WILMINGTON (DE)
The News Journal
[with video]
Written by
BETH MILLER and SEAN O’SULLIVAN
The News Journal
Thousands of documents from the secret files of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington were made public Wednesday, offering an unprecedented account of decades of child sexual abuse by 21 priests who ministered throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. Now several groups are asking for the resignations of three top diocesan officials.
The files, released by the diocese as part of its settlement with almost 150 abuse victims, reveal how church officials strategized as allegations were raised and the changing tone of their responses as survivors circumvented church authorities to make their allegations public.
The records include references to victims who committed suicide, others who worried about contracting AIDS after being assaulted by priests and many who were astonished to learn that their abusers had been moved to other parishes, where other children were at risk.
The documents were made public Wednesday by Delaware-based Child Victim’s Voice, founded by abuse survivor Matthias Conaty of Wilmington, and the Boston-based website BishopAccountability.org that has posted thousands of similar documents from other dioceses since 2003 and is posting the Wilmington files.
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