Accussed Catholic Priests - Sex Crimes

 God's Concern For Little Ones Is Vast (Matt. 18:1-14).  Woe Upon Those Who Offend Them (Matt. 18:6).

   _______________________

PEDOPHILIA SCANDAL RECEIVES POPE BENEDICT XVT'S APOLOGY

By Synthia Esther

March 26, 2010

Predatory Priests?  Yes, once again, we hear news of the global sexual scandals of Pedophile Priests making the news, with Pope Benedict XVT's giving his sincere apology.   Sad to say, this is nothing new within the Roman Catholic Church (reference Catholic Sex Crimes page on this website, please note: it takes a long time to down load).   We as Christians are taught to forgive, however, that does not mean we allow such sin to go unrecognized and unpunished.  We have to protect the children, alerting police,  to bring to light consequences that fit pedophilia crime.   

The New York Times (March 25, 2010), posted an editorial which outlined the pedophilia sexual abuse and addiction problem, "The pope's apology fell short not only for Catholics in Ireland, but for those in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, where hundreds of new allegations are emerging to be investigated by a Vatican office that has but 10 workers to do the job."  

The Times editorial continued to inform the reader of  Pope Benedict's promise of a special Vatican inquiry into the Irish sex scandal.   However, as addressed, "it came across as too little, too late, considering it took two scathing investigations by the Irish government to prod the Vatican into action.  One of these found the church officials were able to convince Dublin police to join in their cover-up.  

German Catholics are questioning Benedict's role nearly 30 years ago when, as archbishop of Munich, he allowed the transfer of a priest molester.  That priest had managed to remain at work until last week when he was suspended as the scandal grew with news media scrutiny.  There are also questions about Benedict's directive as a Vatican cardinal in 2001 that bishops worldwide were to keep pedophilia investigations secret under threat of ex-communication."

PEDOPHILIA IS A CRIME AGAINST THE VERY SOUL  OF A CHILD

Pedophilia is a sick crime, which does not go away when you turn your attention from forgiveness to recovery.   As noted by most sexual addiction experts, it is an addiction that remains deeply implanted within the human psyche.  The pedophilia scandal in the United States involved more than 700 priests who were dismissed within a three-year period.  The Catholic church cover-up of the crime of child sexual abuse,  reakes of self motivated interests, while young, innocent children are left in the wake of turmoil, shock, pain, and confusion.  

Laurie Goodstien reported in The Times how the pope as a cardinal, was personally warned about a priest who had given in to his sick, perverted sexual lust for child flesh, molesting as many as "200" deaf boys.  Church leaders tried to once again cover-up such crimes, protecting the good of the church, instead of the scared souls of God's children.  

Copyright - Synthia Esther.

                                                              _____________________________________

ACCUSED PRIESTS

 By Synthia Esther

Source: Bishopaccountability.org

Retrieved - Sept. 18, 2018

ARGENTINA
Bishop Juan Carlos Maccarone
Resigned in 2005, age 64, per canon 401.2 after  video surfaced of him having sex with  23-year-old man. Remained in ministry. Seen 2010 saying Confirmation Mass for teenagers. Santiago del Estero bishop emeritus. Died March 2015.

Archbishop           Edgardo G. Storni
Resigned  October 2002, age 66, per  canon 401.2  after reports he  abused  young men and boys.  Convicted 2009.  Sentenced to eight years in prison;  given house arrest instead.  Conviction overturned 2011.  Remained Santa Fe de la Vera Cruz archbishop emeritus. Died 2012.
 

Bishop Adolfo A. Uriona, F.D.P.
Arrested 2006 after  a 24-year-old woman accused him of groping her during  a bus ride. Denied the charge. Case dismissed. Visited pope 2014. Añatuya bishop in 2004 until he was appointed bishop of Villa de la Concepción in December 2014.           
 

 AUSTRALIA
Cardinal George Pell
Accused 2002 of 1961 or 1962 sex abuse of 12-year-old boy while Pell was seminarian. Denying allegation, Pell stood aside as Sydney archbishop, while church asked former judge to investigate. Report said accuser "gave the impression he was speaking honestly" but crime could not be established. Pell resumed office. Appointed  by Pope 2014 to head  Vatican's new Secretariat of the Economy. News broken by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) July 2016 of multiple additional complaints  investigated by Victorian police. Pell allegedly fondled the genitals and anuses of two boys in a pool in 1978-1979, and may have exposed himself to three boys in 1986-1987. Another allegation involved unspecified abuse of two teen choirboys in 1990s. Pell's office called the allegations "totally untrue" and accused ABC of a "scandalous smear campaign." In a 2nd statement, Pell urged an inquiry of the Victoria police, accusing them of leaking reports to the ABC.  [See the half-hour ABC TV program transcript.] A book published in May 2017 contained detailed claims that  Pell had sexually abused two choirboys at St. Patrick's Cathedral in  east Melbourne in the late 1990s, when Pell was archbishop and after he  had initiated the Melbourne Response. On June 29, 2017, Victoria police announced that Pell would face "multiple charges" and that there were "multiple complainants."  In response, the Sydney archdiocese said that  Pell "strenuously" denies the allegations and will return home pending  doctors' approval to "defend the charges vigorously." He becomes the  highest ranking Catholic Church official to be criminally charged with  child sexual abuse. 

