A scathing report was released last week in Connecticut that details over 50 years of allegations of child sex abuse by clergy in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport. The report was the conclusion of a nearly year-long investigation led by retired state Supreme Court Justice, Robert Holzberg. In the report more than 70 clergymen were named as having been the subject of some level of sexual misconduct with children in allegations made by over 280 victims. More than 250,000 documents were reviewed during the investigation with many more believed to have been destroyed by the diocese in previous decades.
Bishops of Bridgeport Destroyed Records of Child Sex Abuse
The report is particularly damning of Bishops Walter Egan and Walter Curtis, now deceased. Both are alleged to have destroyed records, which former Bishop Curtis openly admitted to before passing away, and either outright ignoring or inadequately responding to the mounting number of allegations of child sex abuse by clergy out of fear of bad press. The Bridgeport diocese paid $56 million in settlements to survivors of the alleged abuse. The investigation concluded that 10 priests were responsible for 61% of all allegations and most disturbingly, 5 of them were promoted within the diocese by Cardinal Egan. Egan went on to serve as Archbishop of New York until 2009. The total number of priests alleged to have abused children during their time in the diocese represents 5% of the total number of priests to have served in Bridgeport from 1953-2007.
Justice for Survivors of Clergy Abuse
If you or someone close to you has been a victim of clergy abuse at any point in time, you may be able to seek justice and compensation for the crimes committed against you. Paul Mones is an experienced advocate for survivors of child sex abuse with a demonstrated track record of holding institutions such as the Catholic Church responsible for the trauma they have inflicted upon children.