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	Priest Abuse Case Unresolved By Michael Van Cassell Wyoming Tribune-Eagle September 11, 2008 http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/09/11/local_news_updates/20local_09-11-08.txt HEYENNE — A settlement between plaintiffs alleging priest sexual abuse and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has not been signed by a former Wyoming bishop and other accused clerics. In August, attorneys for the 47 plaintiffs and the diocese announced a global settlement of $10 million. Six men came forward in three civil suits with sexual abuse allegations against Joseph Hart. Hart served as Wyoming's bishop for more than two decades and was a priest in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph from the 1950s until he came here in 1976. One of the alleged victims, who is from Cheyenne, claimed Hart took him to Missouri and abused him there. The other plaintiffs claimed the abuse took place while he was a priest in Kansas City. In the past, Hart has said such allegations are unfounded. Sarah Brown, attorney for the plaintiffs, said her firm was waiting for the 12 priests and clerics involved to sign off on the agreement. On Wednesday, Jeb Barrett, director of the Denver chapter of Survivors' Network of those Abused by Priests, placed a deposit for an advertisement in the Wyoming Catholic Register in hopes of reaching out to other alleged victims. Barrett spoke to media in front of the Diocese of Cheyenne's office on Capitol Avenue and said he was there because of the recent settlement. "We want to find more victims in Wyoming," Barrett said. Barrett said such abuse is not limited to the Roman Catholic Church and that allegations have been made in other faiths. He said SNAP will ask the Diocese of Cheyenne to request that the Vatican defrock Hart. The group also wants the St. Joseph's Children's Home in Torrington to remove his name from a wing. Carol Delois, chancellor of the diocese, said the editor of the Wyoming Catholic Register was not in the office Wednesday. Delois said she could not comment about the advertisement. As for Barrett's request for the diocese to ask Hart be defrocked, Delois said she was unaware of such a request. "He did not talk to me about that," Delois said. Contact: mcassell@wyomingnews.com
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