U.S. Bishops Accused of Abuse

In the sexual abuse crisis, attention has focused on priests who have sexually abused children; the problem of bishops and major superiors who abuse has not received systematic scrutiny. Yet a bishop who is guilty of child abuse, or who has other violations of celibacy to conceal, has compromised his role in the formation of his priests and in assigning them properly. Bishops who sexually abuse seminarians, as Anthony J. O'Connell has admitted doing, may establish a generational pattern of clergy abuse. The following list includes 25 U.S. bishops who have been publicly accused of sexually abusing minors.

Arzube | Bransfield | Brown | Cowley | Dudley | Dupré | Ferrario | Gelineau | Harrington | Hart | Hubbard | Medeiros | Nienstedt |O'Brien | O'Connell | Rausch | Rueger | Ryan | Skylstad | Soens | James S. Sullivan | Joseph V. Sullivan | Symons | Weldon | Williams | Ziemann |

Last

First

Career

Description

Sources

Arzube

Juan A.

Accused in 2003 of abusing a boy age 11 in 1975-76. LA archdiocese and LA Times list 1 allegation. Named in civil suit and included in $660M settlement in 2007.

Brown

Tod D.

Accused in 2007 of sexually abusing a boy age 12 in 1965. Brown admitted in 9/07 deposition that he had been accused and that diocese had investigated. He denied the abuse.

Orange County Weekly 4.24.07; Brown Deposition 9.10.07; LA Times 9.14.07; OC Register 9.30.07

Cowley

Jeff Anderson and Associates 02.11.15; Star Tribune 02.27.15
Assignments:
BA.org Assignment Record

Dudley

Paul V.

Accused in 5/02 of fondling an altar boy age 11 or 12 in 1950s. Dudley denied the charges. Two women also complained that he had molested them years previously. Church investigation found no evidence to support complaints.

Dupré

Thomas L.

Accused in 2004 of sexually abusing two youths 20 years previously. Resigned same day and was sent to St. Luke's Institute where he was apparently still in treatment as of 6/06. Was sued in 2004. Indicted on two counts of rape in 2004 but not prosecuted because statute of limitations had expired.

Ferrario

Joseph A.

Accused in 1989-90 and sued in 1991 for repeated sexual abuse of a teen-age boy, after Ferrario succeeded in the parish the boy's first priest-abuser, who had begun to abuse the boy at age 5. Ferrario denied the charge.

Time 8.19.91; Honolulu Star Bulletin 2.27.04

Gelineau

Louis E.

Accused in 1997 of taking an 11- or 12-year-old boy at St. Joseph's Orphanage in Burlington VT off by himself in 1951and pulling the boy's fly down. When the boy fled, Gelineau allegedly pursued him and tried to drown him. At the time, Gelineau was a brother at the orphanage, scene of much physical and sexual abuse. Gelineau's accuser also alleged sexual abuse by the orphanage chaplain. In a 1997 deposition, Gelineau stated that he remembered the boy at the orphanage. In his deposition, Gelineau also denies having any sexual contact with an altar boy in 1993.

Cadorette Deposition 5.16.97; Gelineau Deposition 4.2.97

Harrington

Timothy J.

Accused in 3/29/05 suit of sexually abusing a boy from age 11 to 15 three times; abuse consisted of genital fondling, anal penetration, and oral copulation. The diocese examined diocesan records and stated that it "found no basis of credibility to the claims."

MA Superior Court No. 05-0331(B); AP 3.31.05

Hart

Joseph H.

In 2002 the diocese of Cheyenne announced allegations that Hart had sexually abused 2 junior HS boys in the early 1970s in Kansas City; the allegations had come to the diocese in 1989 and 1992. An allegation pertaining to Hart's time as an auxiliary in Cheyenne was deemed not credible. In 2004, Hart was sued by 3 other men alleging abuse when they were boys. Hart is alleged to have had repeated sex with one boy during out-of-state trips, and is accused of bringing boys back to Kansas City for sexual purposes while he was bishop of Cheyenne.

Wyoming Tribune Eagle 4.25.02; Wyoming Tribune Eagle 5.15.02; Wyoming Tribune Eagle 7.30.02; Kansas City Star 1.22.04; NCR 2.6.04; NCR 9.16.05

Hubbard

Howard J.

