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Fr. Bart O’Leary Named in New Hawaii Child Sexual Abuse Case, Bishop Ferrario’s Legacy of Abuse Continues
By Jeff Anderson
Jeff Anders& Associates, Inc.
April 14, 2020
https://bit.ly/2V9Z007
Catholic whistleblower Rev. Tom Doyle
available for comment on latest accusation in
Bishop Ferrario’s legacy of abuse & cover-up
(Honolulu, HI) – Today Hawaii attorney Mark Gallagher and attorneys from the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates filed a complaint under Hawaii’s “window” law (closing April 24, 2020) against the Diocese of Honolulu on behalf of clergy sexual abuse survivor Craig Christiansen. Christiansen courageously allowed his name to appear on the lawsuit even though survivors may bring claims confidentially.
The lawsuit publicly identifies for the first time Father Bartholomew “Bart” O’Leary, a globally-celebrated figure in Catholic seminary administration, as a child sexual abuser. The case also names the notorious former Diocese of Honolulu Bishop and child abuser, Bishop Joseph Ferrario.
The Vatican knew that Ferrario had a history of abuse,” said attorney Jeff Anderson who first sued Bp. Ferrario and the Diocese in 1991. “They knew the peril and they made a conscious and reckless choice to elevate him to Bishop.”
First Lawsuit Naming Celebrated Diaconate Administrator Fr. Bart O’Leary
Fr. Bart O’Leary’s abuse of Christiansen occurred from approximately 1977 to 1978, at St. Stephen Seminary (now the St. Stephen Diocesan Center) in Kaneohe, where Christiansen’s father worked and O’Leary was an administrator. Fr. O’Leary used his position as Christiansen’s former parish priest to repeatedly abuse Christiansen when he was approximately 14 to 16 years old. This is the first time Fr. O’Leary has been named publicly as a perpetrator of child sexual abuse.
Widely celebrated for his contributions as an administrator, Fr. O’Leary was honored through the National Association of Diaconate Directors (NADD) through the establishment of the Bart O’Leary Award, which recognizes excellence in leadership within the Catholic diaconate. Fr. O’Leary retired outside the Diocese and is deceased.
Another Chapter in Bishop Ferrario’s History of Child Sexual Abuse in Hawaii
Bp. Joseph Ferrario used his position as priest, teacher and administrator to repeatedly abuse Christiansen between approximately 1975 and 1976, when Christensen was approximately 12 to 14 years old. Bp. Ferrario was known by Church officials and the public to abuse boys and seminarians throughout his career, yet, despite multiple allegations of abuse, he was allowed to continue as the highest authority in the Diocese.
Instead of protecting children,” said attorney Mark Gallagher, “Bishop Ferrario protected sexual predators and abused children himself.”
Bp. Ferrario retired and lived as a priest in good standing for the Diocese until his death in 2003. The Diocese of Honolulu is one of two Dioceses in the United States to have both a Bishop and a Vicar General accused of child sexual assault.
The Rev. Thomas P. Doyle Report: Exposing the Vatican’s Promotion of a Known Child Abuser
In approximately 1981, the Church was aware of accusations that Bp. Ferrario sexually assaulted minors in Hawaii. The Papal Nuncio informed the Holy See, who then ordered an investigation. Reverend Thomas Doyle, O.P., J.C.D., a priest and Canon Lawyer, worked in the Papal Nuncio’s office and handled the Ferrario investigation during the 1980s. Doyle’s report about the investigation was sent to the Holy See. The allegations of abuse against Ferrario (while he was a priest) were pushed aside by Church leadership and he was appointed Bishop of Honolulu on May 13, 1982.
Doyle’s report on Ferrario was made available to the public in Jeff Anderson & Associates Report on Clerical Abuse in the Diocese of Honolulu.
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