ROCHESTER (NY)
Democrat and Chronicle
June 6, 2018
By Sean Lahman and Meaghan M. McDermott
Saying it is time for “the church to stop these evil acts” a Boston attorney who has spent decades representing victims of sexual abuse called on the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester and its bishop to release records it may hold concerning allegations of sexual abuse of children by clergy.
Mitchell Garabedian stood on the steps of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester on Wednesday and named eight priests from the Rochester diocese who are accused of sexually abusing minor children. A group of 15 men and two women, now grown, say they were abused by these priests when they were children.
Garabedian said the incidents took place between 1950 and 1978 when the alleged perpetrators were assigned to churches in the Rochester diocese. He said the victims, all of whom approached him within the past six months, are now between the ages of 52 and 77.
“And as you can see from the assignment sheets from the official Catholic directory, these priests were transferred from parish to parish, which is typical of a diocese, or archdiocese or the Catholic Church,” said Garabedian.
In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the Diocese of Rochester said it had been in correspondence with Garabedian’s law firm regarding the priests being accused.
“The Diocese has invited participation in a process of investigation and resolution,” the statement said. “We have had little or no response.”
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