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	Diocese of Bridgeport Releases Documents Relating to Cases Settled in 2001 Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport December 1, 2009 http://www.bridgeportdiocese.com/Statement12-1.shtml BRIDGEPORT, CT, Tuesday, December 1, 2009, 1:00 p.m. – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport announced today that it has complied with a court order to release documents, previously-sealed by multiple court orders, which pertain to clergy sexual abuse cases that were settled in 2001. The documents relate to misconduct from the 1960s and 1970s. They include pre-trial materials such as motions, depositions, testimony, and correspondence, all produced in pre-trial activity throughout the 1990s. All of the documents at issue were shared with the victims through their attorneys leading up to the settlement of these cases. Furthermore, between 1993 and 2002, more than 200 media reports were published about these cases. In fact, after obtaining copies of the sealed documents from an unidentified source and notwithstanding the court orders, the Hartford Courant published two lengthy articles on March 17, 2002, which selectively summarized the contents of the documents. Over the past decade, the Diocese of Bridgeport – and, indeed, the Catholic Church throughout the United States – has brought about a significant culture change regarding the knowledge of and ability to deal with sexual abuse. The Diocese has worked and will continue to work diligently and transparently to address the issue of sexual abuse in order to prevent this tragedy from happening again. The Diocese remains committed to reaching out to support those who have been harmed. Under the direction of a dedicated Office of Safe Environments and together with the active participation of all clergy, lay employees, volunteers, and contractors, the Diocese is doing everything in its power to provide safe environments for all children and young people. Additional information about the Diocese’s Safe Environments Program and the sealed documents can be found online.
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