Local Priests Respond to Abuse Claims

Officials also say they denounce the priests' misconduct and that such actions will not be tolerated in the local diocese.

For the first time, Pope John Paul II on Thursday condemned the sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Church. The charges made headlines in January after the Boston Globe reported that Rev. John Geoghan, 66, was accused of molesting more than 130 children. Since then, similar charges have been levied against priests nationwide.

Leaders of the Diocese of Raleigh, which serves Chapel Hill and all of eastern North Carolina, have emphasized their disappointment with the individuals involved in the allegations.

In a statement released March 5 in the diocese's newsletter, NC Catholic, Bishop F. Joseph Gossman of the diocese emphasized his intolerance of sexual abuse. "In my 27 years as your bishop I have never knowingly ordained, assigned or accepted a priest for ministry to serve in any assignment when such an individual had previously engaged in the sexual abuse of a minor," he wrote.

Under diocese regulations, any member of the church who is accused of sexual abuse will be placed on administrative leave and the case will be immediately investigated by law enforcement, the newsletter said.

Statewide, there have been two reported sexual abuse cases involving priests -- both in western North Carolina -- since the 1960s, said Frank Morock, spokesman for the eastern diocese.

The first incident, which occurred in 1969, was brought to light in 1982, he said. "The priest admitted that something happened, and he was immediately removed and forced to retire -- that day."

The second case of abuse occurred in 1978 and was reported in 1979, after that priest already had retired. No legal action was taken because the family of the abused person did not want to press charges, Morock said.

The national sexual abuse scandal began in January when the Boston Globe reported that Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston moved Geoghan, an accused child molester, from church to church rather than removing him from his position.

Since January, more than 55 priests across the country have been removed because of sexual abuse accusations, The New York Times reported Saturday.

Father John Heffernan Jr. of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church in Durham said he thinks Law should be removed because of his "lack of insight and oversight."

Father Phillip Leach, pastor and campus minister at the Newman Catholic Student Center at UNC, said he thinks the recent scandal has had little effect on the University's Catholic community.

Leach attributed the lack of impact to the maturity of college students who show the initiative to attend church while in school. "They don't go to mass because their moms make them or their fathers tell them they'll go to hell (if they don't)," he said. "This is a pretty self-selective group."

Leach said that, in addition, students who are mature enough to be active in UNC's Catholic community understand the imperfection of the institution.

Leach said, if anything, he has seen students more committed to the religion after the news stories came out pinpointing Geoghan and other accused priests. Leach mentioned the story of a student who said the recent events have furthered his resolve to enter the priesthood. "He said, 'I want to show I am committed to my religion in spite of all this,'" Leach said.

But Leach said the priests' actions are nonetheless a problem the church will have to face. "As in any human being's life, there are things (the church) can be extremely proud of and things we are ashamed of," Leach said. "The (Catholic) Church is a macrocosm of the human experience."

Peter Kaufman, a UNC religion professor, also said the Catholic church will survive, despite the incidents. "The church will persevere, most likely with improved sensibilities toward sexuality in the priesthood and in general."

Staff Writer Will Arey contributed to this story.
The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.