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McCormack steps down as head of bishops' sex abuse committee
By J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press, 04/19/02
CONCORD, N.H. -- Facing questions about his role in the growing church abuse scandal, Bishop John B. McCormack has stepped down as head of the committee developing the church's national response to the sex abuse crisis. McCormack's spokesman said Friday the bishop will remain on the committee, and that the decision to give up his position as chairman was prompted by a desire to focus on the church's work in New Hampshire, not by allegations of his involvement in the scandal. "Though he feels the work of the committee is important and will go forward, he wants to put his efforts into the diocese," said Patrick McGee, spokesman for the Diocese of Manchester, which heads the Roman Catholic Church in the state. The decision to resign was McCormack's, and was not at the request of other church officials, McGee said. McCormack has served as chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sex Abuse of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for two years. He is being replaced by Archbishop Harry J. Flynn of St. Paul and Minneapolis. The committee's credibility was called into question recently by reports that two of its members are accused in lawsuits of helping protect priests who molested children. McCormack is accused in Massachusetts lawsuits of knowing priests were abusing boys and failing to intervene, and of playing a role in shuffling offenders between parishes. Prior to becoming bishop in New Hampshire in 1998, McCormack was director of ministerial personnel in the Archdiocese of Boston from 1984-1994. For several years, he handled sexual abuse complaints involving priests. McCormack has said he is sorry for the harm done by abusive priests, and that he never reassigned a priest to ministry whom he thought would harm children. He has said he will respond early next week to the many questions about his tenure in Massachusetts. Another committee member, Bishop John Gaydos of Jefferson City, Mo., is accused in a suit of conspiring to cover up molestation by the Rev. Anthony O'Connell, who resigned last month as bishop of Palm Beach, Fla., after admitting he abused a seminary student in Missouri more than 25 years ago. Gaydos has denied the allegations. A third bishop on the panel, Auxiliary Bishop A. James Quinn of Cleveland, suggested in a 1990 speech that church leaders hide records of abusive priests in the Vatican embassy, which has diplomatic immunity. His comments are being used in a sex abuse lawsuit that names all U.S. bishops as defendants. The bishops' administrative committee last month instructed the sex abuse panel to make recommendations that will help protect children and provide support to victims and their families. Flynn said in a written statement that he looks forward to serving on the committee and hopes "we will begin the process of healing for both victims and all the faithful in this country." Before being appointed to Minnesota in 1995, Flynn served as bishop in Lafayette, La., from 1989-1994, where he handled lingering fallout of the first sexual abuse scandal involving a priest to gain national attention. In June 1984, an Abbeville, La., family sued the Diocese of Lafayette for $12 million, saying the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe had molested their son. In 1985, Gauthe pleaded guilty to 33 charges involving 11 boys, and admitted to molesting dozens of others. The bishops' conference also announced Friday it was adding Archbishop John J. Myers of Newark, N.J., to the committee. © Copyright 2002 Boston Globe Electronic Publishing Inc. | Advertise | Contact us | Privacy policy | |
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