FALL RIVER (MA)
Herald News [Fall River MA]
November 24, 2021
By Audrey Cooney
Two men who claim a local priest sexually abused them as minors decades ago are demanding action from the diocese.
“I’m tired of waiting for justice,” said Richard Eldridge, who has publicly accused retired priest the Rev. Edward Byington of sexual abuse. “(Bishop Edgar da Cunha) needs to step forward and get things done.”
Eldridge spoke at a press conference on Tuesday morning with attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who has represented victims of clergy sexual abuse for several decades, and Robert Hoatson, co-founder and president of Road to Recovery, an advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse and their families.
In the early 1970s, when Eldridge was a teenager, he said, he attended a Catholic retreat. Afterwards, Byington insisted on driving him home.
“We went past my street. He brought me to a convent,” he said, referring to the rectory of Sacred Heart Church in Taunton.
There, Eldridge says, Byington sexual abused him.
Eldridge said the abuse impacted his self confidence and that, 40 years later, he still suffers from depression and nightmares. He hopes public attention on his claims will empower other survivors to come forward.
“I know there’s other people. There has to be. I mean, for God’s sake, the nuns (at the convent) tried to block him from going upstairs,” he said.
According to records from the Diocese of Fall River, Byington was ordained a priest in 1970 and served in 10 parishes across the SouthCoast and Cape before retiring in 2006. While retired, he continued to help with celebrating Mass at several churches and taught German classes at St. Joseph’s School in West Warwick, R.I. The diocese suspended him from all ministry last year.
In 2019, the Diocese of Fall River announced it was conducting an in-depth review of all of its records related to the abuse or allegations of abuse of a minor. Earlier this year, as a result of the review, the diocese released a list of 75 clergy members who have been credibly or publicly accused of sexual abuse.
The diocese has also created a review board to look over allegations of clergy abuse and make recommendations as to their credibility to the diocese’s leader, Bishop da Cunha. The Ministerial Review Board consists of nine members who are appointed by the bishop. On Tuesday, Eldridge and Garabedian demanded that the review board find both alleged victims to be credible.
John Kearns, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Fall River, said the diocese had no comment on the allegations against Byington or the status of the review board’s process, but said:
“Our Safe Environment program has strengthened our child protection efforts, as well as our protocols for handling allegations and responding to those impacted by abuse. Those who know of an incident of sexual abuse of a minor by a priest, deacon, employee, or volunteer should immediately call local authorities and then contact Victim Assistance Coordinator Carolyn Shipp at 508-985-6508 or cshipp@dioc-fr.org.”
Eldridge first brought his claim to the diocese about 10 years ago. At the time, they conducted an investigation and ultimately denied his claim, in large part because no one else had accused Byington of abuse, Garabedian said last year.
A second man who is remaining anonymous has recently come forward with claims that Byington also sexually abused him as a minor decades ago.
Garabedian said the diocese has told him that, now that a second alleged victim has come forward, the review board is looking into both claims.
“Which could take forever,” he said. “It’s been years, and it’s time to make a decision so that these proud victims… can try to heal and move on with their lives.”
Audrey Cooney can be reached at acooney@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.