16 THE QUEENS COURIER • DECEMBER 21, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Diocese, sex abuse lawyers at odds over abusive priest report
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
Four dozen priests who worked at
Queens churches over the last half-century
were accused of child sex abuse,
according to a report released by a legal
group representing victims. Th e Diocese
of Brooklyn and Queens, however,
charged that the report isn’t completely
accurate.
Lawyers Helping Survivors of Child
Sex Abuse issued “Hidden Disgrace,” a
22-page summary which lists the names
of 65 clergy members in the Diocese of
Brooklyn and Queens who have been
accused of sexually abusing children; in
some cases, the abuse occurred more
than 50 years ago. An examination of
the report found that 48 of the priests
had been assigned to Queens churches,
schools and institutions.
Th e report came out a week before
the Dec. 21 deadline for child sex abuse
survivors to enroll in the Independent
Reconciliation and Compensation
Program (IRCP). Th e Diocese of Brooklyn
launched the voluntary settlement program
in June to provide restitution to
those who had been abused by a priest or
deacon but who could not seek legal remedies
because of an expired statute of limitations.
Survivors can come forward on
their own or with legal representation to
fi le a claim.
On its website, Lawyers Helping
Survivors of Child Sex Abuse describes
itself as a coalition of “the nearly
500-member powerhouse fi rm of Weitz
& Luxenberg P.C.” along with “national
sex abuse fi rms James, Vernon & Weeks,
P.A. and Noaker Law Firm LLC.” Th e
legal team calls itself “a forceful and cohesive
team of attorneys to fi ght for sexual
abuse victims.”
Th e website also has pages for IRCPs in
the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Diocese of
Rockville Centre and the Archdiocese of
New York, and other pages for child sex
abuse cases involving the Boy Scouts and
Jehovah’s Witnesses.
“Hidden Disgrace” also named eight
priests who, up until Dec. 14, had not
been previously accused in public of abusing
children. Four of these clergymen previously
worked in Queens.
Th e diocese, however, questioned the
report’s legitimacy, and the motives of the
legal team responsible for its publication.
In a lengthy statement last Th ursday, the
diocese charged that the report included
the names of priests “who were falsely
accused and subsequently cleared of any
wrongdoing,” and other clergymen who
either hail from other countries or belong
to a specifi c order, but are not under the
diocese’s jurisdiction.
“When names of priests and former
priests, who were credibly accused,
become public because of the compensation
program, it is more evidence that the
program is working as the diocese intended,”
Carolyn Erstad, a diocese spokesperson,
said in the statement. “However, it
appears today as though lawyers, looking
for new clients, have hastily and irresponsibly
published some names of innocent
men.”
Th e report noted that many of the allegations
“emerged long aft er the statute
of limitations on the crimes expired, and
therefore have not been heard in a court
of law.” Currently, in New York state, survivors
of child sex abuse cannot seek legal
action against their abusers aft er reaching
23 years of age. Many sexually abusive
priests, the report points out, remain
unnamed.
“For far too long, there has been little
known about priests accused of abuse,
and this silence has had devastating consequences,”
according to Jerry Kristal, an
attorney with Weitz & Luxenberg. “Th is
report aims to shine a light on the credibly
accused predators in Brooklyn and
Queens, and to let survivors know that
their abusers will not be hidden any longer.”
Credibility of new
charges questioned
Th e Diocese of Brooklyn, however, cautioned
that the charges against the eight
newly identifi ed priests named in the lawyers’
group report surfaced just weeks
ago, and that “the credibility of the allegations
made against them has not yet been
determined.” Th ey slammed the lawyers
group as acting unethically in publicizing
their names before the charges are proven
valid.
“When money is made available
through a compensation program like the
IRCP, there is always the risk of fraudulent
allegations brought by people looking
to make money,” Erstad said. “Th erefore,
allegations made aft er the start of the
compensation program against priests in
good standing must be investigated.”
Last month, the Diocese of Brooklyn
issued its own list of priests who were
laicized by the Vatican because they had
sexually abused minors. Laicized priests,
Erstad explained, are stripped of all duties
and rights as a member of the clergy; they
cannot celebrate Mass publicly, wear vestments
or maintain a reverend title, or
serve in any other public manner on the
church’s behalf. Ten of the 13 laicized
priests were included in the Dec. 14 report.
Th e diocese said that Lawyers Helping
Survivors of Child Sex Abuse “have
already represented a number of survivors
taking part in the various local IRCPs
and, we believe, have profi ted substantially
from doing so.” Th ey even went as far
as to suggest the group might be misleading
clients by off ering services through a
.org webpage typically used by nonprofi t
organizations.
Th e diocese noted that IRCP participants
do not need their own counsel to
apply, but can receive free legal representation
to help them understand the settlement
agreement before they decide
whether to sign it.
‘A typical knee-jerk response’
Asked for a response to the diocese’s
charges, Kristal told QNS in a phone
interview that it represented a “typical
knee-jerk response” from a large organization
facing additional legal liabilities.
“Th ere is no fraud. People need to know
that there is a deadline” for the IRCP, he
said. “We’re encouraging people to come
forward and take advantage of the program.”
As to the accusation that some priests
on the list were falsely accused, Kristal
acknowledged that those names were
errantly included — and would have
them removed once the legal team verifi
es the information with the diocese.
“We have no interest in accusing someone
falsely,” he added. “We’re not trying
to hurt anyone’s reputation.”
Th is is a condensed version of the
original report which was published
Tuesday on QNS.com.