DENVER (CO)
Denver Post
March 28, 2019
By Noelle Phillips
A Catholic order of Franciscans based in Denver released Thursday the names of 13 friars or former friars who have been accused of sexual abuse of a minor or a vulnerable adult.
The Capuchin Franciscans – Province of St. Conrad said two of the 13 are dead and five have left the order. Ten men on the list spent time serving in Colorado, according to a news release from the Province of St. Conrad.
None of the living are in active ministry, according to the news release.
The order’s territory includes Colorado, Kansas and Missouri and the Diocese of Belleville, Peoria and Springfield in Illinois and two houses in San Antonio, Texas.
The province used an outside group to audit 226 personnel files and other records that had been retained in its offices.
The auditors also reviewed five safety plans that provide guidance for how the province monitors its members who are under supervision for credible allegations of abuse, the news release said. No significant issues were found with supervision of those who remain in the province, the release said.
An allegation is deemed credible when an investigators determine that abuse more likely than not has occurred, the news release said. But the release noted that inclusion on the list does not imply the allegations are true or that the accused has been found guilty of a crime or is liable for civil claims.
“Every effort has been made to ensure the list is accurate,” the news release said. “In most instances, the claims were made many years after the alleged abuse, making it difficult to conduct a complete investigation.
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