![]() ![]() The nation’s Catholic bishops, for the first time, then agreed on reforms including a lifetime ban from ministry for any priest who commits even a single incident of abuse. The report largely focuses on the years before 2002, when an investigation by the Boston Globe into abuse and coverup in the Archdiocese of Boston led to an explosion of revelations nationwide. He never faced criminal charges and died in 2010. School officials didn’t report the abuse to authorities and dozens more victims later came forward. He was later assigned to Baltimore, where he served as chaplain at a Catholic high school for boys and abused over 20 victims.Īfter several students accused him of abuse in 1973, Brett was allowed to resign, saying he had to care for a sick aunt. He was sent to New Mexico under the guise of hepatitis treatment and then to Sacramento, where another teenage boy reported being abused by Brett, the report said. In 1964, for instance, Father Laurence Brett admitted to sexually abusing a teenager at a Catholic university in Connecticut. The nearly 500-page document includes numerous instances of leaders taking steps to protect accused clergy, including allowing them to retire with financial support rather than be ousted, letting them remain in the ministry and failing to report alleged abuse to law enforcement. And when law enforcement did become aware of abuse allegations, police and prosecutors were often deferential and “uninterested in probing what church leaders knew and when,” according to the report. In some situations, victims ended up reporting abuse to priests who were abusive themselves. The Baltimore report says church leaders were focused on keeping abuse hidden, not on protecting victims or stopping abuse. Other investigations involving the Archdiocese of Washington and the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware, which both include parts of Maryland, are ongoing.Īdvertisement ARCHDIOCESE TOOK STEPS TO PROTECT THE ACCUSED The organization called on the archbishop to explain the discrepancies. The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, noted the report lists more names of abusers than have been released publicly by archdiocese officials. “We’re here to speak the truth and never stop,” he said after the news conference. Rupprecht said his abuser was assigned to the Diocese of Wilmington, which covers some counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. ![]() He said the realization brought him some relief because it explained decades of self-destructive behavior and mental health challenges, but also left him overwhelmed with anger and disbelief. Kurt Rupprecht, who also experienced abuse as a child, said he was in his late 40s when he pieced together his traumatic memories. The Associated Press typically doesn’t name victims of abuse, but Wehner has spoken publicly to draw attention to the issue. He denied the allegations before his death in 2001 and was never criminally charged. Maskell abused at least 39 victims, according to the report. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |