HARTFORD (CT)
Hartford Courant
November 1, 2005
By DAVE ALTIMARI, MATT BURGARD, And FRANCES GRANDY-TAYLOR Courant Staff Writers
Some of the priests involved in the Hartford Archdiocese's $22 million sex abuse settlement had well-documented histories of alleged misconduct. In other cases, churchgoers were shocked by the news Monday that clergy members they had known and trusted for years had been accused of abuse.
For parishioners of SS. Cyril & Methodius Catholic Church in Hartford, the revelation that the Rev. William Przybylo was among the priests involved in the deal was especially difficult. Przybylo, who adamantly proclaimed his innocence Monday, is the only one of the 14 still in active ministry.
The settlement was among the largest in the country but represents a portion of abuse cases in the archdiocese.
Discussions began two years ago with a roomful of lawyers, an archdiocese representative and a federal court magistrate in Bridgeport with a history of mediating sexual abuse claims against priests.
Along the way, the 43 accusers told their painful stories to U.S. Magistrate William I. Garfinkle. In many cases lawsuits were never filed. Some date as far back as the early 1970s.