Bishop Max L. Davis
        Criminally charged  June 2014 with 1969 sexual abuse of  child in New Norcia, prior to  ordination. Denied the charge.   Stepped aside as Australia's Military  bishop while court case active. Tried in Perth court February 2016 on charges of "indecent dealings" with five boys, ages 13-15, between 1969-1972.  Found not guilty.
 

AUSTRIA
Cardinal Hans H. Groër, O.S.B.
Accused publicly 1995 of abusing boys and young monks. Retired as archbishop soon after, age 75, with JP II saying Christ too faced "unjust accusations." Named head of priory 1996. Removal announced early 1998, after more victims surfaced. Schönborn and 3 others confirmed Groër's abuses February 1998. Resigned April 1998 from all duties. Remained cardinal and Vienna archbishop emeritus. Some estimated 2,000 victims. Died 2003.
 

BELGIUM
Bishop      Roger J. Vangheluwe
Resigned    2010, age 73, per canon 401.2 after admitting to sexual abuse of  boy, later revealed to be his nephew. Sent by Vatican  to monastery in France for "spiritual and psychological treatment." Admitted on television in April 2011 to abuse of two nephews,  one beginning at age 5, over  13-year period in  1970s and '80s. Left  monastery amidst public outcry three days after TV appearance. Not  prosecuted due to expired statute of limitations. Current whereabouts unknown. Brugge {Bruges} bishop emeritus.    

BRAZIL
Archbishop Aldo di Cillo Pagotto
Resigned 2016, age 66, per canon 401.2,  after Vatican investigation into charges he accepted into the  archdiocese priests and seminiarians rejected by other dioceses for  suspected  pedophilia. Banned during investigation from ordaining new  deacons and priests or taking new seminarians. Pagotto had also been accused of sexual misconduct with an 18-year-old male. Paraíba archbishop emeritus.
 

 CANADA
Bishop John S. Knight
Accused 2000 of sexual misconduct with person over  age 16. Not known if alleged victim was under age 18. Church deemed  allegation "substantive enough to warrant a full examination." Removed  from ministry during Church investigation. Resigned same year, age 58. Toronto bishop emeritus. 

Bishop Raymond J. Lahey
          Arrested in 2009 for possession of child abuse images. Resigned as  Antigonish bishop in 2009 per canon 401.2, age 69. Pled guilty in 2011. Sentenced in 2012 but given time served. Laicized in 2012.
 

Bishop Eugène P. LaRocque
        Retired  2002. Investigated late 1990s-early 2000s by police probing sexual abuse in Cornwall. Per LaRocque, original allegations date to 1961. Not charged. Accused  2005 of 1970s sexual abuse of  altar boy.  Denied all accusations. Alexandria-Cornwall bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Hubert P. O’Connor, O.M.I.
Resigned   1991, age 63, after  charged with sex crimes. Convicted  1996 of 1960s   rape and indecent assault on two young aboriginal women. Sentenced to  2½ years in prison. Released on bail after serving 6 months. Remained Prince George bishop emeritus. Died 2007.
 

CHILE
Bishop Cristián E. Contreras Molina, O. de M.
   Chilean church announced investigation February 2014 for alleged sexual abuse of  15-year-old. "Cleared" by Vatican June 2014.   San Felipe bishop.
 

Archbishop Francisco José Cox Huneeus,   P. Schönstatt
Resigned as La Serena archbishop 1997, age 63. Church said it was for reasons of mental health. Suspected of pedophilia. Apologized 2002: "I apologize for this dark side in me that opposes the Gospel" [Google translation - see original]. Santiago archbishop Errázuriz said  2002 that Cox had resigned voluntarily because of "improper conduct"  related to his "somewhat exuberant affection," especially with children.    La Serena archbishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Gonzalo Duarte García de Cortázar, SS.CC.
Accused in 2014 reports of abusing adolescent seminarians. Valparaíso bishop.
 

Bishop Marco Antonio Órdenes Fernández
Resigned 2012, age 47, per canon 401.2 after accused of late 1990s sexual abuse of 15-year-old boy. Admitted to "an imprudent act."        In January 2018 sex crimes charges against Órdenes  were dismissed after an appeals court  ruled that there wasn't enough evidence. Iquique bishop emeritus.    
 

 DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Bishop Príamo Pericles Tejeda Rosario
        Resigned as Baní bishop in 1997, age 63, then worked as priest in  Venice FL. Accused  in 2007 of sexual assault of a 42-year-old man for 11 years. Venice diocese removed faculties. Not charged.  Baní bishop emeritus.
 

Archbishop Józef Wesołowski *
        Polish. Resigned as papal nuncio to Dominican Republic August 2013 and was secretly recalled to Vatican, just days before DR news media  exposed his alleged sex assaults of children on  Santo Domingo  waterfront. Church officials did not inform DR law enforcement.  Prosecution sought by both DR and Poland. Vatican reportedly rebuffed extradition request by Poland January 2014. Laicization announced June 2014, four days after DR bishop tweeted about seeing Wesołowski strolling in Rome. Diplomatic immunity removed August 2014, day after NY Times exposé. Put under house arrest in Vatican City State September 2014. Found with 100,000+ child abuse images on his laptop and Vatican-owned computer. Released from house arrest after 60 days; free  to move around Vatican City State beginning late November 2014.        Hospitalized night before his July 2015 trial in VCS, causing trial to  be indefinitely postponed. Released from hospital one week later, and freed to walk around Vatican City, according to BBC. Found dead in his Vatican apartment August 28, 2015. Trial never resumed.
 

