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	Boston Archdiocesan Documents Showing the Involvement of Bishop Richard G. Lennon in Abuse Cases Bishop Accountability [Boston MA] April 5, 2006 http://www.bishop-accountability.org/docs/boston/lennon/ When Richard G. Lennon was named apostolic administrator after the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law, Lennon told reporters that "he knew 'zero ... nothing' about the extent of sexual abuse by clergy." (See Paulson and Robinson, Lennon Promises Effort to Settle Abuse Claims.) But as more archdiocesan documents were released, Lennon's knowledge of and involvement in abuse cases came under renewed scrutiny. (See Rezendes and Kurkjian, Lennon Gave Advice on Reassigned Priest.) A close examination of the Boston documents reveals that Lennon's knowledge was very extensive, because of two administrative positions he held in the 1990s. His knowledge was also deep and detailed, because as assistant for canonical affairs for a decade, he handled laicizations and also advised Cardinal Law on abuse cases that involved other dioceses. Deep and Detailed Knowledge Lennon States That He Has Reviewed the File of Accused Priest John M. Picardi (9/26/95) at Cardinal Law's request. See also an Flatley's report to Law on Lennon's detailed analysis and discussions of the allegations in the Picardi file. Lennon okayed expenses that Flatley incurred in the Picardi case. Flatley's own description of the file shows what Lennon read. Lennon Certifies That Rev. Paul R. Shanley Is a Priest in Good Standing (1/18/90) This little-known document supported Bishop Banks' notorious "Father Shanley has no problem" letter to the San Bernardino diocese. Yet Shanley's file, which Lennon surely reviewed before certifying Shanley, included a 1988 abuse complaint made to Banks himself and also a 1967 abuse complaint, as well as many other disturbing documents. Lennon was kept in the loop about Shanley. On 2/14/94 McCormack instructed Lennon to keep Shanley's new California address a secret from the public, tactfully neglecting to mention that the address was the clothing-optional Cabana Club Resort. On 2/27/95 Miceli confirmed Shanley's residence in NYC. Letter to Lennon from Fr. Murphy, Then the Abuse Delegate, Describing in Detail the Abuse History of Rev. Gary E. Balcom, Who Wanted to Be Laicized (9/15/97) and Lennon's follow-up letter discussing Lennon's approach. Lennon was involved in the laicizations of many accused Boston priests, including John Geoghan. Laicization was not a cut-and-dried process. Often Lennon had extensive conversations with reluctant priests whom the archdiocese was eager to laicize, as can be see from this 11/5/98 memo about accused priest Robert Morrissette. Lennon Opposes Excardinating Accused Deacon Mark C. Doherty to the Charlotte Diocese (10/22/97) after Law had sent to Lennon and the Abuse Delegate the Charlotte bishop's decision and Law's answer; previously Law had described the Doherty allegation. For a useful overview of the case, see Washington and Mashberg, Files: Cardinal Tried to Help Accused Man Get Ordained. When Lennon became apostolic administrator in late 2002, after a stint as rector at St. John's Seminary, he again had deep involvement in the archdiocesan abuse situation. After O'Malley was installed, Lennon's involvement continued. In this 11/4/03 memo, a canon lawyer details for Lennon the sexual abuse allegation against Martin J. Walsh. Extensive Knowledge During the 1990s, Lennon was resposible for two archdiocesan functions that gave him an extremely detailed administrative picture of sexual abuse by priests in the archdiocese. • In the mid-1990s he was the facilitator for the Clergy Fund. In this role, he worked closely with Cardinal Law's abuse delegates and paid out reimbursements for psychiatric treatment of accused priests, travel expenses for priests going to treatment centers for assessments and in-patient care, and travel costs for the abuse delegates, when they traveled to St. Luke Institute and Southdown to participate in assessments. • During the 1990s Lennon received Status/Address Changes for every diocesan priest, so that he could maintain the "clergy cards" that contain priests' assignment histories. He also maintained cards listing the assignments of order priests who worked in the archdiocese. As a result, Lennon knew every instance of promotion and demotion, what priests were unassigned and on administrative leave, and what priests had been "lend-leased" to other dioceses. This information, combined with the abuse payment information that he also handled, provided Lennon with a unique and extensive administrative perspective on the abuse crisis in Boston. The following are a preliminary sample of a full paper trail that contains hundreds of documents. Lennon Responds to McCormack, Then Law's Abuse Delegate, Describing the Archdiocesan "Faculties" Granted to Accused Stigmatine Priests Richard J. Ahern and Leo Landry (11/3/93) Memo to Lennon Notifying Him Rev. Richard Buntel Was on Unassigned Status and That Mail Should Be Routed through Personnel (6/13/94). For most of the 1990s, all such Status/Address Changes came to Lennon, and though they did not specify that the priest was accused (as Buntel indeed was), the number of unassigned, incommunicado priests after Porter was striking. Sometimes Lennon would encounter the priests again in other contexts. See Buntel again in the 4/29/97 memo below. As Clergy Fund Facilitator, Lennon Issues a Check to Pay for Accused Priest Robert Morrissette's Therapy Expenses (6/12/96) Memo from Miceli to Lennon Asking Payment from the Clergy Fund of Assessment Costs for Accused Priest George Berthold (8/6/96) Memo from Bishop Murphy, the Vicar General, Asking Lennon Not to Send Stipends to Four "Inactive" Priests: Buntel, Conte, Keefe, and Rosenkranz (4/29/97). With this memo was an enclosure whose reference to "a residence for priests who fit into the category of being on Administrative Leave" made it clear that the stipends were for accused priests not in adequate communication with the archdiocese. At the time, the archdiocese was considering a residence for priests with allegations (see the Reilly report pp. 44-46). Letter to Lennon from Accused Priest Robert Barrett, Asking that Bishop Murphy Pay Barrett's Legal Expenses (5/19/98)
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