Following a wide-ranging grand-jury report released last month on sexual abuse of children by priests, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia this week placed 21 additional priests on administrative leave.
Cardinal Justin Rigali announced the suspensions Tuesday, saying there have been “difficult weeks since the release of the grand-jury report, difficult most of all for victims of sexual abuse but also for all Catholics and for everyone in our community.”
The February report indicted three priests and one lay teacher for sex abuse of male students in the 1990s and led to charges of endangering the welfare of a child against Msgr. William Lynn, a former high-ranking Archdiocesan official who allegedly covered up the priests’ abuse.
The report also stated that 37 priests were still in active ministry who had faced past sex-abuse allegations, to which the Archdiocese originally responded that no priests in active duty had “admitted or established” allegations against them.
Following the report, however, the Archdiocese hired attorney Gina Maisto Smith to conduct an independent investigation, and the former child-abuse prosecutor recommended the 21 suspensions — which range from allegations of sex abuse to “boundary issues” with minors.
Last month, the Archdiocese placed three other priests included in the report on administrative leave.
Of the other 13 men referenced, the Archdiocese explained this week that one was already on leave, two are no longer in active duty and two others are no longer serving in the Archdiocese, although their respective religious orders have been notified of the past allegations. The remaining eight will not face administrative leave, as the investigation found the allegations to be unfounded.
Rigali emphasized that the administrative leaves are “interim measures. They are not in any way final determinations or judgments.”
Smith will lead a team of experts, including child advocates, a child-abuse pediatrician, a psychiatrist and a psychologist, to examine each of the 21 cases in depth.
Also this week, the Archdiocese was hit with another lawsuit, this one filed Monday by a Delaware man.
Philip Gaughan, 31, alleges the Rev. John Gillespie abused him in the mid-’90s while he was a student at Our Lady of Calvary, and that Archdiocesan officials lied to his family about prior allegations against the priest. Gillespie died in 2008.
Named as defendants are the Archdiocese, Rigali, Lynn, numerous staffers and former Archbishop Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.
The grand-jury report lambasted Bevilacqua for his alleged role in hiding sex-abuse cases, and the Allegheny County District Attorney this week indicated his office has undertaken a review of sex-abuse cases filed against the Archdiocese of Pittsburgh during Bevilacqua’s tenure as Archbishop of that diocese in the 1980s.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].