 GERMANY
Bishop Franziskus Eisenbach
        Resigned   age 58 in 2002 per canon 401.2 after  female university professor accused him of sexual abuse while performing an exorcism. Mainz auxilary bishop emeritus. 

  Bishop Heinrich Maria Janssen
Hildesheim bishop 1957 until retirement in 1983, age 76. Died  1988. Accused  in 2015 of sexual abuse of a boy from 1958 to 1963, beginning when the  boy was age 10. Abuse was said to have included masturbation, anal and  oral sex. Diocesan investigators deemed the accusations "plausible" and awarded Janssen's accuser 10,000 euros  "in recognition of his suffering."
 

Bishop Walter Mixa
Resigned age 69 in 2010 per canon 401.2 after accusations he severely beat children at at a Schrobenhausen orphanage in the 1970s and  misappropriated the orphanage's funds. Reportedly  sexually abused  minors, including an altar boy; Office of Public Prosecution opened  investigation which it soon closed, citing insufficient evidence.  Accused also of  sexually abusing seminarians between 1996 and 2005.    Augsburg bishop emeritus.
 

GUAM
Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M.Cap.
Agaña archbishop 1986-Present. Found guilty of canonical crimes and sentenced to removal from office and exile from Guam, according to March 16, 2018  press release by the Apostolic Tribunal of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Apuron quickly announced he would file an appeal. Penalties do not take effect until and unless the appeal fails.

Background and Chronology

Apuron is a member of Neocatechumenal Way, a controversial church  movement. He sparked a public outcry in 2011 when he deeded a $40M+  church property in Yona for indefinite use as a Neocatechumenate  seminary and theological institute (see pages 77-80 of September 2016  archdiocesan report).  

In October 2014, he dismissed Deacon Steven Martinez from the archdiocesan review board  after Martinez accused him of ignoring church sex abuse policy by harboring Rev. John Wadeson, who had been accused twice of child sex abuse in the U.S..

In late November 2014, Guam news media reported that  Apuron had met privately at the Vatican with Pope Francis and the  prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (see Vatican bulletin). At around the same time, a man named John Toves publicly accused the  archbishop of sexually abusing his cousin when Toves and his  cousin attended a high school seminary in the early 1980s. The  archdiocesan review board said it would not investigate Toves' allegation. 

The archdiocese was visited by a high-ranking Vatican official who had received letters of complaint about Apuron from Guamanian Catholics in January 2015.

In August 2015, the Vatican reportedly was notified of  Apuron's alleged rape of a former altar boy, Walter Denton, at Our Lady  of Mount Carmel church in Agat in 1977. However, Denton did not go public until  June 2016, shortly after public allegations that Apuron had sexually  assaulted two other altar boys at the same parish in the 1970s: Roy  Quintanilla released a letter accusing Apuron of molesting him at age 12; and Doris Concepcion came forward to  say that Apuron had sexually abused her late son, Joseph A.  Quinata, when Quinata was an 11-year-old altar boy in the late 1970s.

Apuron denied all the allegations, attributing them to a malicious plot against him.
 

Apuron was placed on leave by Pope Francis June 6, 2016. The Agana archdiocese was assigned a temporary administrator, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, secretary for the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. A week later, another former altar boy at Our Lady of Mount Carmel came forward to accuse Apuron of sexually assaulting him at age 15 in 1977.

On July 1, 2016, four victims filed a lawsuit against Apuron for libel and slander. On July 27, 2016, Hon stated that  Apuron's alleged abuses had been reported to the Congregation for the  Doctrine of the Faith. Hon also said he had removed from the  archdiocesan website all of Apuron's threats against accusers. By August  2016, at least five men had accused Apuron of abusing them as boys. 

On August 13, 2016, a news outlet published an account by a man who says he witnessed child sex abuse by Apuron in 1964, when the man was a 10-year-old altar boy at Our Lady of Peace and Safe Journey Catholic Church in Chalan Pago. He said he witnessed another altar boy, also age 10, being sexually assaulted by the parish priest and by Apuron, then age 19.

In the meantime, Hon revealed that Apuron had disobeyed an order by Pope Francis to terminate use of the Yona property by the Neocatechumenates. On September 15, 2016, Hon released a letter saying he had asked Pope Francis to remove Apuron. On September 16, 2016, Hon released a report  on the controversial Neocatechumenate seminary, the Redemptoris Mater  House of Formation. On September 20, 2016, an archdiocesan spokesperson  said (1, 2) that the Neocatechumenates in Guam had a powerful ally in Cardinal Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. On September 30, 2016, the archdiocese announced that Apuron would be put on canonical trial for his alleged crimes.

On October 31, 2016, the Vatican announced  the appointment of Michael Byrnes, auxiliary bishop of Detroit, as  coadjutor archbishop  "with special faculties" to the Agaña archdiocese. The Vatican has "just formed all the conditions for the trial," Hon told reporters in early November.

On November 9, 2016, the archdiocese regained control of the Yona property, when Byrnes cancelled Apuron's controversial 2011 deeds that had given the property to the Neocatechumenates.

