TOLEDO (OH)
Sandusky Register [Sandusky OH]
October 25, 2024
By Claudia Vercellotti and David Clohessy
Pretend for a minute that you are named CEO of a large, well-respected chemical company. You suspect that for years, your predecessors dumped toxic materials in numerous unsuspecting communities in and around the area where you are headquartered and live.
Then, shortly after you assume your new post, you learn that your suspicions are well founded. Indeed, for years and years, your predecessors secretly and recklessly put dangerous chemicals in dozens and dozens of places. Some of which were the LAST places one would expect to find such public health threats.
Making matters worse, those dump sites were almost always near unsuspecting neighbors who were given no warning whatsoever. And when those neighbors voiced concerns, alarmed by rumors or reports of wrongdoing, your predecessors repeatedly misled or lied to those mothers and fathers living in close proximity to those many toxic locations, needlessly putting their children at risk.
This is the situation in which Toledo Catholic Bishop Daniel Thomas finds himself. He was promoted to head the 19-county diocese a decade ago. It surely took him little time to realize just how many predator priests are or were in his new diocese.
He could have started at the Toledo diocesan website. Five years before Thomas arrived here, his predecessor posted the first public list of ‘credibly accused’ offending priests. https://www.bishop-accountability.org/
That list has grown over the years. https://toledodiocese.org/clergy-status/
And last year, three more names were added: Fr. Richard G. Miller, Fr. Frank E. Nieset and Deacon Bernabe Romo. https://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/diocesan_and_order_lists.htm#Toledo_OH
On the one hand, maybe all of us should be grateful that at long last these dangerous individuals have finally been exposed. Although clearly these disclosures have come belated, piecemeal, begrudgingly and only because of external pressure from police, prosecutors, parents, parishioners, the press and of course most of all, from victims and their loved ones.
But on the other hand, maybe all of us should be shouting from the rooftops about Thomas’ persistent pattern of secrecy surrounding pedophile priests. Because while the names of dozens of proven, admitted and credibly accused offending clerics are indeed now publicly available, top Catholic officials here continue to reveal as little as possible about them. And when they do, they do it as quietly as they can.
Look at the case of the latest exposed problematic priest in Toledo: Fr. Michael G. Madden. Church officials recently added him to the list of nearly 40 Toledo area clerics who have been deemed ‘credibly accused’ sexual abusers of children.
Did diocesan leaders hold a news conference to announce, “Another alleged victim of clerical child sex abuse has been vindicated, because we now have determined that she or he is very likely telling the truth?” Did they send a news release out to all the media across the diocese, declaring “The accusation that Fr. Madden sexually violated one or more kids has been substantiated?” Did they send letters to the homes of all school alumni, current and former employees, parishioners and volunteers? Did they put the same effort into notifying the communities where Fr. Madden served as the effort they put into their fundraising or influencing voters?
Nope. None of the above.
Instead, they quietly publish a ‘Diocese of Toledo Clergy Status Report.’ On other bishops’ websites, these lists of predator priests are given accurate and helpful names.
Columbus’ bishop calls his a list of “Credibly Accused Clergy.”
Cleveland’s bishop calls his a list of clergy “against whom have been made substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.”
Cincinnati’s archbishop calls his a list of “Substantiated Allegations of Sexual Abuse Against Clerics.”
But Toledo’s bishop calls his a “Clergy Status Report.” Could it be vaguer?
Only down further, in small print, does he disclose that these men have ‘substantiated’ reports of abuse filed against them. We would call that ‘doing the bare minimum.’
The good news is that after working in the diocese for 40 years, Fr. Madden is now deceased, so he can no longer hurt children. The bad news is that others who may have been hurt as kids by Fr. Madden don’t know any of this, since Toledo diocesan staff – from the bishop down to even the most lowly lay employee – are keeping news of his wrongdoing as quiet as possible, sending only a an email to their current priests. How do you facilitate healing like that?
And among the unanswered questions, this is perhaps the most troubling: If Thomas sneaks Fr. Madden’s name onto his ‘status report list’, how many other known or suspected child molesting clerics is he protecting?
That is not the last of the disturbing questions: Did Fr. Madden face two abuse reports or two dozen abuse reports? How long ago did his victim, or victims, speak up and what did diocesan staffers do when that happened? Was Fr. Madden accused while he was alive and if so, did church staffers contact law enforcement?
Never lose faith
In short, the Toledo diocese’s claims that they are now ‘open and transparent’ about children’s safety continue to ring very hollow, Despite the continued irresponsible actions and inactions by Bishop Thomas and other local Catholic officials, we in SNAP somehow cling to hope.
We hope, for instance, that anyone with information or suspicions about clerical child molesters will find the strength to tell trusted sources like friends, family, therapists, or support groups like ours.
We hope that at least some Catholics will stand up and speak out in their parishes about this continuing crisis.
We hope that some church employees — current or former — will likewise step forward and share with law enforcement what they know or have heard about abusive clerics.
Most of all, we hope that today’s children will no longer be hurt by clerics who commit and conceal heinous child sex crimes, thanks to the brave efforts of all those who keep pushing for real reform and prevention steps by the church higher-ups. We must continue to push for legislative reform in the State of Ohio, and we renew our request of Ohio Attorney General Yost to open investigations into the diocese across the state, so we can finally break the cycle of abuse and cover-up.
The safety of kids depends on it.