BRIDGEPORT (CT)
Associated Press
October 1, 2019
By Dave Collins
Past Roman Catholic leaders in Bridgeport, Connecticut, including eventual New York Cardinal Edward Egan, were often hostile toward people who alleged clergy sexual abuse and merely transferred many accused priests thus allowing them to continue their misconduct, an independent report released Tuesday found.
Current Bridgeport Bishop Frank Caggiano ordered an investigation last year into priests’ sexual abuse of minors dating to the diocese’s founding in 1953 in an effort to obtain a full accounting of the wrongdoing, detail how church leaders responded and increase transparency for lay members. Former Connecticut state Judge Robert Holzberg laid out his findings in a news conference Tuesday.
The yearlong review found that 281 people — mostly males between 5 and 18 — were abused by 71 priests since the diocese’s founding in 1953. Holzberg said there probably are many more victims who could not be identified because church records were destroyed. The diocese has spent about $56 million settling victims’ lawsuits.
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