition, the Myles Joseph Kearney on our list served as a transitional deacon at St. George Parish in Baton Rouge, and he did not serve at Ascension of Our Lord Parish in Donaldsonville as had previously been reported. (Note: Prior to their ordination to the priesthood, seminarians are ordained to the diaconate. This diaconate is usually called the “transitional diaconate” because it is conferred in anticipation that the man will be ordained to the priesthood. Men who are not anticipating ordination to the priesthood are also ordained as deacons. They are generally called 'permanent’ deacons. There are no permanent deacons on our diocesan list.)” ORIGINAL The Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge named 37 clergy members who have faced credible accusations of sexual abuse involving children while serving in the diocese since its inception in 1961. Bishop Michael Duca spoke to the media for over 30 minutes Thursday afternoon, naming the accused clergy members and explaining what the next steps are for the accused and their victims. “This is not easy. No words to express the depth of shame,” Bishop Duca said before reading off the list of names of the accused. The diocese named 24 clergy members that have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors: John Berube, Clarence J Biggers, Daniel P Brady, Carmelo I Camenzuli, David W Chaloux, David J Clark, James P Clement, John Coyne, Daniel M Drinan, Bryan J Fontenot, James Funnel, George D Gensler, Antonio Gonzales, Bryan K Gray, Rodrigue A Hemond, Gerard J Howell, Myles J Kearney, Clyde B Landry, Daniel P Lemoine, Nicholas J Martrain, Salvador N (Butch) Moran, Jesse R Ortego, Christopher J Springer, and Joseph V Sullivan “This is a dynamic list we will continue to update it as information comes in and add names if they arise in the future or if new information comes forward,” Bishop Duca said. Duca said the diocese will offer counseling for victims. The phone number for the Diocesan 24-hour sexual abuse hotline is 225-242-0250. “We journey with them if they wish us to journey with them,” he said. The other 13 allegations result from clergy members that were either from another dioceses that was originally New Orleans or clergy members that had connections to the Baton Rouge area, but are not accused of impropriety in the Baton Rouge area. Accused clergy members from the region that were once considered part of the New Orleans Diocese include Pierre C Cambiaire, John Franklin, Michael Hurley, Ralph Lawrence, Malcolm Strassel, and Lawrence Hecker. Accused clergy members with ties to Baton Rouge, but who are not accused of abuse in Baton Rouge include Jody Blanchard, Thomas Naughton, C Richard Nowery, and Joseph Pelletieri. The accused priests who are still alive were notified their names would be on the list. Brennan Tomeny claims to have been abused in the 70s and 80s in Baton Rouge by one of the priests on the list. “As long as it’s public and not hidden to people. As long as the issues that are facing the church are not hidden and not just getting over it and waiting til the next one comes along, that’s a happy time," said Tomeny after hearing Thursday’s press conference.
Bishop Michael Duca told reporters Thursday, Jan. 31 all of the cases have been turned over to Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore, regardless of whether the accused clergy member is now deceased or not. DA Hillar Moore’s Office released a statement Thursday afternoon saying: The Catholic Diocese recently released information concerning alleged sexual abuse perpetrated by catholic priests in the East Baton Rouge area. The release of information is likely to cause some degree of re-traumatization for the victims of these alleged crimes. The District Attorney’s office as well as area law enforcement is ready to work with any victims who wish to come forward as to these named individuals or others not named. Our office and law enforcement will review the individual circumstances of each case with each victim and evaluate the case against Louisiana prescription law, that in many cases has been extended over the years. Additionally, we will also assist in connecting any victims who may benefit from support and therapy to our local resources; for our assistance in connection to local resources, there is not a requirement that we review the case for criminal prosecution. Please call our Sex Crimes Division at (225) 389-3445 to either be connected to therapy and support resources or report the offense. DA Hillar Moore “You can get past it. It’s not easy. If you want the easy way out, sit in your room and do nothing and be miserable. If you want to get over it, get therapy,” Tomeny said. “Everyone says, ‘When’s it going to go away?’ and it’s never. Sometimes, other things happen that cause new things to come up, so it’s a continual process.” Tomeny says dispute being abused, he still attends church. “I’ve had some moving things happen in my life and I can’t attribute it to anything but God," he said. “I know where I need to be and I need to be in church every Sunday and a part of the church, helping it get better and not condemning it for everything wrong. There are good parts to it. There are good things that happen.” The following statements will be read at all Sunday masses at St. Aloysius Parish and St. Thomas More Parish: By releasing the names, the diocese joins more than 70 dioceses and Catholic religious organizations across the country, including both the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux in Louisiana, to release lists of clergymen accused of sexual abuse. The independent review of allegations was announced Nov. 10 in a letter issued on behalf of the diocese and Bishop Michael Duca.
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