On  January 11, 2017, a private investigator hired by the attorney for Apuron accusers found the archbishop living in a private home in Fairfield, California. The home is owned by the vice president of the Bank of Guam’s San Francisco branch. 

Cardinal Raymond Burke was sent by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to preside over the canonical trial, which commenced in February 2017; Apuron was not required to attend.

Canon lawyer Patrick Wall said of confidential church documents  obtained by a news outlet that the documents indicate that Apuron's  case was known to the Vatican  in 2008, as shown by the case's protocol number and year. 

On July 6, 2017, Coadjutor Archbishop Michael Byrnes stated, "I think it would be a disaster if Archbishop Apuron were to return as the bishop of record."

In October 2017, Archbishop Byrnes said that the Vatican tribunal had reached a conclusion about Apuron.

In January 2018, Apuron's nephew filed a federal lawsuit against the archdiocese, alleging that  Apuron had raped him in 1989 or 1990, when the nephew was age 15 or 16.  This was the first allegation that Apuron had perpetrated  sexual assault after becoming archbishop. Apuron responded by saying he was innocent of all allegations against him. The archbishop was photographed in an affectionate encounter with Pope Francis in February 2018.

On March 16, 2018, the Apostolic Tribunal for the Congregation  for the Doctrine of the Faith announced that Apuron had been found  guilty of "certain of the accusations"  he has faced. It is not known which of his possible canonical crimes  earned him the guilty verdict. In addition to child sexual abuse, the  archbishop has been accused of enabling child sexual abuse, causing  scandal, financial misconduct, disobedience, and doctrinal waywardness. 

In announcing his intention to appeal the verdict, Apuron said he was relieved that the Vatican had dismissed the majority of the allegations against him.

Bishop Tomas Aguon Camacho
Accused in a lawsuit filed in February 2017 of the rape and sexual abuse of a 10-year-old altar boy on Guam approximately 1971-1974.  Accused in a second  lawsuit, filed in 4/2017, of repeated sexual abuse of another 10-year-old altar boy,  in the early 1960s at a Mongmong parish. Second accuser said he found  porn in the rectory and Camacho caught him,  perfomed sex acts on him,  then threatened to tell the boy's mother he looked at porn if he told.   Bishop Emeritus of Chalan Kanoa, Northern Mariana Islands. Died March 5, 2018.

Archbishop Felixberto Camacho Flores
Appointed Agaña Apostolic Administrator 1970, Bishop 1971, then Archbishop 1984. Died October 25, 1985. Accused in a May 3,1 2017 lawsuit of sexually abusing an 11-year-old boy in 1966. His accuser said he was a student at Cathedral Grade School at the time and Flores was an Agaña Cathedral priest.

HONDURAS

Bishop Juan José Pineda Fasquelle, C.M.F.
Accused 2017  by two former seminarians of sexual abuse in the early 2010's, when  Pineda taught at Tegucigalpa archdiocesan seminary. Alleged victims  submitted testimonies to papal envoy, who visited archdiocese in May  2017. Envoy also investigated alleged financial misdeeds by Pineda and  Cardinal-archbishop Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, S.D.B.. Allegations were referenced in December 2017 news reports (1, 2) and detailed in March 2018 news report. Pineda was still Tegucigalpa auxiliary bishop as of March 2018.
 

ICELAND
Bishop Joannes B.M. Gijsen *
        Retired 2007,  age 75. Dutch.  News in 2010 of 1950s alleged abuse of two boys. Remained Reykjavik bishop  emeritus. Died 2013.  Dutch church acknowledged his guilt in 2014.
 

IRELAND
Archbishop            Richard A. Burke, S.P.S. *
Accused 2009 of  1983 sexual abuse of 14-year-old girl in Nigeria. [See victim's statement.] Resigned  2010, age 61, per canon 401.2. Admitted  "failure to observe his oath of celibacy." Sued RTÉ, claiming victim was 20, not 14. Suit settled 2015: RTÉ paid legal costs but made no concession on victim's age. Benin City archbishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Eamonn Casey
 Resigned  1992, age 65,  after revelation that he fathered a child in 1970s. Fled Ireland, worked in Ecuador missions, then English diocese. Accused 2005 of sexual assault of   girl, age 5, 30 years earlier. Casey denied accusation. Not charged. Returned to Ireland  2006. In nursing home since 2011. New accusation April 2016 by a Limerick woman. Galway and Kilmacduagh bishop emeritus until his  death March 13, 2017.
 

Bishop Brendan Oliver Comiskey, SS.CC.
Resigned 2002, age 66, per canon 401.2, after revelations that he protected serial abuser Fr. Sean Fortune. Ferns inquiry in 2005 reported two allegations against Comiskey: 1990 complaint of misconduct toward young woman over age 16, and accusation by Fortune in his 1999 suicide note. Comiskey denied both. Ferns bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop John Magee, S.P.S.
Stepped aside but didn’t resign 2009 after  internal watchdog report that he had mishandled two abusive priests. State launched its own inquiry. Resignation announced  2010,  per canon 401.2. State’s report  2011 revealed more cover-up and 2008 report to church of Magee’s inappropriate behavior toward teen, age 17-18. Magee admitted conduct, denied sexual intent. Not charged. Cloyne bishop emeritus.

