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Timeline International
How the Story of Abuse in Catholic Church Institutions Emerged Around
the World
Irish Times
November 27, 2009
1984
The first case of clerical child sex abuse to go public: Fr Gilbert
Gauthé in Louisiana, in the US, is revealed as a serial paedophile.
1985
Fr Tom Doyle, a US canon law expert, warns of dire consequences if
scandal is not dealt with openly and effectively. He is ignored and
removed from his position in the Vatican embassy in Washington.
1993
Pope John Paul II writes to US bishops: "I share your sadness
and disappointment." But he points out that the child sex abuse
problem concerns only a small group of priests.
His spokesman, Joaquín Navarro-Valls, sums up the Vatican attitude:
"One would have to ask if the real culprit is not a society that
is irresponsibly permissive, hyperinflated with sexuality and capable
of creating circumstances that induce even people who have received
a sound moral formation to commit grave immoral acts." Canadian
bishop Hubert O'Connor resigns after being convicted of molesting teenagers
at a boarding school.
1995
Austrian cardinal Hans Herman Groer resigns as head of the Austrian
Catholic Church amidst allegations he sexually abused boys. He remains
archbishop of Vienna.
Two German Catholic bishops investigated for covering up clerical child
abuse.
1997
Australian bishop Ronald Mulkearns resigns after failing to act against
a priest later convicted of child abuse.
Catholic diocese of Dallas, Texas, ordered to pay $118 million to victims
of Fr Rudy Kos. It is the largest ever child sex abuse settlement. The
diocese was held to have covered up Kos's abuse.
2000
UK cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor rejects calls for his resignation
over his handling of Fr Michael Hill, who received a five-year jail
sentence for child sex abuse.
2001
French bishop Pierre Pican on trial for failure to report his knowledge
of sex abuse crimes by a priest against children. He receives a three-month
suspended sentence.
Reports to the Vatican of widespread sexual abuse of nuns by priests
throughout Africa. No response from the Vatican.
Archbishop of Cardiff Dr John Aloysius Ward resigns in the midst of
controversy over his handling of paedophile priests.
2002
JAN/FEB - Clerical child sex abuse scandal explodes in US with release
of thousands of documents implicating Cardinal Bernard Law (left) of
Boston in a major cover-up.
MARCH - Archbishop Juliusz Paetz resigns over allegations of improper
behaviour with trainee priests.
APRIL - US cardinals summoned to Rome by pope as their child sex abuse
crisis spreads nationwide.
JUNE - Third US bishop resigns over abuse allegations. Bishop of Lexington
Kentucky Kendrick Williams joins bishops Anthony O'Connell (an Irishman)
and Rembert Weakland, both forced to resign earlier in 2002.
OCTOBER - Archbishop Edgardo Storni of Argentina resigns amid allegations
he sexually abused seminarians.
DECEMBER - Boston cardinal Bernard Law resigns over evidence of cover-up.
2003
JUNE - Ex-Governor of Oklahoma Frank Keating resigns as head of US
Catholic Church sex abuse oversight panel after comparing some bishops
to the Mafia.
2004
FEBRUARY - Report finds 10,600 children abused by US priests since
1950.
JULY - Diocese of Portland is first in world to file for bankruptcy
in the face of compensation claims from clerical child abuse victims.
2005
APRIL - Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger becomes Pope Benedict XVI, following
death of John Paul II
2008
JULY - Pope apologises for clerical abuse scandal in Australia.
2009
SEPTEMBER - Canadian bishop Raymond Lahey resigns after his arrest
for distributing and selling child pornography.
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