CHICAGO (IL)
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
Documents Related to 36 Priests will be Posted on Archdiocesan Website at 9 a.m. on November 6
Chicago, November 5, 2014 – The Archdiocese of Chicago will release documents on Thursday, November 6, at 9 a.m., related to 36 Archdiocesan priests who have substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct with minors, all of whom have been listed on the Archdiocese’s website for years. The documents will be posted on the Archdiocesan website, www.archchicago.org.
The documents are in addition to those released in January related to 30 other priests. The release, in combination with the January release, covers all the priests who have substantiated allegations of sexual misconduct with minors identified on the Archdiocese’s website, with the exception of two priests where ongoing processes do not permit release. All of the documents relate to incidents that date back many years, and in many cases, decades. No priest with even one substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor serves in ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago today.
“As we said in January, we are committed to transparency with the people we serve,” said Francis Cardinal George, OMI. “We cannot change the past but we hope we can rebuild trust through honest and open dialogue. Child abuse is a crime and a sin. The Archdiocese of Chicago is concerned first and foremost with bringing healing to abuse victims.”
The Archdiocese followed a thorough document review process to determine which documents could be released. It was designed to protect victim privacy, comply with legal restrictions against publishing mental health and medical information and protect the privacy of third parties mentioned in the documents, but not involved in the abuse. Nothing was redacted or removed to conceal the identity of abusers. This process resulted in the release of approximately 15,000 pages of material on the 36 priests.
Ninety-two percent of the cases included in the documents occurred prior to 1988. Additionally, all of the priests involved in this document release are out of ministry and 14 are deceased.
The Archdiocese of Chicago is in full compliance with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted by the U.S. Bishops in Dallas in June 2002. The Charter requires that no priest with even one substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor can serve in public ministry. The Archdiocese of Chicago refers all reports of sexual abuse immediately to civil authorities. The Archdiocese’s Independent Review Board examines the findings of all investigations and makes recommendations to the Archbishop regarding fitness for ministry and safety of children.
The Archdiocese encourages anyone who has been sexually abused by a priest, deacon, religious or lay employee, to come forward. Complete information about reporting sexual abuse can be found on the Archdiocesan website at www.archchicago.org/departments/protection/protection.shtm.
About the Document Release
The documents, which will be posted on the Archdiocese’s website at 9 a.m. on November 6, concern the following priests, all of whom are out of ministry and 14 are deceased:
Alexander S. Baranowski*
Richard B. Bartz
Leonard A. Bogdan
R. Peter Bowman*
David F. Braun*
Daniel P. Buck
Eugene P. Burns*
John W. Calicott
Norman J. Czajka*
Walter G. DeRoeck
Francis E. Dilla*
Richard W. Fassbinder*
James V. Flosi
Robert D. Friese
Jesus P. Garza
John E. Hefferan
James Hoder
Michael J. Hogan
Walter E. Huppenbauer
Robert L. Kealy
John J. Keehan
John J. Keough
Leonard P. Kmak*
William L. Lupo
Robert J. McDonald
Peter J. McNamara
Gary M. Miller
Donald J. Mulsoff*
James M. Ray
John A. Robinson
John F. Rohrich
Joseph E. Savage*
Albert(o) Tanghal*
Richard G. Theisen*
Joseph S. Thomas*
Anthony J. Vader*
*Deceased
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