COLUMBIA (MO)
KOMU TV 8
March 19, 2019
By Eric Graves
Victims of clergy sexual abuse said the Jefferson City Diocese needs to be more open about a priest recently put under investigation for “boundary violations with a minor.”
Father Geoffrey Brooke has been barred from practicing while the diocese investigates the allegations.
David Clohessy, a representative of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said Bishop Shawn McKnight should release the work history of any priest accused of sexual misconduct.
“The more information we have the better we can protect our families,” he said.
Clohessy said Brooke’s work wasn’t confined to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Jefferson City. Brooke also worked at the Newman Center, a gathering place for Catholics on the University of Missouri campus, Clohessy said.
Helen Osman, a representative of diocese, said she could not confirm whether Brooke was involved at the Newman Center.
A student there, Tyler Peterson, said he knows Brooke.
Peterson told KOMU 8 Brooke went to the Newman Center and attended MU, “like 10 years ago.”
Peterson said he took a class taught by Brooke at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He said, during the time he was in Brooke’s class, he did not notice anything wrong.
“There’s nothing that I know of that would make me think he would do anything malicious to children or anyone like that,” Peterson said.
He said he is not going to make any judgments until there is an investigation.
“I want to know the details, and, for now, he should definitely not have his name slandered,” Petterson said.
The Jefferson City Diocese maintains a web page listing clergy who have been accused of abuse. Clohessy said, in addition to the names, it should include all of the locations where that clergy member has worked.
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.