Priests brought victims to Canada: report
U.S clergy sent to GTA facility for treatment of ‘sexual disorders’
A U.S. grand jury document unsealed last week alleges several Pennsylvania-based priests committed assaults in the Greater Toronto Area, while others were sent here for treatment after sexually assaulting children,
The 900-page document determined that Roman Catholic Church leaders covered up more than 1,000 cases of child molestation since the 1940s, details hundreds of allegations and incidents in six U.S. dioceses and discusses 300 priests.
Described by Pennsylvania State Attorney General Josh Shapiro as the “largest, most comprehensive report into child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church ever produced in the United States,” the report is difficult reading, filled with examples of abuse and superiors who turned a blind eye to it.
And it includes incidents it says occurred in Canada.
For example, documents say a Rev. Robert G. Wolk and multiple other priests “performed sadomasochistic acts” with altar boys. He allegedly assaulted one boy more than 200 times in Canada, Virginia, Florida and Ohio.
Rev. Theodore P. Zabowski took a child on a trip to Canada, served him alcohol and assaulted him. After the allegations, he was placed on administrative leave.
Rev. Michael Barletta was on a retreat in Toronto and brought two teens with him to a hotel room, where he assaulted them. He initially denied the accusations, but later admitted to them
in a letter in 2012. At the time of the incident, Barletta was sent to Aurora-based Southdown Institute, a psychiatric rehabilitation facility that helps clergy deal with mental health issues, addictions and “sexual disorders,”
from September 1994 until August 1995 on a “sabbatical.”
At least seven priests accused of sexual abuse were sent to the institute, which has since moved to Holland Landing, Ont., with at least one returning to work with little repercussion afterward.
Rev. John P. Connor was arrested in 1984 and charged with sexually molesting a 14-year-old. He was sent to Southdown for eight months, where his problems were blamed on alcohol. It states: “He acts out sexually with some preference to late adolescent males,” and specifically warned against giving him responsibility for adolescents.
He was eventually assigned to minister at a church in Wexford, Pa., where he was encouraged to “educate youth,” according to allegations in the report. Years later, he was sued by an alleged victim for abuse.
A Vatican news release says: “the Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors.”
“There are two words that can express the feelings faced with these horrible crimes: shame and sorrow. The abuses described in the report are criminal and morally reprehensible. Those acts were betrayals of trust that robbed survivors of their dignity and their faith. The church must learn hard lessons from its past, and there should be accountability for both abusers and those who permitted abuse to occur. Holy Father understands well how much these crimes can shake the faith and the spirit of believers, and reiterates the call to make every effort to create a safe environment for minors and vulnerable adults in the Church and in all of society.”
The report is still the subject of an ongoing legal battle, with redactions shielding the identities of some current and former clergy named, while the state supreme court weighs their arguments that its wrongful accusations against them violates their constitutional rights.
The majority of the cases in the report are too old to be prosecuted, but charges have been filed against two priests, who are accused of abusing minors.