Archbishop John Charles McQuaid, C.S.Sp.
Retired  1971, age 76, as  Dublin archbishop. Died 1973. First accused of  sex abuse in 1999 book. News in 2011 that McQuaid was cleric described in 2010 supplement to Murphy report with two complaints of child sex abuse, including of a 12-year-old boy in 1961, and one "separate concern."  

ITALY
Bishop Gerardo Antonazzo
Investigation  April 2016 by prosecutors in Cassino, in response to a letter from a  seminarian accusing Antonazzo of sexually molesting him and seven other  adults. Sora-Aquino-Pontecorvo bishop.

Bishop Giuseppe Carraro
Retired 1978 as Verona bishop. Died 1980. Accused 2009 of repeatedly molesting  boy who attended school for deaf. Carraro was being considered for beatification at time of complaint.
 

KENYA
Bishop Cornelius Schilder, M.H.M. *
        Vatican informed in 2007 of reports of Schilder's early 1990s  abuse of  a Maasai herds boy. Dutch. Resigned 2009, age 67, per canon 401.2. Accused in 2013 of early 1990s sexual abuse of a young seminarian. Ngong bishop  emeritus. 

NETHERLANDS
Bishop Johannes Willem Maria Bluyssen
      Resigned 1984, age 57, as  s'Hertogenbosch bishop.  Admitted 2010 to destroying abuse files in 1970s. Died  2013.  Accused 2014 of repeated rape of  Beekvliet minor seminary student 1957-1959. A church Complaints Committee announced August 2015 that evidence was not sufficient, although it did not "exclude" that the victim had been sexually abused.

Bishop Joannes B.M. Gijsen *
      Retired 2007,  age 75. Dutch.  News in 2010 of 1950s alleged abuse of two boys. Remained Reykjavik, Iceland bishop   emeritus. Died 2013.  Dutch church acknowledged his guilt in 2014.
 

Bishop Jan Niënhaus
Utrecht auxiliary bishop. Died 2000. Dutch church admitted 2014  he molested young boys 1950s-1970s.

Bishop Cornelius Schilder, M.H.M. *
      Vatican informed in 2007 of reports of Schilder's early 1990s  abuse of  a Maasai herds boy. Dutch. Resigned 2009, age 67, per canon 401.2. Accused in 2013 of early 1990s sexual abuse of a young seminarian. Ngong bishop  emeritus.
 

Bishop Joannes Gerardus  ter Schure, S.D.B.
      Retired 1998,  age 76.  s'Hertogenbosch bishop.  Died 2003. News in 2010 that Salesians settled claim of sexual abuse of a boy  by ter Schure at  Don Rua monastery in Ugchelen 1948-53. 

NIGERIA
Archbishop            Richard A. Burke, S.P.S. *
Accused 2009 of  1983 sexual abuse of 14-year-old girl in Nigeria. [See victim's statement.] Resigned  2010, age 61, per canon 401.2. Admitted  "failure to observe his oath of celibacy." Sued RTÉ, claiming victim was 20, not 14. Suit settled 2015: RTÉ paid legal costs but made no concession on victim's age. Benin City archbishop emeritus.

NORWAY
Bishop Georg Müller, SS.CC.
 Admitted 2009 to 1990s sexual abuse  of boy. Resigned as Trondheim bishop same year, age 58, per canon 401.2. Emeritus. Died October 25, 2015. 

PARAGUAY
Bishop Jorge Adolfo Carlos Livieres Banks
Accused 2002 in criminal complaint by three young men of sexual assault of minors. Livieres filed counter-charges  of extortion and libel.  Accusers then produced document allegedly  signed by Livieres showing he tried to pay them to stay quiet. Case  stalled and ended ambiguously. Resigned 2003, age 74, per canon 401.2. Encarnación bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez, S.V.D.
Resigned as San Pedro bishop in 2005, age 55, per canon 401.2. Voluntarily laicized 2008 so that he could run for office. Paraguay president 2008-2012. Admitted  2009 to fathering a child in 2007; another woman said he had fathered  her child too, and that their involvement began when she was 18 and Lugo  still a bishop. Admitted 2012 to fathering child of another woman while bishop.

PERU
Bishop Guillermo Martín Abanto Guzmán
Fathered child in 2011. Resigned July 2013, age 49, per canon 401.2, after child's mother took him to court, demanding he recognize paternity. Peru Military bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Gabino Miranda Melgarejo
Removed as Ayachucho o Huamanga auxiliary bishop  May 2013, age 53,  after accused of molesting children he is said to have targeted during confession. Laicized July 2013.
 

PHILIPPINES
Bishop Teodoro C. Bacani, Jr.
Resigned 2003, age 63, per canon 401.2, after accused  by secretary of sexual misconduct. Apologized. Novaliches bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Filomeno Gonzales Bactol
Accused 2007 of molesting boys by  ex-missionary who himself faced deportation for alleged pedophilia in 1990s.   Naval bishop.
 

Bishop Crisostomo A. Yalung
Resigned  2002, age 49, per canon 401.2, after news  he had fathered a child. Antipolo bishop emeritus.      

