Charles V. Grahmann Dallas TX The staff at BishopAccountability.org has gathered information about Bishop Charles V. Grahmann's role in the sexual abuse crisis. Below you will find suggestions for exploring the voluminous evidence, resources for study (including important documents and Web sites), and an archive of media reports and other sources.

SUGGESTIONS FOR EXPLORING THE EVIDENCE

When Charles V. Grahmann became bishop of Dallas in 1990, Rudy Kos’s personnel file contained numerous “red flags,” including repeated complaints from a fellow priest who had found Kos in bed with a boy, and detailed logs of boys’ visits to Kos’s bedroom from another priest. Grahmann cancelled a scheduled psychiatric exam for Kos and kept him in his parish for months after a social worker described him as “a textbook pedophile.” See "Bishop Stands By Decision; Removal Delayed For Kos' Evaluation."

Instead of ending Kos’s access to children, Grahmann admitted in 1997 that he merely told Kos “Stop. Don’t have little boys overnight…I’ll move you if you do.” See this admission in Grahmann’s testimony during the civil suit brought by Kos’s victims against the diocese.

The failure by Grahmann and his predecessor, Thomas Tschoepe, to stop Kos from molesting children led to the largest clergy abuse judgment ever. See 'Kos Jury Awards $119 Million; Diocese Found Grossly Negligent."

Although Grahmann ultimately had Kos defrocked, he failed to remove from the priesthood other known child abusers, including Frs. Patrick J. Lynch and Richard T. Brown. See "Other Priests in Abuse Cases Weren't Fired: Attorney Says It's Unfair to Equate Them with Kos" and "Shadow of Abuse Lingers: As Diocese Seeks Resolution This Year, One Priest's Case Proves Particularly Difficult."

Grahmann reinstated a priest in May 2003 who had admitted fathering a child by a nun who said he raped her. See "Bishop Letting Priest Work: He Has Admitted to Fathering Child; Diocese Cites Lawsuit Dismissal."

In further violation of his own highly regarded sex abuse policy, Grahmann retained a close associate as rector of the Dallas cathedral, despite a credible accusation that the rector had groped a man 11 years earlier. See "Priest Serves Despite Allegation: Leader of Dallas Cathedral Accused of Groping Man in '91."

This incident further exposed an ongoing conflict between the bishop and his Vatican-appointed successor, coadjutor Joseph Galante, who tried unsuccessfully to persuade Grahmann to remove the rector. Grahmann continues to depress morale and anger laypeople by retaining his position years after Galante’s expected accession. For background on the conflict, see "Two Bishops, Two Styles; Inside the Dallas Diocese, Workers Sense Tension at the Top."

For a compelling overview of Grahmann’s tenure, see "Showdown in Dallas: An Open Conflict between Two Bishops Has Helped to Expose Deeper Problems in a Troubled Diocese."

RESOURCES

Sipe Report - Preliminary Expert Report by A. W. Richard Sipe, prepared on behalf of the plaintiffs in the 1997 Rudy Kos liability trial. Includes rare overview of medical profession’s role in the clergy sexual abuse crisis.

Doyle Memo - The 1996 memo by the Rev. Tom Doyle, filed on behalf of the plaintiffs in the Kos liability trial. Includes a look at the role of the national bishops’ conference in concealing clergy sexual abuse. Posted here in two parts {1} {2}. Part two contains Doyle's analysis of the Peebles, Hughes, and Kos cases.

Grahmann Testimony - Bishop Grahmann’s June 1997 testimony in the Kos liability trial.
* Direct Examination by Plaintiffs' Lawyer Turley (in three parts) {1} {2} {3}
* Cross Examination by Plaintiffs' Lawyer Demarest (in two parts) {4} {5}
* Cross Examination by Defendant's Lawyer Mathis and Redirect by Turley {6}
* Various Cross, Redirect, and Recross Examinations {7}
See also a commentary on the testimony by Mr. Bill Betzen, with links to key passages.

Final Judgment - The final judgment on jury’s huge award, by Anne Ashby, presiding judge in Kos liability trial.

Sharpe Documents - Documents from the legal battle of citizen Frank Sharpe to retrieve from locked storage an enormous volume of church documents that he had scavenged from the diocese dumpster and turned over to plaintiffs' attorney Windle Turley.

Turley Documents - Includes the 1998 statement by plaintiffs' attorney Windle Turley, after his eight clients reached final settlement with the diocese in the Kos liability trial. See also the excerpts from Turley's closing argument and the trial timeline.

Grahmann Apology - Bishop Grahmann’s apology to Kos victims

Dallas Policy - Policy of Sexual Misconduct for the Diocese of Dallas.

Campaign for Grahmann's Resignation - Materials about the call for Grahmann’s resignation by the Committee of Concerned Catholics, including an op-ed piece entitled "Opinion: How Can A Bishop Be Replaced? Please, Bishop Grahmann, It Is Time To Step Down," a letter to the papal nuncio, and a background article "Web Site Targets Bishop; Grahmann's Critics Urge Other Catholics to Join Call for Resignation". The group's Web site, which offers an on-line petition for Grahmann's resignation, is www.ConcernedCatholics.com.

Pro-Grahmann Campaign - Materials about a pro-Grahmann petition drive, organized in response to the campaign for his resignation. The materials include editorials critical of the anti-Grahmann organizers ("Defending Church by Attacking the Bishop?" and "The Expert That Isn't") and a report on the pro-Grahmann petition drive "Bishop Garners Support; About 12,000 Petition to Keep Grahmann; Critics Undeterred.". The Web site of the pro-Grahmann campaign is www.pleasebishop.com.

Questions for Bishop Grahmann from We Are the Church, an organization of Dallas Catholics.

Web Sites - useful sources of information and commentary
* Diocese of Dallas including The Truth, containing official responses to media reports
* History of the Diocese of Dallas with statistics, from the amazing Catholic-Hierarchy.org
* Dallas Morning News and their feature on the church crisis
* Texas Catholic, the official newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas, including the editorials of Bronson Havard
* We Are the Church including a remarkable 3,000-page selection from the court transcript of the Kos liability trial
* Committee of Concerned Catholics (campaign for Grahmann's resignation)
* Pro-Grahmann Message Campaign
* D Magazine's commentary on the resignation controversy, with links


MEDIA REPORTS AND OTHER SOURCES

Please send suggestions for adding documents to staff@bishop-accountability.org.