Media Statements

Fr. Robert Vaillancourt, currently the pastor of St Brendan the Navigator Parish (Our Lady of Good Hope Church, Camden; St. Bernard Church, Rockland; St. Francis of Assisi Church, Belfast; St. Mary of the Isles Churches on Islesboro, Vinalhaven, and North Haven) has been placed on temporary leave by the Diocese of Portland.

“Following investigation and review, the Diocese of Lansing has found two allegations against the late Bishop James Sullivan to be credible,” the spokesman for the Diocese said today. The accusations stemmed from the mid-1960s when then-Father Sullivan resided at the Church of the Resurrection Parish in Lansing.

This development illustrates how important it is for victims to report sex crimes to secular authorities, regardless of how long ago they occurred. We commend the Michigan Attorney General’s office for opening an investigation into clergy sexual abuse which resulted in an accusation against the Bishop being reported. This information was passed along to the Lansing Diocese and prodded it to launch its own probe. We are confident that the information given to secular authorities played a significant role in the Diocese's internal investigation.

The Boy Scouts of America, which entered bankruptcy in 2020, announced a record settlement yesterday of 850 million dollars for the almost 90,000 claims filed against it. We applaud the survivors who came forward to speak their truth. The courage of these victims has led to the discovery and exposure of heinous crimes. We commend them for their bravery and integrity in the face of an organization designed to nurture and guide young boys that instead turned a blind eye to criminal behavior. 

We fully agree with the opinion piece written by Iowa State Senator Janet Petersen. Our applause for her willingness to champion window legislation, which will protect the vulnerable and hold child predators and the institutions who enable them accountable. For too long, survivors have held the entire liability for the long-term effects of the abuse they suffered. Regardless of when the crime occurred, it is time to shift the cost back where it belongs, to the perpetrator and to the organizations who covered up for them. Attorney General Miller took a positive step forward and investigated the Catholic dioceses in his state, but so far nothing has been done to hold the Church accountable for the damage it caused.

The conviction of Bill Cosby, a monumental moment in the fight for visibility and justice for sexual assault survivors and an event that helped rejuvenate the #MeToo movement, was overturned today. We disagree with this ruling and the message it sends and hope that survivors of sexual violence everywhere are able to get the help and support they need.

A report issued today by the Catholic Church in Poland says that 292 clergymen sexually abused 368 boys and girls between 2018-2020. We urge secular authorities to investigate every diocese in the country, as it appears that the Church's appalling record on abuse continues unabated.

We also call on Vatican officials to do more than just punish a few Polish Bishops and Archbishops. The ongoing investigation of negligence by the now-retired Cardinal Dziwisz must be amplified and expedited. The first report on abuse cases from Poland listed 625 minors who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of 382 clergies. 42 previously named perpetrators re-appear in this current report. We hope that this does not mean that those dangerous men remained in ministry.

We are angered to learn Pope Francis appointed the Pennsylvania Bishop Mark Bartchak to the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest court. Making matters worse is the fact that when the appointment was announced, the media failed to mention Bartchak's role described in the scathing 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report and we feel that Bishop Bartchak's role in the cover-up of abuse should disqualify him from this position of honor.

We are disappointed to learn that HB951 has been taken off the table in the Pennsylvania Senate. This bill would have opened a two-year window for survivors of child sex abuse to sue their perpetrators and any institution that enabled them. Instead, Majority Leader Senator Kim Ward essentially blocked this bill from a full Senate vote. HB951 passed the House and Judiciary committee by an overwhelming margin, yet Senator Ward and a handful of colleagues claim the bill is "unconstitutional."

As yet another mass grave of indigenous children has been found in Canada, our hearts ache for the victimized children and their families. As disturbing as this news is, we hope that the discovery of these unconscionable actions by Canadian Catholic officials will inspire action on behalf of these forgotten children. We also hope that it will lead to a reckoning for all those involved in any crimes these boys and girls may have suffered.

Fr. Robert Joseph Cedolia was placed on administrative leave in 2019 after an allegation was made against him through the Reconciliation and Compensation Program for the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Diocesan officials claimed that was the first complaint they had against the clergyman. The accusation dated back to the 1990s when Fr. Cedolia worked as pastor of Our Lady of Joy in Plum, Pennsylvania.

Fr. Cedolia is now facing criminal charges.  He is accused of molesting an eight year old boy at the Plum parish. The cleric is charged with aggravated indecent assault of a person under the age of 13, committing a sexual offense against a minor, and corruption of minors. An arraignment is scheduled for July 8, 2021.