STATEN ISLAND (NY)
Staten Island Advance
May 3, 2019
By Maura Grunlund
Now that the reputations of more than 30 Staten Island priests have been tarnished in the Roman Catholic Church sex-abuse scandal, should their legacies be trashed as well?
Should the accused in effect be erased?
The names of more than 30 Island clergy were released by the Archdiocese of New York last week on a list of 120 bishops, monsignors, priests and deacons whose alleged actions resulted in payouts to victims. Included on the roster are many of the spiritual founders, builders and reformers who, over the past century, shaped the Roman Catholic Church into what it is today on Staten Island.
The names of some of these priests grace churches, schools and other religious facilities throughout the borough. Ground-breaking programs, scholarships and awards are their legacies.
Should their names, images and historical mentions be relegated — literally or figuratively — to the dumpster and effectively erased as the Archdiocese attempts to dismantle the scandal of priestly sex-abuse and rebuild its church on the Island?
Complicating the issue is the fact that the list has its own shades of gray in terms of culpability.
Although payouts were made to alleged victims, at least 58 of the accused clergy throughout the Archdiocese appear on a portion of the list devoted to priests who did not have the opportunity to defend themselves because they had died or left the ministry before being accused.
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