BishopAccountability.org

Protesters say Norwich diocese list of priests is incomplete

By Kevin Aherne
Norwich Bulletin
February 13, 2019

https://bit.ly/2UYNth1

The Diocese of Norwich this week released the names of 43 former priests in the diocese with “allegations of substance” made against them regarding the sexual abuse of minors, but a group of protesters say the church has not gone far enough to address the issue.

A small group of protesters from the Connecticut chapter of SNAP — the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests — held a press conference Wednesday afternoon in front of the Cathedral of Saint Patrick in Norwich urging the diocese to “come fully clean now” and to out additional priests the organization said were excluded from the list.

Also Wednesday, the Roman Catholic diocese in Richmond, Va., published a list of 42 priests with a “credible and substantiated” allegation of sexual abuse against a child, while New Jersey’s five Roman Catholic dioceses listed more than 180 priests who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors over a span of several decades.

Gail Howard, the leader of the Connecticut chapter of SNAP, said the release of the names by the Norwich diocese was a step forward in addressing decades of abuse that had been previously covered up, but more steps need to be made.

Howard also claimed the list of 43 clergy in the Norwich diocese omitted at least nine names, citing six missing names reported Tuesday by The Day, and three more identified by SNAP.

Howard unveiled details on the three priests that had previously gone unreported by the diocese and the media including: a priest who allegedly repeatedly assaulted a boy in New Hampshire in the 1960s and had served in the Norwich diocese at a church in Willimantic; a priest charged in 1993 with molesting a child in Massachusetts who had previously served in the Norwich diocese at a church in Middletown; and a priest who admitted abuse who had served in the diocese at a church in Middlefield.

When asked why she thought those names were omitted from the list of 43, Howard said, “I have no idea. I guess it was for damage control.”

She continued: “Doing nothing has worked for the church for 2,000 years.”

Howard said she was the victim of abuse by clergy as a 17-year old living in Chicago. She said she never reported it because she thought it meant something was wrong with her, and nobody would believe her. She said it was not until the early 2000s when she was able to admit what had happened to her.

“There is a tremendous advantage to coming forward and realizing you’re not alone,” Howard said.

Howard said she believes the church administration, all the way to the pope, have had more information regarding clergy abuse than they have let on.

“It’s impossible to believe these priests were relocated after being accused and nobody knew,” Howard said.

Howard said in addition to including the omitted names, SNAP is asking the Norwich diocese to “take the next step” and aggressively reach out to anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered crimes by clergy.

She said the group also asks the diocese to make public the whereabouts, photos and detailed work histories for all within the church who have been accused of child molestation; requests the attorney general launch a statewide investigation into clergy sex crimes and cover-ups; and requests the state to eliminate all statutes of limitations regarding sexual assault.

“We received the information and as Bishop Cote stated in his February 7th letter, ‘the publication of names will be updated as any new information becomes available,’” the diocese’s Director of Communications Wayne Gignac said. “We are currently reviewing the information and will make updates to the list once the information is confirmed.”

Tim McGuire, of New London, shared his story as a victim of abuse more than 50 years ago. He said he is upset by the diocese’s lack of transparency.

“To me, it’s a joke,” McGuire said. “The list is missing names — where were they?”

McGuire continued: “The church is releasing the information in such a layered way that we may never get to the bottom of this.”

Contact: kaherne@norwichbulletin.com




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