Priest Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Abuse

Father Paul Shanley, accused of shocking crimes in a sex abuse crisis that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to three counts of child rape.

Rejecting defense suggestions that Shanley is a harmless, 71-year-old man in “not the greatest of physical health,” a judge ordered the Roman Catholic priest held on $750,000 cash bail.

Shanley was extradited Monday from San Diego after a 24-year-old man told authorities that over a seven-year period, 1983 to 1990, Shanley repeatedly raped him after Catholic doctrine classes in nearby Newton, Mass.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lynn Rooney said Shanley molested the young man “on almost a weekly basis.” While Shanley stared ahead placidly, Rooney offered graphic descriptions of abuse that allegedly took place in a church rectory, bathroom and confessional, beginning when the alleged victim was just 6 years old.

The white-haired priest is at the center of a scandal over clerical sexual abuse that has reverberated around the world. Since January, more than 200 priests in this country have been suspended or have resigned amid an avalanche of sexual abuse allegations.

Records Showed History of Allegations

In the course of a civil suit involving Shanley, the Boston Archdiocese last month was forced to hand over more than 1,600 pages of records that documented a long trail of child abuse allegations. Church officials here knew of the complaints about Shanley but assigned him to a parish where he worked with children.

In 1990, the archdiocese approved Shanley’s transfer to Southern California, describing him in a letter as a priest “in good standing.”

In court Tuesday, Shanley was a shadow of the dashing figure who roared around Boston on a motorcycle in the 1980s and who boasted in church correspondence about teaching children how to inject drugs. He wore a striped T-shirt under a red sweater and jacket, and with his hands cuffed behind him, he leaned forward to hear District Judge Dyanne Klein confirm that three counts of “not guilty” were entered on his behalf.

Frank Mondano, his attorney, painted a picture of a man with deep roots in New England. Shanley’s brother and sister live in Massachusetts, along with 11 nieces and nephews, the lawyer said. For several years he has lived “uninterruptedly” in San Diego, but where, his lawyer said, “he has been hounded by the press” since his name surfaced in the church scandal.

Mondano argued that Shanley did not pose a flight risk and that “he is here to face the charges, your honor.” The lawyer continued, “He stands before this court as an innocent man.”

But Deputy Dist. Atty. Rooney produced “documented admissions” from Shanley that allegedly acknowledged sexual misconduct with minors. She noted that Shanley also wrote about establishing a post office box in the U.S., then leaving the country.

“You laughed when I suggested moving to Costa Rica, but it might be worth considering,” Shanley wrote in a January 1994 missive to a Boston church official. “It might be cheaper and it might allay the concerns of the victims.”

Rooney also quoted from correspondence that she said showed efforts by church officials to help Shanley hide. In return, Shanley told a priest in one letter, “If you need to stash a priest, I could probably help.”

Cardinal to be Deposed Today

Although still affiliated with the Boston Archdiocese, Shanley retired from active duty as a priest in 1993. In San Diego he worked as a volunteer for the Police Department. He was fired in April after officials learned of the allegations against him.

Each count against Shanley carries a possible sentence of life in prison. He is due back in court May 30 for a pretrial conference.

Shanley’s first court appearance comes on the eve of a scheduled deposition of Cardinal Bernard Law. Law is to be questioned in a case involving 86 alleged victims of defrocked priest John J. Geoghan.

Geoghan’s child molestation conviction in January unleashed the sex abuse crisis, when the Boston Globe printed documents showing that church officials knew of Geoghan’s history as a child molester yet repeatedly moved him from parish to parish as he continued to work with children.

Many of the Boston area’s 2.1 million Roman Catholics have demanded that Law step down. After a secret meeting last month with Pope John Paul II, Law vowed to remain at his post.

At the archdiocese , spokeswoman Donna M. Morrissey had no comment Tuesday about Shanley’s arraignment or about Law’s impending testimony.

Rooney acknowledged that most of the complaints about Shanley that have come into her office fell outside the statute of limitations. But she said that “very recently, a handful have come forward” that may be actionable.