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Clergy Abuse (RC)

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Organizations 

 
Roman Catholic Church             Estimated $30 Billion
 
New York
Archdiocese of New York  
Diocese of Albany  
Diocese of Brooklyn 
Diocese of Buffalo**  
Diocese of Ogdensburg  
Diocese of Rochester* 
Diocese of Rockville Centre**  
Diocese of Syracuse**
 
New Jersey
Archdiocese of Newark  
Diocese of Camden**  
Diocese of Metuchen  
Diocese of Paterson 
Diocese of Trenton 
Pennsylvania
Diocese of Harrisburg**  
 
 
Louisiana
Archdiocese of New Orleans** 

 

*Filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2019

**Filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy in 2020

 

Background

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).
 
 

 

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.
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.

Bankruptcy Filings

Diocese of Buffalo (2-28-2020)
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.
 
Diocese of Rockville Centre (10-1-2020)
 
Judge Shelley C. Chapman: New York – Southern District
Case Number: 20-12345
Bar Date unknown at this time
 
Diocese of Syracuse (6-19-2020)
 
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.
Diocese of Camden (NJ) (10-1-2020)
Judge Jerrold N. Poslusny, Jr.: District of New Jersey
Case Number: 20-21257
Bar Date unknown at this time
 
Diocese of Harrisburg (PA) (2-19-2020)
Judge Henry W. Van Eck: Pennsylvania – Middle District
Case Number: 20-00599
Bar Date is November 13, 2020
 
Archdiocese of New Orleans (LA) (5-1-2020)
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.

Information on the Topic of Clergy Sex Abuse (NY-NJ)

Vatican Finds Pope John Paul II and Others Downplayed or Dismissed Sex Abuse by Ex-Cardinal McCarrick (11-10-2020)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/11/10/theodore-mccarrick-report-vatican-pope-john-paul-sex-abuse/6231843002/

 

Who Knew About Former Cardinal McCarrick’s Alleged Sexual Abuse?  Tomorrow, We Might Find Out (11-9-2020)

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/11/08/vatican-pope-francis-mccarrick-report-sex-abuse

 

UPDATE:  Vatican Report on Investigation into Ex-Cardinal McCarrick to be Released November 10 (11-6-2020)

https://www.catholicnews.com/update-vatican-report-on-investigation-into-ex-cardinal-mccarrick-to-be-released-nov-10/

 

Vatican to Release McCarrick Report Tuesday, Spans 1930-2017 (11-6-2020)

https://apnews.com/article/sexual-abuse-by-clergy-1568ef53ece917392738adf034f78bc7

 

Network of those Abused by Priests (11-6-2020)

https://www.snapnetwork.org

Crusade Against Clergy Abuse (11-6-2020)

https://www.crusadeagainstclergyabuse.com/index.html

 

Documenting the Abuse Crisis in the Roman Catholic Church (11-2-2020)

http://bishopaccountability.org

 

Roman Catholic Church Sex Abuse Cases (10-25-2020)

https://www.nytimes.com/topic/organization/roman-catholic-church-sex-abuse-cases

 

One NJ Catholic Diocese has filed for Bankruptcy.  Will the Other 4 Follow?

(10-20-2020)

https://www.nj.com/news/2020/10/one-nj-catholic-diocese-has-filed-for-bankruptcy-will-the-other-4-follow.html

 

Michigan Clergy Abuse Probe Identifies 454 Accused Priests, 811 Victims

(10-21-2020)

https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/10/states-clergy-abuse-probe-identifies-454-accused-priests-811-victims.html

Judge Sets Deadline for Survivors in Diocese of Syracuse Bankruptcy (10-16-2020)

https://www.localsyr.com/news/local-news/judge-sets-deadline-for-survivors-in-diocese-of-syracuse-bankruptcy/

 

7 Names to be Added to New Orleans Clergy Abuse List (10-14-2020)

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/david-hammer/7-new-names-could-be-added-to-new-orleans-clergy-abuse-list-after-franciscans-report-to-archdiocese/289-229493f1-8795-4a13-a4d4-e74b591428a4


New York Catholic Diocese Files for Bankruptcy to Cover Abuse Lawsuit Costs

(10-1-2020)

https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2020-10-01/clergy-sex-abuse-cases-covid-19-push-new-york-diocese-bankruptcy-filing

