Sting of Abuse Scandal Hits Oklahoma Catholics

The Oklahoman
October 9, 2019

https://oklahoman.com/article/5643482/sting-of-abuse-scandal-hits-oklahoma-catholics

The Most Rev. Paul S. Coakley, archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. [Oklahoman Archive Photo]

Like their peers in so many parts of the country, Roman Catholics in Oklahoma are experiencing the heartbreak and anger that come with learning of priests who abused children and the Church’s mishandled of abuse allegations.

The Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma released a list last week of 11 priests and other individuals who had been credibly accused of sex abuse against a minor since the diocese’s inception in 1973. One day later, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City said an investigation dating to 1960 revealed 11 current or former priests were credibly accused of sexually abusing minors.

In both dioceses, the reports were issued by outside, and highly regarded, law firms — GableGotwals in Tulsa, and McAfee & Taft in Oklahoma City. The firms had free rein to investigate every file — a commendable and wise move. Any hint of interference or control by the diocese and archdiocese would have clouded the findings.

Those findings are distressing. For example, McAfee & Taft cited a now-deceased priest who was accused of child sexual abuse in 1989. Damning videotapes were recovered from the priest’s home, but the law firm found no evidence the priest was reported to law enforcement or the Department of Human Services, and eventually he was assigned to two parishes in other states.

The report also found that the archdiocese in 2002 paid the legal fees for a priest to file a defamation lawsuit against a man who had accused him of sexual abuse — even though the priest had admitted his actions to former Archbishop Eusebius Beltran and former Vicar General Edward Weisenburger.

The law firm found that Beltran and Weisenburger didn’t tell what they knew to an archdiocesan review board tasked with determining whether the priest should be returned to the ministry. Beltran reinstated the priest in 2003 and in doing so, lied in a news release about the thoroughness of the investigation and the priest’s suitability.

As it is, the Oklahoma City report is incomplete. McAfee & Taft says 37 boxes of records were taken from the archdiocese by its former chancellor and her husband, who served as outside general counsel. The boxes were only turned over to the law firm the day before the report was issued. Thus, another shoe will drop at a later time.

Meantime, Church leaders in both dioceses vow that zero tolerance is now the norm. It must be. The archdiocese has a hotline to report sexual abuse, and it promotes the state DHS hotline. Archbishop Paul Coakley, installed in 2011, notes that many improvements have been made to ensure the safety of children, but that “we must do better.” He is right on both counts.

Coakley also asked the faithful to pray for abuse victims, and for the many good priests and religious unfairly tarred by this profound ugliness. As they do, Catholics may want to recall the creed that is professed at Mass each week. It declares a belief in God, in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit. It makes no mention of mortal man.