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	Advocates for Abuse Victims Criticize Tobin By Tom Mooney Providence Journal May 1, 2008 http://www.projo.com/news/content/clergy_abuse_friday_05-01-08_C99VIFK_v23.380ebff.html PROVIDENCE — For the second time in as many months a national group representing victims of clergy abuse yesterday criticized the Most Rev. Thomas Tobin, bishop of the Diocese of Providence, saying he wasn't doing all he could to help prosecute two priests who once worked in the diocese and now face allegations they molested children. David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said his group believes there are in the Providence Catholic diocese victims of abuse by the Reverends Phillip A. Magaldi and Aaron J. Cote, or at least witnesses, who, if Bishop Tobin encouraged them to step forward, could help the police prosecute the clerics. "We're begging Bishop Tobin to be a true pastor and reach out to the wounded," said Clohessy, describing Tobin's response to the issue so far as "reckless." "When any of us have an ability to jail a serial predator" and choose instead to do "the bare minimum," Clohessy said, "we believe that is reckless." Clohessy called on the diocese to release the personnel files of the two priests and also suggested that Catholics could withhold church donations unless the bishop personally visited the parishes where the priests worked and prodded victims and witnesses to come forward. In a statement released after Clohessy's news conference, the diocese said it "aggressively encourages those with information relative to abuse to report such allegations." The diocese statement said it had taken out advertisements in The Providence Journal and its own newspaper, the Rhode Island Catholic, and posted messages on electronic newsletters sent to all parishes encouraging people to come forward. The statement did not say whether the advertisements were specifically directed toward those familiar with the Magaldi and Cote cases or were general in nature. Said Clohessy: "Of all the comments the pope made recently the one that struck me was 'Catholics have a duty to do everything possible to heal the wounds everything possible.' That doesn't mean a two-sentence notice in a couple of parish bulletins. It doesn't mean a brief, vague news release one time in your newspaper." Father Magaldi served in at least three Rhode Island parishes from 1961 through the 1980s before being transferred to parishes in Texas in 1990. Church authorities removed him from active priesthood in 1999 after a sexual-misconduct allegation emerged here. Two more local allegations arose in 2002 and 2007. Three other allegations have arisen in Texas. He lives in a private retirement center in Texas and is now reportedly HIV positive. Last year the Dominican order and the archbishop of Washington awarded a Maryland man $1.25 million to settle a suit in which he claimed he was abused as a boy by Father Cote, who later, in 2003, was transferred to Providence to be a youth minister at St. Pius V Church. Clohessy said the police in western Massachusetts are now investigating another allegation that Father Cote molested two young brothers after the Providence diocese suspended him in 2005. Neither Father Magaldi nor Father Cote has been criminally charged despite ongoing investigations. The diocese said in its statement that it is "important to note that allegations of sexual abuse relative to Fr. Magaldi were not made until after he left the Diocese of Providence. The Diocese did however launch an investigation into the allegations. The findings were then forwarded to the Diocese of Ft. Worth to assist in their investigation. Additionally, Bishop Tobin has written to Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Ft. Worth in support of his efforts to seek laicization of Fr. Magaldi. The Office of Education and Compliance is in frequent communication with local law enforcement concerning allegations of sexual abuse by clergy." Concerning Father Cote, the diocese said that "upon receiving a credible allegation" it immediately requested that his order remove him from ministry. Fr. Cote was never a diocesan priest, rather a Dominican priest assigned to the diocese by his order. Michael Guilfoyle, spokesman for the Providence diocese, said that since Father Cote was of the Dominican order, the request for the release of his file "is more appropriately addressed to the order which maintains his full personnel files." Guilfoyle said diocesan lawyers are "currently working with the court and plaintiff counsel concerning disclosure of information on priests accused of sexual misconduct, including Father Magaldi, as part of the ongoing litigation. Further comment on these matters would be inappropriate at this time." The diocese said it was unfortunate that SNAP would encourage state Catholics to withhold donations that support a number of charitable efforts. "As state leaders face difficult choices and are forced to cut social service programs, organizations such as the Diocese of Providence make every effort to fill gaps created by such cuts. Withholding charitable donations to the diocese only hurts the most vulnerable Rhode Islanders who struggle each day to provide life's basic needs for their families." Clohessy also criticized the diocese for failing to run an advertisement in its newspaper that SNAP had submitted asking victims of clergy abuse to contact its organization or the local police. Clohessy said SNAP had not heard from the newspaper or the diocese in the seven weeks since it submitted the ad, despite repeated e-mails and telephone calls. The diocese said in its statement that the advertisement included grammatical errors and "irresponsible language" that encouraged individuals to call 911 to report allegations that may have occurred years ago. "If the errors are corrected and appropriate language incorporated," Guilfoyle said yesterday, "the ad will be published in an upcoming edition." Contact: tmooney@projo.com
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