UNITED STATES
Sun Sentinel
July 11, 2018
By Mary Sanchez
To even casual observers of recent news about the Catholic Church, it’s clear that a new day has dawned.
Finally, after decades of stalling, denials and civil lawsuits, Catholic dioceses seem to recognize their accountability for the criminal behavior of pedophile priests.
Consider the case of retired Bishop Joseph Hart. The former prelate of Cheyenne, Wyo., now 86 years old, could face criminal charges under what the current bishop of Cheyenne has deemed credible and substantiated accusations of sexual abuse.
News of the case traveled ahead of the headlines to Kansas City, where Hart was ordained in 1956. Many believe that is where he first groomed young boys for sexual abuse in the parishes where he served until 1976.
The Kansas City diocese readily restated that Hart had previously been accused of abusing 10 people, which led to multi-million-dollar settlements involving allegations against him and other Kansas City priests, some now deceased.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.