Priest Vows to Fight Sexual Abuse Charge

A priest suspended on a charge that he sexually abused a child more than 30 years ago became the first member of the clergy here on Monday to publicly challenge his accusers within the church, heatedly denying the allegations and declaring that he will fight to keep his job.

“I have done nothing,” Father D. George Spagnolia said at a news conference at St. Patrick’s Parish in Lowell, north of Boston.

About 200 supporters broke into applause as their pastor, known as Father Spag, added in slow, measured tones, “I demand due process.”

More than 80 priests from the Boston Archdiocese have been named in a sexual abuse scandal that bubbled over early this year with the child molestation trial and conviction of defrocked priest John J. Geoghan, now serving nine to 10 years in prison and also awaiting trials in at least two other criminal cases.

Spagnolia’s forceful denial comes amid concerns that the impulse to publicly purge the church of known pedophiles may lead to false accusations--and even, some fear, a potential witch hunt. The Boston Archdiocese began providing names of alleged abusers within the clergy after documents associated with the Geoghan case revealed that church officials shielded many priests known to have molested children.

In some cases, the church merely moved the priests from one parish to another--a practice known euphemistically as “the geographic cure.” In at least 70 cases, the archdiocese here has settled millions of dollars in child sexual abuse claims.

Some charges date back more than 40 years. Some priests are alleged to have committed multiple molestations. Others, such as Spagnolia, are charged with a single act of child sexual abuse.

Boston College theology professor Thomas Groome, a former priest, said Monday that he was “amazed” that no one has come forward sooner to challenge charges that may have been festering for decades.

“I’m sure one of the reasons, God help us, was that the evidence was there,” Groome said. “But I would imagine that where the accusations had been made and never established or verified--especially when the acts were supposed to have taken place 20, 30 years ago--that not all of these charges are true.”

The rush to “make up for years where we didn’t have sufficient oversight could go to the other extreme,” warned Groome, adding: “Whether it’s Taliban prisoners or pedophile priests, we can never suspend people’s civil rights.”

But David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, said Monday from St. Louis that “it’s almost ludicrous to think that a church that has for decades erred on the side of protecting its reputation suddenly would go to the far other extreme.”

Clohessy, who said he was abused by a priest in Missouri in the 1960s, cautioned: “We have to remember, this isn’t an overly zealous, politically ambitious elected official who removed this priest. It’s not a money-grubbing attorney. It is the very same cardinal who for decades kept dozens of pedophiles in place in his church.”

Boston’s Cardinal Bernard F. Law, this country’s most senior Roman Catholic prelate, has consistently rebuffed demands that he step down in the face of the scandal rocking his diocese. In Sunday’s Boston Globe, a full page of letters devoted to the controversy almost universally called for the cardinal’s ouster.

Donna Morrissey, spokeswoman for the Boston Archdiocese, did not return calls Monday seeking a comment in the Spagnolia matter.

At his news conference Monday, Spagnolia denounced the “zero tolerance” policy toward sexual abuse in the clergy adopted last month by the Boston archdiocese. Church officials here agreed to forward the names of priests accused of sexual misconduct to law enforcement agencies.

Noting that a single, perhaps questionable charge of sexual abuse could end a priest’s career, Spagnolia said, “As evil as the abuse of a child is, do we respond to that evil with another evil?”

Spagnolia said he informed the cardinal via certified letter that he intends to fight his removal from his parish duties. He also invited the cardinal to produce proof that a review committee from within the archdiocese followed church procedure by investigating the claim before stripping him of his post.

“I believe that ultimately, this case very well could go to Rome,” he said.

Spagnolia said church officials told him the allegation against him was made Feb. 16 and allegedly took place 31 years ago, when he worked at a church in Boston’s Roxbury section.

With his suspension Friday, Spagnolia became the 10th priest in the Boston archdiocese to be removed from active duty after allegations of sexual abuse of a minor.

“I and many others believe that this policy is unjust and inherently evil in its implementation,” Spagnolia said. “I cannot stand by mute and allow this injustice to continue unchecked.”

Spagnolia’s decision to fight back may in fact bode well for the church, said Groome, author of a new book called “What Makes Us Catholic.”

“For the first time, priests are talking back and hiring lawyers, and saying to their own church, ‘Hey, you can’t just push us around,’ ” Groome said. “I think there will be such a thing as public due process within the church.”

The uproar in the Catholic community here has rippled throughout the country as other diocesan officials comb through charges of sexual abuse by priests.

In nearby Manchester, N.H., for example, the names of 14 priests accused of sexually abusing children were given to state prosecutors this month as a direct result of the attention given the issue in Boston.

In Tucson, the Catholic Diocese said Monday it may have to borrow money to pay off a settlement reached in 11 lawsuits alleging four priests molested boys.

The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but a spokesman said most of it would have to be borrowed or come from surpluses in the diocese’s parishes or from donations.

Advocates for victims of clerical sexual abuse, meanwhile, have welcomed the notice given to a problem that for years went virtually unreported.

“I would caution this priest and his followers that if he is innocent, that will emerge over time,” said Clohessy.

“There are few things worse than being falsely accused of child molestation,” he conceded. “But one thing I guarantee you is worse, and it is being molested.”