U.S. priests accused of sex abuse in Canada
Grand jury report reveals at least seven were sent to clergy rehab centre in GTA
A grand jury document unsealed last week reveals several Pennsylvaniabased priests committed assaults in the Greater Toronto Area, while others were sent here for treatment after sexually assaulting children.
The 900-page document, released on Tuesday, showed that church leaders had covered up more than 1,000 cases of child molestation since the 1940s. It detailed hundreds of allegations and incidents involving 300priests in six Catholic dioceses. 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 filled with examples of abuse and superiors who turned a blind eye to it. It also reveals incidents that occurred in Canada.
For example, documents say Rev. Robert G. Wolk and multiple other priests “performed sado-masochistic acts” with altar boys. He allegedly assaulted one boy more than 200 times in Canada, Virginia, Florida and Ohio.
Rev. Theodore P. Zabowski allegedly 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 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, from September 1994 to August 1995 on a “sabbatical.”
Southdown Institute, which helps clergy deal with mental health issues, addictions and “sexual disorders,” is the largest Toronto-area connection in the report. At least seven priests accused of sexual abuse were sent to the facility, which has since moved to Holland Landing, 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.
The report states: “He acts out sexually with some preference to late adolescent males,” and specifically warned against giving Connor 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.
In the wake of the explosive revelations, the Vatican issued a statement about the release of the documents, saying “the Holy See condemns unequivocally the sexual abuse of minors.”
Issued by Greg Burke, the director of the Holy See press office, it stated: “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 identi- ties of some current and former clergy named in the report while the state Supreme Court weighs their arguments that its wrongful accusations against them violates their constitutional rights.
It also is expected to spark another fight by victim advocates to win changes in state law that lawmakers have resisted.
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.