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Sexual abuse scandal in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport

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The sexual abuse scandal in Bridgeport Diocese is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the United States.

Supreme Court of Connecticut decision

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In May 2009, a decision by the Connecticut Supreme Court ordered the release of thousands of legal documents from lawsuits filed against priests accused of sexually abusing children (George L. Rosado et al. v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corporation et al., (SC 17807).[1])

Archbishop Egan's legacy

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In 1993, during Cardinal Egan's time as Bishop of Bridgeport, 23 lawsuits were filed against the diocese, alleging sexual abuse by priests.[2] The 23 claims were settled in 2001,[2] which was one year after Egan left the Diocese of Bridgeport after being appointed Archbishop of New York.[3] Five priests were evicted from the ministry.[2] Two Diocese of Bridgeport priests, Kherian Ahearn and John Castaldo, were convicted on sex abuse charges respectively in 1993 and 2001.[4] However, many who were credibly accused during Egan's time as Bishop died without being prosecuted.[4] In April 2002, in a letter read out at Mass, Cardinal Egan apologized saying, "If in hindsight we also discover that mistakes may have been made as regards prompt removal of priests and assistance to victims, I am deeply sorry."[5] Nearly ten years later, in February 2012, the retired cardinal retracted his apology. In an interview with Connecticut magazine he said, "I never should have said that," and, "I don't think we did anything wrong." He repeatedly denied that any sexual abuse happened while he was leading the Bridgeport diocese.[6][7]

US Supreme Court decision

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On October 5, 2009, the United States Supreme Court rejected a request by the diocese to stay the Connecticut Supreme Court decision.[8] On Nov. 2, 2009 the United States Supreme Court decided [9] not to grant a writ of certiorari.[10]

Subsequent Events

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Bishop William E. Lori has opposed legislation by State Representative Michael P. Lawlor and State Senator Andrew J. McDonald that would remove control of the diocese from the bishop and place it into the hands of laymen. The legislation had been written with the help of liberal Catholics, including Connecticut attorney Thomas Gallagher, a contributor to the group Voice of the Faithful.[11]

November 2009 hearings

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The Connecticut Superior Court held hearings in November 2009 on procedures and privacy safeguards. The court ordered that the documents be released on Dec. 1, 2009, in CD form, to be given to the four newspapers—the Hartford Courant, the New York Times, Boston Globe and Washington Post—that had originally filed the lawsuit seeking to force the diocese to open the records to public inspection.[12] The diocese has provided background and a statement on the suit and its status.[13]

October 2019 judicial report

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In October 2019, former Connecticut Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg released the results of his investigation, commissioned by Bridgeport Bishop Frank Caggiano, into the Diocese's handling of accusations of sexual abuse by its priests. Holzberg found that all three of Bridgeport's bishops over forty years had consistently failed to fulfill their moral and legal responsibilities.[14] Holzberg found that Egan took a "dismissive, uncaring, and at times threatening attitude toward survivors"; he characterized the bishop's behavior as "profoundly unsympathetic, inadequate, and inflammatory".[14] Holzberg's report, which stemmed from a year-long investigation,[15] accused 71 priests of sexually abusing 300 children since 1953.[14] However, it also praised the reforms which were made by Egan's successors William Lori and Frank Caggiano to combat sex abuse and compared their tenure to that of their predecessors as "a tale of two cities."[15]

Case of Jaime Marin-Cardona

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In March 2020, it was announced that the pre-trial hearing for accused Danbury priest Jaime Marin-Cardona would begin March 27, 2020 and conclude April 21, 2020.[16] Marin-Cardona was officially charged with three counts of fourth-degree sexual assault, three counts of risk of injury to child and three counts of illegal sexual contact.[16] He was arrested on January 3, 2020, and released on bond four weeks later after agreeing to wear a tracking device and comply with protective orders.[17] He has pled not guilty to all nine charges.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ PDF document
  2. ^ a b c Diocese of Bridgeport
  3. ^ "Edward Egan becomes the ninth archbishop of New York in 2000". New York Daily News. 19 June 2000.
  4. ^ a b "The Bridgeport Diocese has released names of priests accused of sexual abuse. Here's who they are and where they served". October 2019.
  5. ^ SCANDAL IN THE CHURCH: THE NEW YORK CARDINAL; Egan Says He May Have Mishandled Sex Abuse Cases, By Dean E Murphy, New York Times, April 21, 2002
  6. ^ Cardinal Egan Criticized for Retracting Apology on Sexual Abuse CrisisBy Andy Newman, New York Times 7 February 2012
  7. ^ Cardinal Egan: Ten Years After, by Tom Connor, Connecticut Magazine, February 2012
  8. ^ Bridgeport Diocese Loses Bid to Keep Sex-Abuse Records Sealed
  9. ^ Press Release: Bridgeport Diocese Responds To U.S. Supreme Court Statement
  10. ^ Court still needs to weigh final angle of Bridgeport documents case
  11. ^ Religious Freedom Under Attack in Connecticut
  12. ^ Judge sets Dec. 1 for release of diocesan sex-abuse records Archived 2009-11-14 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "Statement of the Diocese of Bridgeport". Archived from the original on 2009-10-08. Retrieved 2009-11-11.
  14. ^ a b c Altimari, Dave; Blanco, Amanda (October 1, 2019). "Bridgeport Diocese report on sex abuse among priests blames former Archbishop Edward Egan; nearly 300 individuals allegedly abused by 71 priests since 1953". Hartford Courant. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  15. ^ a b White, Christopher (1 October 2019). "Bridgeport abuse report blasts Egan for 'clear message of unconcern'". Crux. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Baker, By Kendra (23 March 2020). "Danbury clergy sexual abuse case continued to April". News-Times.
  17. ^ Baker, By Kendra (31 January 2020). "Former Danbury priest accused of sexual abuse released on bond". News-Times.
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