ALBANY (NY)
Times Telegram [Utica NY]
June 15, 2020
By Donna Thompson
A former Ilion priest is among those named in child sexual abuse complaints a pair of Albany law firms have filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
The Rev. J. Gregory Mulhall, who served as pastor of Annunciation Church from June 12, 1961, until his retirement in 1985, is alleged to have sexually abused a minor from approximately 1983 to 1984, according to a joint statement issued Monday by the law firms of Jeff Anderson & Associates and LaFave Wein & Frament.
The filing was among 52 child sexual abuse complaints against the diocese filed by the firm under the state’s Child Victims Act. The law firms have now filed 74 such complaints.
Mary DeTurris Poust, communications director for the Albany diocese, said the diocese is taking steps to deal with clergy sexual abuse.
“The Diocese takes all allegations of sexual abuse seriously,” she said. “Behind every claim is a suffering person who needs our compassion and assistance. The Diocese has not yet been served in any of the 52 cases filed today. Once that occurs, the Diocese will review the documents and allegations and take whatever actions may be necessary to inform and safeguard the public. Bishop Edward Scharfenberger remains committed to providing assistance to survivors while allegations are being investigated and beyond.”
She said the Albany Diocese is taking a number of steps to deal with clergy sexual abuse.
Mulhall, who died in 2001, was one of 20 clerics publicly identified for the first time with the filings, attorneys said.
The complaint alleges the diocese either knew or should have known that Mulhall “had a propensity to engage in conduct with children that was sexual in nature before Fr. Mulhall sexually assaulted the plaintiff.” The plaintiff was about 12 or 13 years old at the time, said attorney Taylor Stippel of Jeff Anderson and Associates.
The cases were delayed following the closure of courts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said. And while the original Aug. 13 deadline for the Child Victims Act was extended by one year, the attorneys are urging anyone with complaints to come forward by the original deadline.
“We hope many more people will find their voices and speak accountability,” Stippel said. She said the law firms are partnering to represent 110 individuals in these cases.
Mulhall was born in Ilion. His family moved to Little Falls when he was a child and he attended St. Mary’s Academy. He was ordained a priest May 22, 1937. Mulhall served in the Trenton Diocese for three years. He was then recalled to the Albany Diocese where he served as an assistant at St. Vincent de Paul’s Church, Albany for 21 years. In 1961, he began serving as pastor at Annunciation Church.
donna@timestelegram.com