 |
Feb 19 2004
Bishop William Murphy has issued an apology that "66 clergymen associated with the Diocese of Rockville Centre had been accused of abusing minors between 1957 and 2002".
"I apologize again because I know that, as a Catholic bishop in the United States, I will go to my grave with the knowledge that I can never make up or restore to the victims the innocence lost and suffering experienced," Bishop Murphy said in a statement posted on the diocese Web site.
According to Murphy, since the diocese was founded in 1957, 132 people alleged that 42 priests from the diocese and 16 clergy members sexually abused by them. This does not include eight religious brothers from other dioceses that were accussed.
The diocese has spent $3.8 million in settlements, expenses and therapy for victims.
Murphy even wrote that "One is one too many."
Here is the breakdown of when the accusations of priestly abuse occured:
7% during the 1950s;
26% during the 1960s;
29% during the 1970s;
23% during the 1980s;
14% during the 1990s;
1% during the 2000s.
Average number of years between the occurrence of an incident and the report of the incident was
42.4 years for the 1950s incidents;
33.2 years for the 1960s;
21.6 years for the 1970s;
14.5 years for the 1980s;
5.9 years for the 1990s;
and 0 year(s) for the 2000s.
The percentage of accused in relation to the number of priests serving in the Diocese was
1.6% of priests serving the Diocese in the 1950s;
4.0% of priests serving in the 1960s;
3.6% of priests serving in the 1970s;
1.7% of priests serving in the 1980s;
1.0% of priests serving in the 1990s;
0.6% of priests serving in the 2000s.
2.08 TOTAL (1950-2000)
*Please note that priestly abuse may not have actually DECLINED as the years go by, it's just that it takes a while for kids to come out and have the courage to talk about it*
Newsdsay and a Massachusetts attorney general's grand jury report personally accuse Murphy of mishandling abuse cases. Newsday examed some 40,000 pages of Boston court documents and came to the conclusion that it was Bishop William F. Murphy - not his subordinate with a similar name - was responsible for supervising one-third of the priest sex abuse cases in Boston. The grand jury report said that Murphy administered complaints about 402 victims alleging abuse by 191 priests, and in all but one case he did not report abuse to police.
Here are some recent news articles about the Bishop. There cannot be a better time than NOW to put as much pressure on this bastard. Contact him and demand he resign!
LI Bishop Issues Apology, Releases Statistics of Sexual Abuse Allegations
LI Bishop Apologizes for Abuse
Text of Bishops Response to John Jay Report
Could Catholics Forgive Murphy?
More Newsday Articles...