 

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York (10-1-2020)

https://dm.epiq11.com/case/rdrockville/claims

 

The Diocese of Camden, NJ – Case Number: 20-21257 (10-1-2020)

https://cases.primeclerk.com/camdendiocese/

New York Catholic Diocese Files for Bankruptcy to Cover Abuse Lawsuit Costs

(10-1-2020)

https://www.reuters.com/article/church-abuse-usa/new-york-catholic-diocese-files-for-bankruptcy-to-cover-abuse-lawsuit-costs-idUSKBN26M6TJ

 

Judge in Diocese of Buffalo Bankruptcy Sets Bar Date (9-17-2020)

https://losangeles.legalexaminer.com/legal/judge-in-diocese-of-buffalo-bankruptcy-sets-bar-date/

 

Court Sets March 1 (2021) Deadline for Claims of Sex Abuse by Priests (9-17-2020)

https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/investigations/david-hammer/court-sets-march-1-deadline-for-claims-of-sex-abuse-by-priests/289-d1a1429b-b3f9-496d-a320-9baf65d04545

 

Clergy Sex Abuse Allegations Triple, U.S. Catholic Bishops Report (6-26-2020)

https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-06-25/clergy-sex-abuse-allegations-triple-us-roman-catholic-bishops-report

 

Syracuse Diocese Files for Bankruptcy as Lawsuits Mount (6-20-2020)

https://romesentinel.com/stories/syracuse-diocese-files-for-bankruptcy-as-lawsuits-mount,99724

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, NY – Case Number: 20-30663 (MMC)

(6-19-2020)

https://case.stretto.com/DioceseofSyracuse

 

Archdiocese of New Orleans, LA – Chapter 11 – Case Number: 20-10846 (5-1-2020)

https://www.laeb.uscourts.gov/archdioceseofneworleansch11

 

The Diocese of Buffalo, NY – Case Number: 20-10322 (CLB) (2-28-2020)

https://case.stretto.com/dioceseofbuffalo

 

Catholic Diocese in Pennsylvania Files for Bankruptcy Protection (2-19-2020)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/19/harrisburg-catholic-diocese-bankruptcy-filing-follows-abuse-claims/4813188002/

 

Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, PA – Case Number: 20-00599 (2-19-2020)

https://dm.epiq11.com/case/rcdh/info

 

Searchable Database of Catholic Priests Accused of Sexual Assault Includes Hundreds of New York Clergy (1-28-2020)

https://gothamist.com/news/searchable-database-catholic-priests-accused-sexual-assault-includes-hundreds-new-york-clergy

Catholic Church Shields $2 Billion in Assets to Limit Abuse Payouts (1-8-2020)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-01-08/the-catholic-church-s-strategy-to-limit-payouts-to-abuse-victims

 

Almost 1,700 Priests and Clergy Accused of Sex Abuse are Unsupervised (10-4-2019)

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/religion/nearly-1-700-priests-clergy-accused-sex-abuse-are-unsupervised-n1062396

 

Scandals, Compensation Programs Lead Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Complaints to Quadruple in 2019 (6-26-2019)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2020/06/26/scandals-compensation-programs-lead-catholic-clergy-sex-abuse-complaints-quadruple-2019/

 

NY Archdiocese Releases List of 120 ‘Credibly Accused’ Clergy (4-26-2019)

https://nypost.com/2019/04/26/ny-archdiocese-releases-list-of-120-credibly-accused-clergy/

 

Attorney General Madigan Provides Update on Investigation into Catholic Church (12-19-2018)

https://illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/pressroom/2018_12/20181219.html

Milwaukee Archdiocese Offers Settlement for Victims of Clergy Sex Abuse

(8-5-2015)

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/milwaukee-archdiocese-offers-settlement-for-victims-of-clergy-sex-abuse/

Survivor Network of Those Abused by Priests – Female Victims of Clergy Abuse

https://www.snapnetwork.org/female_victims/female_victims_index.htm

 

Reports of Priest and Clergy Abuse by State

https://www.meneolawgroup.com/personal-injury/clergy-sexual-abuse/by-state/

 

Clergy Sexual Abuse Statute of Limitations

https://www.meneolawgroup.com/personal-injury/clergy-sexual-abuse/statute-of-limitations/

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