POLAND
Archbishop Juliusz Paetz
Resigned  2002, age 67, after accused of sexually abusing young seminarians.  Paetz denied the allegations. Banned from public ministry, but ban lifted by  Vatican June 2010. Ban was at some point reinstated: in April 2016, Vatican warned Paetz to stop public appearances and resume private life of "repentance and prayer." Poznan archbishop emeritus.
 

Archbishop Józef Wesołowski *
Polish. Resigned as papal nuncio to Dominican Republic August 2013 and was secretly recalled to Vatican, just days before DR news media  exposed his alleged sex assaults of children on  Santo Domingo  waterfront. Church officials did not inform DR law enforcement.  Prosecution sought by both DR and Poland. Vatican reportedly rebuffed extradition request by Poland January 2014. Laicization announced June 2014, four days after DR bishop tweeted about seeing Wesołowski strolling in Rome. Diplomatic immunity removed August 2014, day after NY Times exposé. Put under house arrest in Vatican City State September 2014. Found with 100,000+ child abuse images on his laptop and Vatican-owned computer. Released from house arrest after 60 days; free  to move around Vatican City State beginning late November 2014.        Hospitalized night before his July 2015 trial in VCS, causing trial to  be indefinitely postponed. Released from hospital one week later, and freed to walk around Vatican City, according to BBC. Found dead in his Vatican apartment August 28, 2015. Trial never resumed.

PORTUGAL
Bishop Carlos Alberto de Pinho Moreira Azevedo
Accused  2010  of  1980s sexual abuse of seminarian. Appointed Official of  Pontifical Council for Culture  2011. 

PUERTO RICO
Bishop Daniel Fernández Torres
Accused   February 2014 of lewd acts against a male minor shortly before  becoming bishop in 2010, when  an Arecibo parish priest. Bishop of Arecibo. Denied charges, said were "act of revenge." Diocese under scrutiny for mishandling of sex abuse cases. Archbishop Roberto González called the allegations "slander." Charges dismissed by Vatican April 2014. Accuser's attorney said client wasn't interviewed by Vatican. Info about Fernández Torres' alleged abuse reportedly withheld from Vatican by PR apostolic delegate Jozef Wesolowski.

SCOTLAND
Cardinal Keith Michael Patrick  O’Brien
Resigned as archbishop February 2013, age 74, after accused publicly  of  sexual advances toward priests, dating to 1980s. [See also church announcement.] Issued partial admission and apology [1,2]. Remained Saint Andrews and Edinburgh archbishop emeritus. Following 2014 investigation of allegations by Bishop Charles Scicluna, Pope Francis  in March 2015 accepted O'Brien's resignation of his "rights and privileges" as a Cardinal. He was allowed to retain the title, however. Died March 19, 2018.
 

Bishop Roderick Wright
Resigned  1996, age 56, after admitting to sex with  woman he counseled.  Married  the woman. Admitted to  son with  previous woman. Remained Argyll and The Isles bishop emeritus. Died 2005.      

   SOUTH AFRICA
Bishop Reginald Joseph Orsmond
 Johannesburg bishop 1984-2002. Founded South Africa's Boys Town 1958; there until named bishop 1984. Died 2002. Accused in former Boys Town resident's 2007 memoir of of rape and molestation  over a three-year period, beginning when the author was age 13 in the  1960s. Orsmond is said to have plied the boy with alcohol. Several other men also alleged sexual abuse as boys in the facility by Orsmond; an ex-staffer said it was an "open secret" that Orsmond had boys sleep in his room. Archdiocesan "professional conduct committee" deemed the allegations credible.

SWITZERLAND
Bishop Hansjörg Vogel
Resigned 1995, age 44, after acknowledging impregnating  woman. Basel {Bâle, Basilea} bishop emeritus.    

UNITED STATES
Bishop Juan A. Arzube
Accused  2003 of sexual abuse of 11-year-old boy 1975-76.   Remained  Los Angeles CA auxiliary bishop emeritus. Died 2007.
 

Bishop Michael J. Bransfield
Implicated in Philly trial testimony April 2012 by victim of ex-priest Stanley Gana. Separate allegation of 1970s fondling of high school student revealed by prosecutor.  Bransfield denied all abuse.  [See his statement.] Never charged. Remains Wheeling-Charleston WV bishop.      

Bishop Robert H. Brom
Accused in 1990s of coercing  young seminarian into sex in 1980s, while Duluth MN bishop. Accuser retracted allegation, reportedly as condition of $85K settlement.  Retired 2013, age 75. San Diego CA bishop emeritus. 

Bishop Tod D. Brown
News in 2007 of 1997 letter to church alleging  Brown's sexual abuse of boy, age 12, in 1965. Church had deemed it not  credible. Brown denied abuse. Never charged. Neither he nor victim  interviewed by police. Retired 2012, age 75. Orange in California bishop emeritus.

Bishop Leonard P. Cowley
St. Paul MN auxiliary bishop 1958-1973. Died 1973. Name released February 2015 as one of 17 archdiocesan clergy   accused  of sexual abuse or misconduct with a minor. A man  filed a claim that Cowley sexually abused him at age 15       during trip to northern Minnesota in 1968.

Bishop Paul V. Dudley
        Retired 1995, age 68, as Sioux Falls SD bishop. Accused 2002 of fondling altar boy age 11 or 12 in 1950s. Accused also by two women. "Cleared" by church 2003. Remained emeritus. Died 2006.

