FORT LAUDERDALE (FL)
Adam Horowitz Law [Fort Lauderdale, FL]
September 26, 2024
By Adam Horowitz Law
Perfect predators are ones that use their status and power as means of grooming victims. Take these five men, for example. One man won a Nobel Peace Prize. Another was a “charity icon” and “an adored figure in France.” Another “became a widely known and admired public figure, earning praise from Presidents Reagan and Bush, Sr.”
Another was “a prolific fundraiser” who was connected to prominent politicians and, even into his 80s, remained recognized on the global stage as a Washington power broker who participated in funeral masses for political luminaries like Edward M. Kennedy, the longtime Massachusetts senator, and Beau Biden, the son of former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.”
And one has been called “a change agent, advocate, and an out of the box thinker,” who was “strongly influenced by Martin Luther King,” a “community organizer of the best order” who “challenged and pushed the envelope,” making his community “safer, economically viable, with improved housing” and “making his church relevant and involved.” He reportedly “follows Jesus in the name of his challenge and advocacy, and not just ceremony,” has “not cared about being popular but more about being right,” and has “become a national figure.”
Who are these five men?
Catholic clerics who are accused of molesting children. All but one have been deemed ‘credibly accused’ by church officials. One is still on the job in a parish today. Specifically, their names are:
- Archbishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo
- Fr. Abbé Pierre
- Fr. Bruce Ritter
- Cardinal Theodore McCarrick
- Fr. Michael L. Pfleger
“OK, so a handful of prominent Catholic clerics allegedly assaulted children. What’s your point,” one might ask. Well, several points could be made about these prominent clerics. But the single most important point is this:
If we want kids to be safer, we must fight our instincts, which tell us, “A guy who’s this popular, this gifted, this amazing couldn’t possibly be a predator.”
Think again. Instead, we must take a step back, check our instincts, and use common sense. We must realize and remind ourselves and others that ANYONE can be a predator, including and perhaps ESPECIALLY an adult who arouses our joy or respect rather than our suspicions. And that, of course, makes sense. If a predator is to succeed at being able to be with kids, it helps immeasurably if he’s charming, charismatic, talented, popular, well-known, and widely accomplished. A cleric who lacks these characteristics is far less able to win the trust of both parents and children and is much less able to deny or explain away any seemingly inappropriate behavior successfully. It should be clear by now that the Belos, Pierres, Ritters, McCarricks, and Pflegers of the world are more like the norm than like aberrations or exceptions.
Other credibly accused child molesting Catholic clerics who are or have been described as “high profile” include:
- Msgr. David E. Walls, who was Vicar for Catholic Education in the Philadelphia Archdiocese. “For 14 years after learning of the priest’s admitted sexual offenses against minors, then-Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua permitted Fr. Walls to live in the parish rectory, to celebrate Mass with altar boys, to hear confessions, and to counsel parishioners and others through Catholic Human Services,” according to a grand jury report.
- Fr. Philip DeRea, the chaplain for the Indy Racing League and “an associate of many celebrities including race car legend Mario Andretti and actor and former team owner the late Paul Newman,” performed the wedding ceremony for Dario Franchitti and actress Ashley Judd.” He reportedly abused a boy for about eight years, beginning in 1980 when the boy was age 11. Now, Fr. DeRea is on the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart USA list of ‘credibly accused’ abusers.
- Fr. Kenneth J. Roberts, a “well-known conservative multi-media evangelist” who wrote the popular book “From Playboy to Priest” and “was the national head of Catholic Youth Organizations.” His clerical faculties were suspended due to abuse reports, and he was sued by at least seven victims across the country, including Cincinnati, Peoria, Dallas, Belleville, and St. Louis.
- Fr. Dale J. Fushek of Arizona was the vicar general of his diocese and founded Life Teen, a ministry that eventually became a popular and extensive nationwide phenomenon. In civil lawsuits, he was accused of molesting at least six youngsters. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to abuse and was defrocked.
- Fr. Frank Pavone was the head of three national anti-abortion groups: the Silent No More campaign, Priests for Life, and the Rachel’s Vineyard project. He is (or was) also the president of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, an umbrella group of various anti-abortion Christian denominations. But in 2022, Fr. Pavone was defrocked by the Vatican in November 2022.
Again, it CANNOT be said or stressed or explained enough: All the talent, achievements, recognition, and fame in the world does NOT guarantee that a man or woman is NOT a child molester. It may make some blanche, but we’ll say it here:
- Jeffrey Epstein was apparently a financial whiz AND a child molester.
- Michael Jackson was a terrific singer AND a child molester.
- Harvey Weinstein was a talented director AND a man who serially and seriously victimized vulnerable women.
- Bill Cosby was an amazing comedian AND a shrewd and manipulative abuser.
We could go on and on. They used their skills, talents, and powers to attract and abuse the vulnerable. The same skills, talents, and power that most adults found compelling. But let’s conclude this on an encouraging note. Ask yourself: “Why do we know these ‘big shots’ are all accused of sexual misdeeds?” Because ‘non-big shots,’ everyday people like you and I have stepped up and told the truth about the horrors inflicted on them by influential individuals like these. Viewed from this perspective, this is an uplifting story: Average people, hurt by the privileged, powerful, and popular, stand up for themselves, expose long-buried wrongdoing, and succeed!
Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by religious authority figures and other clergy. If you need a lawyer because a member of a religious organization sexually abused you, contact us today at 888-283-9922 or adam@adamhorowitzlaw.com to discuss your options today. Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse nationwide. We can help.