February 16, 2005

8 area priests accused in '04

DENVER (CO)
Denver Post

By Eric Gorski
Denver Post Staff Writer

The Denver Roman Catholic archdiocese fielded child sex-abuse allegations in 2004 against eight priests who served within its 24-county boundary, according to a report made public as part of wide-ranging reforms that followed the national clergy-abuse crisis.

While some of the allegations stretch back to incidents more than three decades ago, one dates to the 1990s and is under investigation by the archdiocese.

None of the accused priests is in ministry in the northern Colorado archdiocese, said Sergio Gutierrez, an archdiocese spokesman.

In a letter to his flock in this week's Denver Catholic Register, Archbishop Charles Chaput announced that for the second consecutive year, outside auditors found the archdiocese fully compliant with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. U.S. bishops adopted the charter in 2002 to quell the abuse scandal.

Posted by kshaw at February 16, 2005 04:16 AM