By Mindy Ragan Wood
Staff Writer
A report commissioned by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Paul S. Coakley shows how it has historically mishandled sex abuse allegations.
Coakley hired McAfee & Taft, a law firm that specializes in corporate and institutional investigations to evaluate the Archdiocese’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests, the report states. The investigative team had access to more than 500 files clergy files from 1960 to 2018. Of all the clergy whose files were reviewed, only 2 percent of allegations were substantiated.
The firm named 11 priests were the center of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors including Yukon’s former Father Ben Zoeller. Zoeller was stripped of his priestly title and benefits in 2011.
Findings of the report cite inadequacies in the Archdiocese’s record keeping policies and systems that have resulted in the “intentional or accidental deletion of records documenting or relating to allegations of sexual abuse of minors,” the report reads.
Investigators determined the Archdiocese failed in some instances to take appropriate action when presented with credible allegations that its priests had sexually abused minors including a failure to monitor certain priests of concern to the Archdiocese.
A second finding showed the Archdiocese had failed to follow its own policies and procedures relating to allegation so sexual abuse of minors, particularly when the Archdiocese was involved in litigation or when presenting key factual evidence to the Archdiocesan Review Board, the report states.
The law firm made several suggestions to improve reporting practices such as modernizing and improving its record keeping system to ensure it tracks documents relating to abuse complaints. It also recommends that an independent investigator should be hired so the possibility of bias is lessened.
The report also states there should be improved public communications about the actions taken by the Archdiocese relating to allegations of sexual abuse minors and that all Archdiocese personnel and clergy should immediately report sex abuse concerns to the Archdiocese.
The firm used several factors to determine which complaints of sexual abuse were credible. In addition to criminal convictions of an abuser, it included those who were removed after internal investigations of sexual abuse claims. Claims were considered credible if, after the internal investigation, a priest was removed from contact with a minor, was removed from ministry or restricted ministry, settlements paid to alleged victims. It also included as credible allegations if there was more than one complaint whether it occurred in the Archdiocese or elsewhere, and witness statements, corroborating testimony and other documents.
In recent years the Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has adopted safety practices. Anyone is employed by parishes or schools in the Archdiocese must pass a background check with references, completed interviews and safety training even if they do not work with children in an official capacity.
Allegations of sexual abuse are “reported to the appropriate law enforcement and child protections agencies as required by state law and the archdioceses’ safe environment policy,” its website states.
The Archdiocese has an agreement with the Oklahoma City Police Department and the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office to log allegations of past abuse even if the incident is past the statute of limitations.
Coakley admitted fault in the Archdiocese.
“The long and the short of it is you trusted us, and we failed,” Coakley said in a prepared statement. “Though we have made significant progress on many fronts since the 2002 publication of the U.S. bishops’ ‘Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People,’ we must do better. I want to begin by expressing my profound sorrow and most sincere apologies to each person who has ever been a victim of sexual abuse by anyone representing the Church. I also am sorry for the complicity and negligence of those who failed to respond adequately to reports of abuse, for whatever reason, whether they are bishops, priests, deacons, religious or lay persons representing the Church.”
The full report is available at archokc.com/clergyabusereport.
