BishopAccountability.org
	New List of Accused Clergy and Staff Includes Four with Metrowest Ties By Michael Morton Metrowest Daily News January 20, 2011 http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x1390758248/New-list-of-accused-clergy-and-staff-includes-four-with-MetroWest-ties A partial list of accused Catholic clergy and staff released yesterday includes 19 names never before tied publicly to the clergy abuse scandal, its author says, including four who served in MetroWest parishes. Boston attorney Mitchell Garabedian said the 117 Catholic clergy and staff on his list were named in lawsuits in which his clients won settlements or arbitration awards. He said he decided to release the names after growing frustrated with Cardinal Sean O'Malley and the Boston archdiocese for promising, but failing, to post a full list of the accused. "He hasn't done so," Garabedian said. "So I felt the need to do so." The archdiocese already discloses when clergy are removed from active ministry for an abuse investigation and when a priest is convicted or defrocked, spokeswoman Kelly Lynch said by e-mail. The archdiocese remains "committed to augmenting" its policy for disclosing credible accusations, leaders said in a statement released by Lynch. But it must also consider due process, cases where guilt or innocence has not been proven and cases where the accused has died, making it difficult to conduct a thorough and fair investigation. "At this time, our work on this important undertaking is ongoing," the archdiocese said. "We continue to evaluate the complexities of this initiative." On his website, Garabedian writes that the organizations and individuals who settled or paid arbitration awards did not necessarily acknowledge fault. The 19 new names are not necessarily tied to the most recent cases, and it's not clear why they were not publicly known before. The new names include 11 archdiocese priests and one priest given permission to serve within its borders. All of the priests named are dead, and the accusations made against them came only after their deaths, Lynch said. The other seven belonged to various religious orders. From the archdiocese list, the Rev. James E. Connelly appears to have been assigned to St. Brigid's in Framingham from 1949 to 1952 and at Christ the King in Hudson from 1969 to 1970, according to the website bishopaccountability.org. (Christ the King was closed by the archdiocese in 2000.) Monsignor William B. Shea served at Marian High School and St. Stephen's in Framingham from 1956 to 1971, the website says. The Rev. William J. Duffy and the Rev. Leo Pollard, both of the New England Society of Jesus religious order, each served a one-year stint at Weston College - Duffy in the 1930s and Pollard in the 1940s. Both men are dead. Each of the four accused priests had several other postings, and Garabedian did not have the site of each reported abuse immediately accessible. The remaining names from Garabedian's list had already been published by bishopaccountability.org, based in Waltham. That group includes priests posted to schools, parishes and hospitals in Framingham, Wayland, Hudson, Medway, Weston, Sudbury, Marlborough, Natick, Holliston, Bellingham and Franklin. One of the website's organizers, Terry McKiernan of Natick, said he was grateful to Garabedian for adding to the list. "We do think it's important to know who these people are," he said. "It's important for healing this thing." While Garabedian's list is based on settlements and arbitration awards, three of the priests - Edward Sherry, Eugene Sullivan and Edward Keohan - remain in good standing because an archdiocesan review board determined that abuse claims were unsubstantiated, Lynch said. None have ever served in a local parish. Since his installation in 2003, O'Malley has helped settle roughly 800 claims of clerical abuse, Lynch said, a sign of the archdiocese's commitment to resolution and healing. All abuse allegations are reported to the police, Lynch said, including against the 12 newly named priests with ties to the archdiocese. Victims can also call the pastoral support office at 781-794-2581 for help and counseling, she said. The archdiocese now conducts background checks on clergy, teachers and volunteers; trains children in safety; and shows adults how to identify and report suspected abuse. "Assuring the safety of our children, fostering the healing process and restoring trust are fundamental and ongoing commitments," the archdiocese said. Garabedian said he has brought more than 750 cases worth millions of dollars against the 117 clergy on his list. He said he released the names "so victims could heal and children could be protected."
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