Clergy Abuse (RC)

Background

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According to the World Council of Churches, churches have a vital role to play in the lives of every American by promoting justice and peace in the world.

Clergy are formal leaders within established religions.  The specific names and roles of the clergy vary by denomination, and there is a wide range of formal and informal clergy positions, including deacons, elders, priests, bishops, preachers, pastors, and ministers. 

Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion’s doctrines and practices.  There are approximately 400,000 people employed as Clergy in the U.S.

As members of organized religion, clergy have become heroes and mentors of young men women, and play a vital role in shaping their minds and building character.

There are approximately 50-65 million Catholics, 5-6.5 million Mormons, 140-165 million Protestants (50 million Baptists; 3-4 million Episcopalians).

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Sexual Abuse Claims / Concerns

Sexual abuse by clergy has occurred for hundreds of years, but it became the subject of widespread publicity in 1984 with the celebrated case of Father Gilbert Gauthe in Lafayette, Louisiana.  Recently however, church officials, congregations, and professional organizations have begun to deal more openly with it. Within faith communities and ministries professional misconduct can involve pastors, lay leaders, camp staff, volunteer church leadership, or representatives of a faith community.

Today, thousands of clergy have been identified as perpetrators of sexual abuse, and the number of victims believed to have been abused are likely to be in the tens of thousands.

Clergy misconduct includes sexualized behavior, inappropriate words and innuendo, harassment, threats, physical movement and contact, hugs, kisses, touching, intercourse, emotional and spiritual manipulation. It is a grave injustice toward another person, which violates personal boundaries. At the same time, it violates the entire religious community, because a sacred trust with the congregation has been betrayed.

According to the nonprofit advocacy organization BishopAccountability.org, the average settlement amount for victims of clergy sex abuse is approximately $268,000.

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On November 10, 2020, the Vatican released its long-awaited McCarrick Report.  Its investigation into disgraced ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick lashed out at bishops, cardinals and a pope-turned-saint who downplayed ominous reports about the Catholic kingmaker's sexual abuse of children and seminarians.

The report targets Pope John Paul II, who appointed McCarrick archbishop of Washington, D.C., in 2000, despite having commissioned an inquiry that confirmed he slept with seminarians. The pope died in 2005 and later gained sainthood.

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Bankruptcy Filings

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Diocese of Buffalo (2-28-2020)

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Chief Judge Carl L. Bucki: Western District of New York

Case Number: 20-10322 (CLB)

Chief Judge Carl L. Bucki of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Western District of New York ruled Friday that the bar date for abuse victims to submit claims should be the same day that the extended Child Victims Act expires – Aug. 14, 2021.

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Diocese of Rockville Centre (10-1-2020)

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Judge Shelley C. Chapman: New York – Southern District

Case Number: 20-12345

Bar Date unknown at this time

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Diocese of Syracuse (6-19-2020)

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Judge Margaret M. Cangilos-Ruiz: Northern District of New York (Syracuse)

Case Number: 20-30663 (MMC)

According to reports, the bankruptcy judge has set April 15, 2021 as the deadline for survivors of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse to file claims.

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Diocese of Camden (NJ) (10-1-2020)

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Judge Jerrold N. Poslusny, Jr.: District of New Jersey

Case Number: 20-21257

Bar Date unknown at this time

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Diocese of Harrisburg (PA) (2-19-2020)

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Judge Henry W. Van Eck: Pennsylvania – Middle District

Case Number: 20-00599

Bar Date is November 13, 2020

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Archdiocese of New Orleans (LA) (5-1-2020)

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Judge Meredith S. Grabill: Eastern District of Louisiana

Case Number: 20-10846

According to WWLTV, a federal bankruptcy judge set a deadline of March 1, 2021, for victims of sex abuse by Catholic clergy to file compensation claims against the Archdiocese of New Orleans.