A new grand jury report has
reopened for Catholics the raw wound of sexual abuse of children by
clergy and personnel in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
While a similar 2005 report detailed hundreds of cases of sexual abuse
of children by dozens of clergy over many decades, the new report brings
criminal indictments for the first time.
In a statement Feb. 16, Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia addressed
the issue of sexual abuse of children squarely, calling it a crime and
"always wrong and always evil."
"Many people of faith and in the community at large think that the
archdiocese does not understand the gravity of child sexual abuse," he
said. "We do. The task before us now is to recognize where we have
fallen short and to let our actions speak to our resolve."
His statement, outlining new actions the archdiocese is taking in
response to the report, follows three initiatives he announced Feb. 11, a
day after Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams held a news
conference to release the report by a grand jury investigating alleged
abuse.
Charged with rape, assault and other felonies related to minors, as
recommended by the grand jury, are former archdiocesan priest Edward V.
Avery, 68, of Haverford; Father Charles Engelhardt, 64, of Wyndmoor and a
priest Oblate of St. Francis de Sales; an archdiocesan priest, Father
James J. Brennan, 47, of Linfield; and former lay teacher, Bernard
Shero, 48, of Bristol.
Msgr. William J. Lynn, 60, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Downingtown,
was charged on two counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The
charges stem, according to the report, from Msgr. Lynn's conduct as
archdiocesan vicar for clergy from 1992 to 2004. In that role, he was
responsible for recommending the assignment of priests in the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
He is believed to be the only high ranking diocesan official indicted
under a criminal statute in the United States for charges related to the
sexual abuse scandal that came to light in 2002.
A preliminary hearing for the charges will be held March 7. No trial date has been set.
The new actions Cardinal Rigali outlined in his Feb. 16 statement
include the immediate re-examination of cases of 37 priests said by the
grand jury to have credible allegations of child sexual abuse against
them.
The process will be led by a lawyer and former Philadelphia Assistant
District Attorney Gina Maisto Smith. She will personally review all
cases of accused priests in active ministry and recommend to Cardinal
Rigali procedural changes in response to the report.
Three archdiocesan priests mentioned in the report, Fathers Joseph L.
DiGregorio, Joseph J. Gallagher and Stephen B. Perzan, have been placed
on leave and they may not exercise their priestly ministry pending the
second review of their cases.
These steps follow the three new initiatives the cardinal announced Feb. 11.
First, the archdiocese has rehired Mary Achilles, former victim advocate
for Pennsylvania, to advise Cardinal Rigali on how to address the needs
of victims of sexual abuse and to review the observations and
recommendations of the grand jury report. Achilles served in a similar
capacity for the archdiocese from 2006 to 2008.
Second, a new position has been created -- delegate for investigations.
The person, when hired, will continue the practice of forwarding every
allegation of abuse as soon as it is received to the appropriate civil
authority.
Regardless of whether the authority investigates the claim, the delegate
will lead the archdiocese's investigation of the allegation from the
time it is received until the Archdiocesan Review Board presents its
recommendation on the credibility of the allegation to Cardinal Rigali.
Third, Joseph A. Cronin Jr. has been hired as the clergy support
associate to help ensure priests in active ministry comply with the
"Standards of Ministerial Behavior and Boundaries," a code of conduct
for clergy developed in 2003.
In a new development, on Feb. 14, Cardinals Rigali and Anthony J.
Bevilacqua, the retired archbishop of Philadelphia, were named in a
lawsuit filed by a 28-year-old unnamed man.
The suit concerns the assignments of two priests who allegedly abused
the plaintiff when he was a boy in the early 1990s. Both former
archdiocesan priest Martin Satchell and Augustinian priest Richard
Cochrane have since been laicized.
The suit also takes to task the archdiocese's victims assistance
program, which allegedly refused to help the victim when he would not
sign a waiver authorizing the release of his information to authorities.
Over the Feb. 12-13 weekend, Cardinal Rigali acknowledged in a letter to
Catholics the painful, emotional fallout the report and its indictments
have left in the archdiocese.
"The release of the Philadelphia grand jury report ... brings great
sadness and distress to every Catholic, to every person," the cardinal
said. "Once again, the issue of the sexual abuse of minors is raised, as
well as the role of the church and her leaders in addressing this
abuse. As Catholics, we are hurt and confused, and perhaps even quite
angry and feeling betrayed."
The cardinal acknowledged the suffering of victims of abuse and their
families, as well as the suffering of faithful priests. He encouraged
Catholics to show victims love and compassion, plus support and prayers
for priests.
He called the report's release "a moment for renewed faith."
Cardinal Rigali also delivered his remarks as a video message prepared
for YouTube.com and aired on many local television and radio stations
the same weekend.
At his Feb. 10 news conference, Williams noted that since the 2005 grand
jury report, positive changes have resulted in the Philadelphia
Archdiocese's procedures for handling allegations of abuse and its
impact upon victims.
"Victims are receiving counseling and support, and the church is
reporting some abusers to law enforcement, something that never happened
in the past," he said. "This investigation, in fact, began as a result
of reports received from the archdiocese. "
Williams commended the archdiocese for these improvements but emphasized
that more needs to be done regarding concerns of victims'
confidentiality and the nature of abuse allegations against priests.
The grand jury's charges stem from cases in recent years. The report
alleges Avery joined Shero and Father Engelhardt in the abuse of a
10-year-old boy from approximately 1998 to 2000. The archdiocese
received an allegation concerning Father Engelhardt in 2009 and reported
it to the Philadelphia district attorney. His ministry was restricted
Feb. 10, 2011.
The archdiocese received a report concerning then-Father Avery that
alleged he had inappropriate contact with a minor as far back as 1992.
It limited his ministry to chaplain at Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia
from 1993 to 2003. After the archdiocese substantiated allegations of
sexual abuse against him and removed him from ministry in 2003, he was
laicized in 2006.
New allegations against him were received in 2007 and 2009, which were
forwarded to the district attorneys of Delaware County and Philadelphia,
respectively.
The charges against Father Brennan, who has been prohibited from
performing the duties of a priest or presenting himself as a priest
since 2006, stem from an allegation of abuse concerning a 14-year-old
boy.