HARTFORD (CONNECTICUT)
Hartford Courant
February 3, 2019
The Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford recently released a list of dozens of priests against whom it found “credible accusations” of sexually abusing minors. The archdiocese should be commended for its efforts to be transparent about a past that for too long was hidden in shadows.
The Hartford archdiocese and the Bridgeport diocese have both hired well-respected judges to review how allegations were handled in the past. That too is a positive step.
But serious questions remain unanswered, and despite their efforts at transparency, church officials are not law enforcement.
This was a crime of unthinkable proportions, and nobody knows the extent of it. Was there an active cover-up? Or was it more a matter of tacit complicity? Who outside of the church knew about the ongoing sexual abuse of children? Did teachers know? Was the Department of Children and Families ever involved? What about the state Judicial Department?
Even though a federal investigation is underway into parishes across the country — possibly looking into whether the church committed a criminal conspiracy — the state of Connecticut has a role to play as well.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.