ILLINOIS
Rockford Register-Star
By Chris Green
Rockford Register Star
Posted Feb. 7, 2014
ROCKFORD – Sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy peaked in the ’70s, said Timothy Lytton who cited a 2002 study commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Lytton, an Albany Law School professor and author of “Holding Bishops Accountable: How Lawsuits Helped the Catholic Church Confront Clergy Sexual Abuse” said a three-decade onslaught of lawsuits starting in 1984 has implicated countless dioceses across the U.S. and abroad.
“The vast majority of victims who brought claims brought them years later,” he said.
One such person is Kathleen Gibbons, 46, of Rockford. She attended Holy Family Elementary School from 1972 to 1980.
A week ago, Gibbon’s attorney, Rene Hernandez, filed a $5 million lawsuit against Holy Family Catholic Church, the Catholic Diocese of Rockford, and three clergy members: Monsignor Al Harte, Father Bob and Brother Allen. Harte died in 2002. The last names of Bob and Allen and their whereabouts are unknown.
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