Archdiocese Releases Files on Sex Abuse Cases

Chicago Sun-Times
November 6, 2014

http://chicagosuntimes.com/news/archdiocese-to-release-files-on-sex-abuse-cases/

Officials from the Archdiocese of Chicago met with the Sun-Times editorial board last week to discuss the pending release of documents. | Richard A. Chapman/Sun-Times

As the Archdiocese of Chicago prepares to say goodbye to its leader, the church released some 15,000 pages Thursday detailing sexual abuse allegations against 36 priests — a move Cardinal Francis George said shows a sincere desire to restore trust.

“We cannot change the past but we hope we can rebuild trust through honest and open dialogue,” George said in a prepared statement. “Child abuse is a crime and a sin.”

George said the release, which follows the release of 6,000 pages about 30 other priests in January, reveals the archdiocese’s commitment to “transparency.”

Among the revelations:

Parishioners at All Saints-St. Anthony in Bridgeport recalled accused priest Robert Craig driving a “beat up, funny looking van” always full of “at least” four or five young boys and sometimes dressing up as a clown. One alleged victim would later claim to be abused by Craig more than 60 times.

When allegations came to light that one of the priests on the list had abused three young brothers in the 1970s, a church official said it wasn’t worth pursuing unless photographs could be produced.

Barbara Blaine, president of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said the contents of the documents aren’t terribly surprising.

“It’s really important to recognize that what the files confirm is what we’ve known for decades, and that is that Catholic officials endanger kids and protect predators,” Blaine said. “They’ve done it for years or decades.”

Blaine described Thursday’s release as a “small step” in the right direction.

She urged George and his successor, Bishop Blase Cupich, to now go a step further.

“To show real courage and to encourage and prod their staff and flock to call law enforcement with anything that they may have seen, suspected or suffered because of these or any of the priests,” Blaine said.

All of the priests detailed in the documents are out of ministry, and 14 of them are deceased, according to the archdiocese. The cases — many of which include hundreds of pages of documents — concern priests with at least one substantiated allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor, according to the archdiocese.

Most of the cases included in the documents involve incidents that occurred before 1988.

Barbara Blaine, founder and president of the Survivor’s Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), is a frequent critic of how the Catholic Church has handled claims of sexual abuse. Here, she holds a sidewalk news conference outside the Archdiocese of Chicago headquarters last year. | Chandler West/For Sun-Times Media

In January, attorneys Jeff Anderson and Marc Pearlman held a news conference to discuss the release of 6,000 pages of documents obtained from the Archdiocese of Chicago. The Archdiocese is releasing about 15,000 pages of documents on Thursday. | Associated Press