Bishop Thomas L. Dupre
Accused 2004 of sexual abuse of two youths more than 20 years previously. Resigned  age 70, per canon 401.2, same day that news broke. Sent to treatment. Indicted but not tried, due to SOL. Remained Springfield MA bishop emeritus.  Died December 20, 2016.

Bishop Joseph A. Ferrario
Honolulu HI auxiliary bishop and bishop 1977-1993.  Accused of child rape in 1985 letter to papal nuncio. Lawsuit  1991 dismissed on SOL grounds. Retired as bishop 1993, age 67. Stayed in ministry and remained emeritus. Not charged. Died 2003. Named by more alleged victims 2013 and 2014.
 

Bishop Louis E. Gelineau
Resigned 1997, age 69, after accused of attempting to fondle then drown  boy at  Vermont orphanage in 1950.  In 1997 deposition, denied 1993 sexual abuse of altar boy. Remains Providence RI bishop emeritus.

Bishop Timothy J. Harrington
 Worcester MA bishop 1983-1994. Died 1997. Accused 2005 of sexual abuse of boy from ages 11 to 15  in the 1950s.
 

Bishop Joseph H. Hart
        Resigned as Cheyenne bishop 2001, age 70, per canon 401.2. In 2002, KC newspaper revealed Hart was reported to the church in 1989 and 1992 for child molestation in the 1970s. At least four other alleged victims have since come forward. Not charged. Remains Cheyenne WY bishop emeritus.

Bishop Howard J. Hubbard
Accused February 2004 of paying teen for sex in 1970s and sexual misconduct with adult males. Hubbard denied allegations, saying he had not violated celibacy. Not charged. Hired own investigator who reported June 2004 "no  credible evidence." Retired 2014, age 75. Albany NY bishop emeritus.

Bishop Robert N. Lynch
 Denied 2001 accusation of sexual harassment by diocesan communications director. Church paid  accuser $100K; bishop said it was severance, not hush money. Accuser's  lawyer said there was "unwanted touching" but no "overt sexual  actions."Retired age 76 in 2016 as St. Petersburg FL bishop.      

Bishop Eugene A. Marino, S.S.J.
Resigned 1990, age 56, as Atlanta GA archbishop. Woman, age 27, soon went public regarding two-year sexual relationship with Marino, which he acknowledged. Remained archbishop emeritus. Died 2000.

Cardinal Theodore  E. McCarrick
Alleged  to have engaged in sexual misconduct with seminarians and priests   in  1980s while   Metuchen NJ bishop and Newark NJ archbishop. Church settled with alleged victim 2006, reported Richard Sipe. Washington DC archbishop emeritus. Allegation of abuse of a minor, made through the IRCP process, was announced  by Cardinal Dolan in June 2018. McCarrick denied the allegation. The  Metuchen diocese and the Newark archdiocese publicly acknowledged three  settlements in 2005 and 2007 to two former seminarians. Pope Francis  removed McCarrick from the College of Cardinals and ordered him to live a  life of prayer and penance while an investigation proceeded. One of  McCarrick's adult victims chose to come forward, and the allegations broke in the media. Another man abused as a minor came forward. In August 2018, Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò released his "testimony"  alleging that a network in the hierarchy, including Pope Francis, had  knowledge of McCarrick's abuse of seminarians but took no action. Viganò  also claimed that  Pope Benedict had ordered McCarrick to live a life  of prayer and penance, and that Pope Francis reinstated McCarrick.  Evidence of Pope Benedict's action regarding McCarrick has not been  produced, and it appears that McCarrick was in public ministry under both Pope Benedict and Pope Francis.

Bishop James Francis McCarthy
Resigned 2002, age 59, after admitting to sexual involvement with adult women. Remains New York NY auxiliary bishop emeritus.

Cardinal Humberto S. Medeiros
Boston MA archbishop 1970-83. Died  1983. Accused 2002 of sexually abusing  14-year-old boy in 1979.        Accuser said Medeiros  touched his groin while giving him a "bear hug" in the archdiocesan chancery, where he was allegedly molested the same evening by vice-chancellor Rev. Fred Ryan.
 

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
Stepped aside December 2013 after allegation of inappropriately touching boy's buttocks in 2009. Called allegation "entirely false." Resumed duties March 2014 after prosecutor announced no charges due to insufficient evidence. Internal investigation of alleged misconduct toward adults revealed July 2014. It reportedly found Nienstedt made "sexual advances" toward two priests. Nienstedt kept findings secret and, according to MPR report , authorized new investigation by second law firm. Resigned June 2015, per 401.2, soon after archdiocese was charged criminally for contributing to child sex abuse. Now Saint Paul and Minneapolis MN archbishop emeritus.

Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien
Accused in a 2017 lawsuit  of repeated sexual abuse of a boy in Arizona when the boy was in 2nd to  5th grades during 1977-1982.       O'Brien denied the allegations. Admitted in June 2003 to covering  up child sexual abuse in his diocese. Arrested days later on charges  related to  a fatal hit-and-run auto accident. Resigned age 67. Convicted in that case and sentenced to probation and community service. Phoenix AZ bishop emeritus.

Bishop Anthony J. O'Connell
Admitted 2002 to 1970s sexual abuse of Missouri high school seminary student. Resigned immediately as Palm Beach FL bishop per canon 401.2, age 63. Numerous former students alleged abuse.  Not charged. Remained bishop emeritus. Died 2012.
 

