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	Former CM Chaplain Among Eight Priests Tossed out By David L. Harris Transcript [Boston MA] March 23, 2006 http://www2.townonline.com/roslindale/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=453858 Among the eight priests Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley defrocked last Friday was Monsignor Frederick Ryan, who was accused of sexually abusing three students at Catholic Memorial in the 1970s and '80s. "I'm very happy about it," said David Carney, who alleges Ryan abused him while he was a 15-year-old student. "It's been a long time coming." At least three students at the school had alleged Ryan sexually abused them, including Garry Garland; Carney, who now lives in Scituate; and a third unnamed man. Carney said he wouldn't have gone public with the allegations if Garland hadn't done so first four years ago. Carney, now 39, said he wouldn't be surprised if the number of victims was "over 100." Ryan, who resigned from the his position in 2002 after allegations surfaced that he sexually abused the boys at a church archives building in Brighton and in Rhode Island, was a former vice chancellor at the archdiocese, vicar and chaplain at the Catholic school. Carney, who received money as a result of a settlement with alleged sex abuse victims, said Ryan had easy access to church money and paid families to be silent about the alleged abuse. Mitchell Garabedian, the lawyer who represents three of Ryan's alleged victims, including Carney, said the defrocking of the priests was nothing short of an admission by the church about just how deep the problem was. "Hopefully, the defrockment of these priests will allow at least some victims to begin some degree of healing," he said. "The defrockment of former Monsignor Frederick Ryan, who was the third-most powerful priest in the archdiocese for over 20 years, signifies the magnitude of the problem of pedophilia in the church." By defrocking Ryan and the other seven, the Archdiocese of Boston essentially stopped giving any financial support to them. In addition, they "may no longer perform any public ministry in the church, with the exception that those who are priests may offer absolution to the dying," according to a statement from the church. The school's headmaster said he and the faculty of the school stood by those who were abused. "We're saddened by the results of the defrocking, but understand the light of and magnitude of the abuse," said Catholic Memorial Headmaster James MacDonald, who graduated from the school in 1979. "We stand in support of all those who suffered abuse whether it's physical, sexual, emotional or verbal." MacDonald said although the allegations involved students at the school and Ryan was not employed by the school, none of the abuse took place on school property. Chris Nilan, a former Boston Bruins hockey player and Catholic Memorial graduate who was a friend of Ryan's, told Suffolk Superior Court in testimony in 2002 that Ryan admitted he molested the boys during a trip to Rhode Island in 1981, according to Garabedian. On that trip, Ryan allegedly also took Carney to get a tattoo of a devil on his arm. Carney recently had the tattoo removed and placed in a bottle of formaldehyde to be used as evidence against Ryan at some time in the future. Jake Wark, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office, said there were never any criminal charges filed against Ryan, who resigned from a church in 2002 when the accusations started. Wark will not comment whether there would be any future charges lodged against Ryan. Ryan was pastor of St. Joseph's Church in Kingston and head of the Plymouth Vicariate, overseeing 16 parishes of the archdiocese. "During these days of Lent, we are called in a particular way to repentance and conversion," Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley said in a statement. "With this Lenten call in mind, this moment provides an opportunity to express to the survivors of clergy sexual abuse and to their families my deepest sorrow for the grievous harm done to them. "The violations of childhood innocence, under the guise of priestly care, are a source of profound shame. I pray and hope that the emotional, physical and spiritual wounds carried by survivors will be healed and their trust renewed. I pledge the on-going commitment of the archdiocese to accompany those who have been abused in their healing work." But Garabedian said he didn't know how the church would deal with the priests after they had been essentially removed from the priesthood. "One wonders if the church is going to live up to the moral responsibility and watch these pedophile priests who have now been defrocked," said the lawyer who has represented 300 clients who accused priests of sexual abuse. "For the church to hire these priests for decades and release them into society without keeping an eye on them is putting the public in danger and shirking of the church's moral responsibility." A spokesman for Voice of the Faithful, the group founded to deal with the fallout for the clergy sex abuse crisis, said that they were now pushing for charges to be filed against the accused priests. "We certainly are happy to see it take place," said Voice of the Faithful spokesman John Moynihan. "We wonder why it took so long, and it doesn't really solve the problem. The problem is that these people are in society and nobody knows where they are. We also would like the church to reach out to those who are abused. We feel that if the church is not doing this then the state has to." Garabedian said Carney is currently seeking to do just that. Although the statute of limitations has been reached in the case in Massachusetts, Carney is looking to bring charges against Ryan in Rhode Island. Garabedian said Ryan is thought to be staying with his niece in Chelsea. Ryan couldn't be reached for comment. In the meantime, Carney, who is not married and has a 3-year-old son, said it will take him all his life to get over the pain of the alleged abuse. His engagement in 2002 was ruined when the allegations came to light. And he no longer goes to church. "I don't hate the religion, I just hate the secrecy," he said. David Harris can be reached at dharris@cnc.com.
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