Accused in 2004 of paying a teenager for sex on two occasions in the 1970s. Hubbard commissioned an investigation to examine this charge, as well as other allegations of sexual misconduct with adult males. The investigation, which did not have access to the complainant, found no credible evidence that Hubbard had violated his vow of celibacy.

White Report 6.24.04; Times Union 6.25.04

Medeiros

Nienstedt

John C.

Accused in 2013 of inappropriate touching of a boy's buttocks during a photo session after a confirmation in 2009. County attorney found "insufficient evidence" of abuse in March 2014. Nienstedt returned to full duty as archbishop. Internal investigation of alleged misconduct toward adults revealed July 2014. It reportedly found Nienstedt made "sexual advances" toward two priests. Resigned June 2015, per 401.2, soon after archdiocese was charged criminally for contributing to child sex abuse.

Letter by Nienstedt 12.17.13; Star Tribune
3.11.14; MPR 06.15.15

O'Brien

O'Connell

Anthony J.

Accused in 2002 of sexually abusing a student from 9th through 12th grade at St. Thomas Aquinas Preparatory Seminary in Hannibal, where O'Connell was rector. Complainant had gone to O'Connell because of prior abuse by another priest. O'Connell admitted the abuse and another similar case and resigned. Others came forward, totaling 9 by 2004, when 2 of 3 cases were settled. O'Connell moved to the Trappists' Mepkin Abbey near Moncks Corner SC. O'Connell died in 2012.

Rausch

James S.

Accused in a 2001 affidavit of repeatedly having sex with a 17-year-old boy and giving him money, and then passing the boy on to Revs. Robert C. Trupia and William T. Byrne, who also had sex with the boy, no longer a minor, and employed him at the marriage tribunal to ensure his silence. Trupia would later win an appeal to the Vatican regarding his suspension.

Boston Globe 8.20.02

Rueger

George E.

Sued in 2002. Accused of abusing a boy aged 13-14 in 1960s after giving him alcohol. Suit dropped 2003 by plaintiff. Diocesan investigation found no proof of charges and Pope's representative to the US agreed with the findings.

Ryan

Daniel L.

Accused in 1999 suit of having multiple homosexual relationships, including one involving a 15-year-old boy in 1984. Ryan denied having such relationships.

AP 10.28.99; Herald News 5.05.02; Herald News 8.11.02; St. Louis Post Dispatch 9.4.02; State Journal-Register 2.3.04

Skylstad

William S.

Accused in 2005 of sexually abusing a girl under age 18 in 1961-64. Skylstad denied the allegation.

Soens

Lawrence D.

Accused of sadistic abuse of 3 high school boys in 1960s. 1 claim settled for $20K in 2004. 2 suits pending as of 5/06. 7 new suits filed 5/06. Apparently 1 new suit with 13 plaintiffs filed 8/06 alleging abuse 1959-67. In 2/06 diocesan investigative panel found behavior may have been inappropriate but was apparently not sexual.

Symons

Joseph K.

Resigned 6/98 when accused of molesting a boy who reported the abuse to a church official. Symons admitted abuse and also the abuse of 4 other boys. Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee knew of abuse in 1995 but did not act.

Weldon

Christopher J.

Accused in 3/29/05 suit of sexually abusing a boy from age 11 to 16 about three times; abuse consisted of genital fondling, anal penetration, and oral copulation. The diocese examined diocesan records and stated that it "found no basis of credibility to the claims."

MA Superior Court No. 05-0331(B); Republican 3.31.05

Ziemann

G. Patrick

Named in archdiocesan report as abuser of 3 in 1967-86. Resigned as Bishop of Santa Rosa Diocese 1999. Suit in 2002 alleges abuse of youth in 1968 and lasting several years. Living in Tucson without faculties. Ziemann has denied at least one of the allegations.

Note: The bishops included in this table and in our Database of Accused Priests meet the conditions described in our posting policy. This table and the database do not state or imply that individuals facing allegations are guilty of a crime or liable for civil claims. The reports contained in the database are merely allegations. The U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements.

We have not included Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, who has been accused of sexual misconduct with seminarians. McCarrick is not included on our list because the alleged victims were not minors 1.

We have also excluded from the table and the database the following allegations that were subsequently recanted or demonstrated to be incorrect: two allegations in 1992 against Bishop Gerald F. O'Keefe 1 2; an allegation in 1993 against Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin 3 4; two allegations in 2002 against Cardinal Roger M. Mahony 5 6 7; and an allegation in 2002 against Cardinal Edward M. Egan 8.