Fr. Robert L. Brennan, a priest of the archdiocese of Philadelphia
whose priestly faculties have been suspended since 2005, was arrested
Thursday in Maryland on charges of sexually abusing a northeast
Philadelphia boy between 1998 and 2001.
Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams made the announcement at a news conference in Philadelphia the same day.
Brennan, 75, was arrested on charges of rape, involuntary deviate
sexual intercourse and aggravated indecent assault in Perryville, Md.,
where he was living in a private residence. He was being held in
Maryland's Cecil County, where he faced an extradition hearing.
He was included in the 2005 Philadelphia Grand Jury report
investigating incidents of sexual abuse of minors by clergy.
The report
cited a year long pattern of reports of inappropriate behavior,
including touching and other physical contact, between Brennan and boys
with whom he came into contact during his assignments at parishes and
schools in the archdiocese.
One assignment was as parochial vicar at Resurrection of Our Lord
Parish in northeast Philadelphia beginning in the 1990s.
The district
attorney alleges that during that time, a boy in the parish school was
sexually assaulted over three years, from age 11 to 14, by Brennan.
The now 27-year-old man reported the assaults to the Philadelphia archdiocese in January.
Following its revised policy as a result of the 2006 and 2011 grand
juries and the internal deliberations that resulted, the archdiocese
immediately contacted the Philadelphia district attorney's office with
the report. The criminal investigation began at that time, resulting in
the arrest nine months later.
Williams acknowledged the pain and difficulty victims of sexual abuse
experience as they try to summon the courage to report incidents of
abuse, oftentimes occurring years or decades earlier. He praised the
"brave actions" of the victim who remained nameless.
He also added that the archdiocese "immediately, and by immediately I
mean that same day, contacted the district attorney's office to share
with us this report."
"It must be recognized that this is a sea change in the protocol and
practices of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia," he said. "I spoke with
Archbishop (Charles J.) Chaput (of Philadelphia) this morning, thanking
him for the internal reforms that have been made, that this case
demonstrates."
In a statement, the archdiocese said that since Chaput's arrival in
Philadelphia in 2011, he has "reinforced the archdiocese's strong
commitment to work with law enforcement in ensuring justice for victims
of sexual assault. The archdiocese reports all allegations of sexual
abuse of minors to public authorities."
The statement also said a "canonical process aimed at (Brennan's)
laicization is in progress with the Holy See." Laicization is a process
whereby a priest is removed from the clerical state. Although he is
still a priest, Brennan has not been permitted to minister or present
himself as a priest anywhere since he was suspended in September 2005.
He has lived in a private residence in Maryland since then.
Williams spoke at length during the news conference about Msgr.
William Lynn, who is currently serving a three-to-six-year sentence for
endangering the welfare of a child because of his supervisory role as
secretary for clergy in the archdiocese under Philadelphia Cardinal
Anthony Bevilacqua during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Williams and Evangelia Manos, assistant district attorney for special
investigations, indicated that as a result of the new allegations
against Brennan, additional child endangerment charges would have been
brought against Lynn and the same new charges against other archdiocesan
officials, who Williams did not identify, were it not for a provision
of state law regarding the statute of limitations.
"The victim's age (27) puts his allegation three months beyond the
statute of limitations for endangering the welfare of children,"
Williams said.
The criminal statute was amended in 2006 to extend the time frame for
a victim making an allegation to age 50, but the extension concerns
only charges against the perpetrator of the crime, not supervisors to
whom child endangerment charges might apply.
Williams ended his press conference by applauding the courage of the
victim to come forward with his allegation and encouraged other victims
to do the same.
The archdiocese urged anyone with information regarding Brennan to
contact the district attorney's office.
It also said recognized that
news of Brennan's arrest may be painful to victims of sexual violence,
and offered support or assistance through its Victim Assistance Office.