Updated at 3:10 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington on Thursday released the names of 40 priests accused of sexually abusing children in Vermont since 1950. Thirteen of the priests named are still living, though none are in ministry according to Bishop Christopher Coyne.
“Until now, the scope of all this has been our family secret,” Coyne said during a press conference Thursday morning. “Family secrets can be toxic. Harmful past experiences — unspoken, unaddressed and known only by a few — fester like neglected wounds.”
Besides publishing their names, thereport also included where each priest worked and for how long.It did not include how many credible claims were made against each priest, the nature of any allegations or the names of victims. The report also did not contain new allegations, and most occurred before 2000.
Some of the priests named faced criminal charges and civil suits, according to the report.
"Until now, the scope of all this has been our family secret. Family secrets can be toxic. Harmful past experiences — unspoken, unaddressed and known only by a few — fester like neglected wounds." — Bishop Christopher Coyne
The church is currently facing six civil cases, Coyne said. Those cases were filed this year after a new state law removed the statute of limitations for civil cases based on childhood sexual abuse.
Coyne acknowledged that the release of this report might lead to more lawsuits, which could cause a financial strain for the diocese.
"We don't have any money, there's no more insurance, we have very limited unrestricted funds," Coyne said. "I hope we can settle, but I don't know what we're going to do."
Coyne told Vermont Editionthe diocese has spent nearly a million dollars over the last four years settling cases.
The report was issued by a panel of lay-people who convened last fallto examine cases of abuse in the church. The review began last October amid national headlines about priest abuse cover ups in Pennsylvania and allegations of abuse at St. Joseph's Orphanage, which closed in Burlington in the 1970s.
The Survivors Network of Those Abused By Priests, known as SNAP, called the report “a belated step towards transparency and healing.”
In a written statement, the group said the report is missing information about how Vermont church officials responded when they first heard allegations of abuse. SNAP also said Bishop Coyne should request an independent investigation into the Burlington diocese's handling "sex-crimes and cover-ups" from Vermont Attorney General TJ Donovan.
Coyne, speaking to Vermont Edition on Thursday, said he gave the report to Donovan's office this week. Coyne also said the AG's office has access to the same documents that the lay-committee reviewed.
"From what I've read and seen, obviously this is concerning to the state." — Gov. Phil Scott
The attorney general's office has been conducting an investigation in allegations of murder and abuse at St. Joseph's Orphanage. According to a statement on the AG's website, investigation of St. Joseph's is "active and on-going."
Gov. Phil Scott Thursday called the report “a black eye” for both the state of Vermont and the Catholic Church. He said he wanted to read the whole report and hear more from church officials before joining the call for the AG to investigate the church's handling of the abuse allegations.
"From what I've read and seen, obviously this is concerning to the state," Scott said. “I’ll let the attorney general speak for himself … I’m sure he’ll take the appropriate action.”
Scott added, “I give credit to the committee for coming forward, shining a spotlight on this issue."
The seven member lay-people review committee included Bob Simpson, a former Chittenden County State’s attorney, Mike Donoghue, a retired Burlington Free Press reporter and Mark Redmond, executive director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services.
The review committee, which had no law enforcement powers, combed through thousands of church documents. The group identified 39 priests assigned in Vermont that abused children and one priest accused of abuse in another jurisdiction who had connections to the state.
"It's important to have this out in the open." — John Mahoney, who has spoken about his experience as a victim of childhood sexual abuse by a priest
The review committee used a standard developed by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, NY to determine what was a “credible” allegation. The standard, according to the report, was that an allegation must meet “one or more of the following thresholds: natural, plausible and probable; corroborated with other evidence or another source or acknowledged/admitted to by the accused.”
John Mahoney was a member of the panel. He said he was sexually abused as a child by deceased priest Edward Foster. He told Vermont Edition he thought releasing the list might offer victims some consolation. As an example, Mahoney said Foster was frequently at his family's home for celebrations.
"It was not uncommon for me to see him sitting in our home, drinking a scotch and smoking a cigarette and conversing with my aunts and uncles — he went to deer camp with one of my uncles every year," Mahoney said. "So I guess for me, it's important to have this out in the open."
VPR's Peter Hirschfeld contributed reporting to this story.
