Media Statements

A cleric who helped run a New Jersey Catholic school is being sued for the first time for alleged child sexual abuse.

Guest blog by Mary Dispenza

Recent news articles about the burial of hundreds of indigenous children neglect to mention a major player in this story: nuns. Why are they missing from this unsettling story? Nuns were also abusers, or accomplices as puppets at the hands of Bishops and priests in carrying out devastating acts.

The former Monsignor Craig Harrison's name appears on the list of "credibly accused" clerics recently released by the Diocese of Fresno. Harrison has vigorously denied the allegations against him, even filing lawsuits for defamation against some of his accusers. We call on Catholic officials in Fresno to release the findings that landed the former Monsignor on their list. We believe this information is critical to help survivors and the communities where Harrison worked to heal.

Despite Harrison’s name appearing on the Diocesan list, criminal charges were never filed against him because of the statute of limitations. However, we find it notable that the Fresno County District Attorney's Office also deemed the accusations against the former Monsignor "credible." We know from studies that false allegations of child sexual abuse are rare, and multiple false allegations are even rarer.

After years of refusal, Catholic officials in Fresno have finally followed the lead of nearly 160 other dioceses around the country and released a list of clerics known to have abused children. While we applaud this effort, we believe that the list needs improvement.

Fr. Wilbroad Mwape, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua in West Greenville and formerly of Holy Trinity in Orangeburg, has been accused of sexually abusing an adult parishioner in a lawsuit filed this week. The Catholic priest was placed on administrative leave by the Diocese of Charleston in the wake of the allegations. The complaint accused Fr. Mwape of grooming an adult female parishioner at Holy Trinity and continuing his pursuit when he assumed his duties at St. Anthony of Padua.

Our hearts go out to the survivor who has bravely come forward in this case. She sought counsel and wished to enrich her faith through Fr. Mwape and instead fell prey to the solicitation of sex by a trusted faith leader. We are concerned that there may be other victims and encourage them to report to law enforcement.

A victim who wishes to remain anonymous filed a new lawsuit under New York's Child Victims Act yesterday. The suit accuses former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and another cleric, New York pastor, and Opus Dei priest Fr. Michael Barrett, of child sex abuse during the 1970s,  McCarrick is a known abuser of boys and men and has been defrocked by the Catholic Church for his crimes. The civil window which allowed this action expires on August 14th.

Msgr. Robert T. Richie, who heads the New York archdiocese's iconic St. Patrick's Cathedral is being sued for alleged child sexual abuse. Richie informed the parishioners of St. Patrick’s in a letter on August 3^rd and denies these allegations.

Fr. Paul Butler, a parochial vicar for St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Selden, has "voluntarily stepped away from ministry" in the wake of an allegation he sexually abused a child in the 1980s while he was a seminarian. The accusations were made in a lawsuit recently filed under New York's Child Victims Act.

To us, this demonstrates that the window legislation opened in New York for survivors who have been time-barred by the civil statute is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. That is, create a pathway to justice for victims and expose those who may be a danger to today's children.

By our count, this marks the 72^nd Catholic priest accused this year in the United States. The numbers are rising in part because of legislation that opens "windows to justice," as well as secular investigations by state attorneys general.

There are only 9 days left until the window opened by the Child Victims Act ends in New York State. We hope every single person who has information or suspicions about Fr. Butler – or any cleric, nun, brother, seminarian or lay employee or volunteer within the state of New York – will find the courage to call law enforcement and seek counsel immediately. That is absolutely the best way to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and expose the truth.

Joseph (Josef) Compericho, a former music teacher at St. John Catholic School in Jackson, MI, was sentenced to 12-30 years in prison today. He must also register as a sex offender. This is the fourth conviction and the harshest sentence handed down so far in the Michigan Attorney General's investigation into clergy abuse.

We echo and applaud the statement from Michigan’s AG, Dana Nessel, on this outcome."The dedication of our clergy abuse team – and the willingness of brave survivors to tell their stories – ensured justice was served against Mr. Comperchio. Let this prison sentence be a reminder that we are here to listen to victims of abuse and pursue accountability on their behalf.

HB 492 only went into effect on August 1, 2021,  and already two men sexually abused as children have taken advantage of this “window to justice.” We hope that others will also seize this opportunity to hold those who abuse boys and girls, as well as those who enable that abuse, accountable.

One of the lawsuits was filed in federal court against the Brothers of the Holy Cross Schools by John Lousteau, who says he was sexually abused by a clergy member employed at the school when John was in residence there. The complaint says that John attempted to obtain restitution from the order last year, but after telling him that they believed him, the Brothers ignored him, betraying John a second time.