Former Albany Bishop Accused of Abuse in New York Lawsuit

A former Catholic bishop from Albany is being accused of child sexual abuse according to a newly filed New York lawsuit. We hope that this news will encourage others who saw or suspected abuse to come forward and make a report to police.

Bishop Howard Hubbard is alleged to have molested a child in the 1990s while he was working as the Bishop of Albany. According to the lawsuit, Bishop Hubbard and another priest, Fr. Paul Bondi, abused the boy while he and his family were members of St. Mary’s Parish in Ballston Spa, NY. 

This accusation now places Bishop Hubbard among dozens of bishops world-wide who themselves have been accused of child sexual abuse. Bishop Hubbard was also not the only Catholic prelate named in an abuse suit in New York; Bishop Robert Guglielmone of Charleston, SC was also accused in a lawsuit yesterday. These allegations are shocking but not surprising, especially after the Boston Globe and Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out earlier this year that one-third of all sitting U.S. Bishops have been accused of concealing abuse, and at least 15 of committing abuse or harassment.

Given the power held by bishops, we fear that other allegations in the Diocese of Albany may have been obfuscated or ignored, so we hope that law enforcement officials are watching this case closely.

We also hope that these allegations are acted upon swiftly by Catholic officials both in the US and in the Vatican. We are grateful to the victims who have come forward and hope that they have reported to police and New York Attorney General Letitia James as well. Finally, we hope that this news encourages anyone who may have seen, suspected or suffered any misdeeds by any Catholic priest, nun, deacon, brother or staffer to come forward and make a report to law enforcement immediately. 

 

CONTACT: Zach Hiner, Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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