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	Diocese in Denial: Fallout from the Bridgeport Sex-abuse Scandal Connecticut Post December 1, 2009 http://www.connpost.com/ci_13901046 Zero tolerance policy In the midst of growing criticism of how the Roman Catholic Church addressed claims of clergy misconduct, Bridgeport Bishop William E. Lori played a key role in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' approval of a zero-tolerance policy on priests who sexually abuse children. Key provisions of the policy approved in June 2002 include: n All priests guilty of abuse will be barred from church work -- from saying Mass to wearing a Roman collar to running a parish. n Accused priests who maintain their innocence can ask for a trial before a tribunal of clerics. If found guilty, they can appeal to the Vatican. n When an abuse allegation surfaces, bishops must conduct a preliminary investigation that protects the reputation of the priest, which means the inquiry can be private. If the bishop determines the claim is credible, he then puts the clergyman on leave and moves ahead with a church trial. n Bishops must follow local laws on reporting abuse to civil authorities. Even though the policy doesn't require it, the bishops also have promised to report alleged abuse of minors in every state. n Victims must bring claims by age 28, the statute of limitations under church law, but bishops can ask the Vatican for a waiver to address older claims. n Diocesan review boards including lay people will advise bishops on responding to abuse allegations. Their work will be confidential and five of the board members must be Roman Catholic. diocese sex abuse by the numbers Following are highlights of a 50-year analysis of Diocese of Bridgeport clergy involved in the sexual abuse crisis released in February 2004. The study, authorized by the U.S. Catholic Bishops, was conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. CLERGY: A total of 1,279 priests served in the diocese since its founding on Aug. 6, 1953. Of the 1,279, 32 priests -- or 2.5 percent -- had allegations of sexual abuse brought against them. Of the 32 priests, 27 were ordained by the Diocese of Bridgeport, five were ordained by religious orders or were visiting the diocese on assignment. Regarding the identity of these 32 priests, 23 have already been made public by the diocese. Of the remaining nine, seven are dead and two are priests from another diocese who were visiting Fairfield County. ALLEGATIONS: A total of 109 allegations were made against the 32 priests. Sixty of the allegations were claimed to have occurred from 1970-79, 24 from 1960-69, 14 from 1980-89, seven from 1953-59 and four from 1990-99. The allegations were first reported to the diocese during the following time periods: three from 1953-59; one from 1960-69; two from 1970-79; eight from 1980-89; 36 from 1990-99; and 59 from 2000 to the present. FINANCIAL SETTLEMENTS: Since its founding in 1953, the diocese has dispensed $37.7 million in financial settlements to resolve claims of sexual abuse. This figure includes the $21 million settlement announced in October 2003. The $37.7 million in settlements were covered 41 percent by insurance claims, and 59 percent through the sale of undeveloped surplus property and returns on investments. Bishop William Lori said no funds for the settlements were from the Annual Bishop's Appeal, individual or group contributions to the diocese or parish collections. Egan's 'apology' The way Edward Egan handled allegations of sexual abuse by priests while he was bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport remains controversial in the Fairfield County diocese. His name still provokes anger among dozens of people who claim they were abused in their youth by Bridgeport diocesan priests. Church documents obtained by the Connecticut Post over a span of more than 10 years show Egan was made aware of specific allegations of abuse by priests when he became bishop here in 1988. However, not only did Egan not report the alleged abuse to police or other legal authorities, he covered up the allegations, moving offending priests around the diocese, the complainants say. Egan left Bridgeport in 2000 to become archbishop and later cardinal of the Archdiocese of New York until 2009. The closest Egan ever came to making an apology was in an April 2002 letter to parishioners at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. "It is clear that today we have a much better understanding of this problem," Egan wrote. "If in hindsight we also discover that mistakes may have been made as regards to prompt removal of priests and assistance to victims, I am deeply sorry." CURTIS SAID TO HAVE DESTROYED RECORDS Bishop Walter W. Curtis, Egan's predecessor in Bridgeport, led the diocese for 27 years. Curtis was the second bishop of the diocese, which covers Fairfield County and had 286,000 Roman Catholics when he was installed in 1961. Curtis stepped down in 1988, when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75. He died in 1997. In a sealed deposition that lawyers for the victims were later permitted to discuss in open court, Curtis was said to have admitted destroying records containing accusations of pedophilia in order to give priests a fresh start.
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