Bishop James S. Rausch  
 Phoenix AZ bishop 1977-1981. Died 1981. Accused in 2002 lawsuit of 1979 sexual abuse of 17-year-old boy.
 

Bishop George E. Rueger
Accused in 2002 lawsuit  of 1960s sexual abuse of boy age 13-14.  Denied allegation. Not charged. Alleged victim withdrew suit 2003. Retired age 75 in 2005. Worcester MA auxiliary bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Daniel L. Ryan
Resigned 1999, age 69, week before lawsuit cited his hiring of male prostitutes. News 2002 that he solicited sex from boy, age 15, and sexually abused another, age 16-17. Not charged, due to SOL. Internal diocesan study 2006 confirmed Ryan's misconduct with adults. Remained Springfield IL bishop emeritus until he died in 2015.
 

Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez
Resigned 1993, age 59, after accused of sexual contact with at least 5 women; some were ages 18 and 19. Stayed in ministry. Remained Santa Fe NM archbishop   emeritus. Died 2012.
 

Bishop William S. Skylstad
Accused 2005 of 1961-64 sexual abuse of girl under age 18.  Skylstad denied the accusation, and investigator hired by him found no truth in the claim. Retired 2010, age 76. Spokane WA bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop Lawrence D. Soens
        Resigned 1998, age 72. Accused publicly 2000s of ‘sadistic’ sexual abuse of 31 teen boys beginning late 1950s. Found guilty by 2008 review board. Not charged. Remains Sioux City IA bishop emeritus. 

Bishop James S. Sullivan
        Resigned  citing Alzheimer's, March 2002, per canon 401.2. Age 72. Accused June 2002 of 1966 fondling of boy, age 16, in Michigan. Denied accusation.   Charges not pursued due to SOL. Remained Fargo ND bishop emeritus.  Died 2006.
 

Bishop Joseph V. Sullivan  
 Baton Rouge LA bishop 1974-1982. Died 1982. Accused in 2000s of sexual abuse of three different teen boys, 1969-1982. Later bishop called claims credible, removed Sullivan's name from high school.
 

Bishop Joseph Keith Symons
Admitted 1995 to past sexual abuse of boy. Stayed in ministry. Remained Palm Beach FL bishop. Resigned 1998, age 65, after another victim emerged. Admitted to abuse of 5 boys. Not charged. Found in ministry 1999 in Lansing MI diocese. Bishop emeritus.
 

Archbishop Rembert George Weakland, O.S.B.
Resigned  in 2002 immediately after news of $450K payment in 1998 to silence man accusing him of sexual assault when man was 32. Weakland had just turned 75, and resignation was accepted per canon 401.1  -- the age-75 rule applying to bishops in standard situations. Weakland  denied abuse but admitted to sexual relationship. Remains Milwaukee WI archbishop emeritus, residing in PA monastery.
 

Bishop Christopher J. Weldon
 Springfeld MA bishop 1950-1977.  Died 1982. Accused 2005 of 1950s sexual abuse of boy, from ages 10 to 16.      

Bishop Lawrence Harold Welsh
News in 2002 of police investigation 1986 alleging he had choked male prostitute during sex. Welsh admitted to most of accusation, except  "amount of violence." No charges filed. Resigned as Spokane bishop 1990 after drunk driving arrest. Made Saint Paul and Minneapolis auxiliary bishop 1991. Died 1999.
 

Bishop James Kendrick Williams
Resigned age 65 in 2002, per canon 401.2, after accused of sexual abuse of two boys,  1969 and 1981, and  young adult late 1980s. Denied abusing anyone. Lexington KY bishop emeritus.
 

Bishop G. Patrick Ziemann
        Forced to resign 1999 at age 57 after allegation by younger priest of coercing sex.  Accused early 2000s of sexual abuse of 3 different boys in 1960s and '70s. Remained Santa Rosa CA bishop emeritus. Died 2009. 

 URUGUAY
Bishop Francisco Domingo Barbosa Da Silveira
Resigned age 65 in 2009, per canon 401.2, after he filed extortion complaint revealing homosexual relations between him and two men. Remained Minas bishop emeritus. Died 2015.
 

WALES
Archbishop John Aloysius Ward, O.F.M. Cap.
Arrested 1999 for alleged assault of girl, age 7, 1960-61. Not charged. Said he was falsely accused. Resigned 2001 at age 72, per canon 401.2, after outcry at his mishandling of two abusive priests. Remained Cardiff archbishop emeritus.  Died  2007.

___________________________      

* assigned in more than one country during his career
 

Note:  Inclusion in this list does not imply  that individuals facing allegations are guilty of a crime or liable for  civil claims. The reports contained in this list are merely allegations.  The U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with  a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may  be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such  claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or  liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements.

We have  excluded from the list the following allegations  against bishops in the United States which were subsequently recanted or  demonstrated to be incorrect: two allegations in 1992 against Bishop Gerald F. O'Keefe 1 2 (Davenport, Iowa);  two allegations in 2002 against Cardinal Roger M. Mahony 3 4 5 (Los Angeles, California); and an allegation in 2002 against Cardinal Edward M. Egan 6 (New York, New York).

This page was last updated March 23, 2018.