The late Bishop Weldon of Springfield, Mass. is now credibly accused of sexually abusing an altar boy in the 1960s.
Weldon served as a priest at NYC's St. Patrick's Cathedral, but @cnalive couldn't get comment on whether NYC parishioners were notified.
catholicnewsagency.com/news/deceased-…
Weldon served as a priest at NYC's St. Patrick's Cathedral, but @cnalive couldn't get comment on whether NYC parishioners were notified.
catholicnewsagency.com/news/deceased-…
Bishop Weldon's alleged abuse in 1960s Mass. had two priest accomplices.
Credible allegations that a bishop collaborated with two priests in sexually abusing boys should be a big deal.
This is grooming gang behavior.
Credible allegations that a bishop collaborated with two priests in sexually abusing boys should be a big deal.
This is grooming gang behavior.
While +Weldon died in 1982 and hadn't had a role in the New York archdiocese since 1950, he served as executive director of the NY archdiocese's Catholic Charities and was master of ceremonies for the deeply influential Cardinal Francis Spellman.
Cardinal Spellman consecrated +Weldon as bishop. +Weldon ordained as a priest the future Bishop of Springfield Thomas Dupre--the first bishop to be indicted for criminal sex abuse.
Some critics and observers have worried that some Catholic clergy sex abusers had control of their diocese's chancery and removed incriminating documents.
Before abuse allegations against Bishop Dupre became public, Dupre, a past chancellor, vicar general and aux. bishop, went on the record to reject claims that Weldon tampered with evidence.
poynter.org/reporting-edit…
poynter.org/reporting-edit…
+Dupre's alleged victims say he intentionally contacted them to intimidate them into silence when he became auxiliary bishop and then Bishop of Springfield in 1995.
Insurance companies later tried to argued that the Springfield diocese abuse records were destroyed, though the diocese denied the charges.
masslive.com/news/2019/06/s…
masslive.com/news/2019/06/s…
The apparent sexual abuse "grooming gang" around Springfield's Bishop Weldon echos some recent alleged claims that ex-Cardinal McCarrick had a procurer and collaborators among Catholic clergy and religious brothers. catholicnewsagency.com/news/lawsuit-c…
Cardinal Spellman consecrated Bishop Weldon as a bishop, and ordained McCarrick to the priesthood.
While Spellman's exact involvement or knowledge needs to be clarified, we can safely claim that a grooming gang was in his orbit and likely took advantage of his influence.
While Spellman's exact involvement or knowledge needs to be clarified, we can safely claim that a grooming gang was in his orbit and likely took advantage of his influence.
Given what has come out about Bishops Weldon and Dupre, we need more social network analysis from researchers like @SSBullivant to better understand sex abuse and the grooming of both proteges and victims. catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-ted-…
Like the Springfield, Mass. diocese, there are fears and circumstantial evidence that an alleged sex abuser who was diocesan administrator of the Denver archdiocese in the 1980s might have messed with incriminating records, as @JesseAPaul reports.
coloradosun.com/2020/02/19/law…
coloradosun.com/2020/02/19/law…
In cases of criminal sex abuse, reactions can range from "everybody knew" to "how could we have known?" to "why didn't we see the signs sooner?"
Even McCarrick's own victims speak of how their innocent family members feel guilty and complicit.
Even McCarrick's own victims speak of how their innocent family members feel guilty and complicit.
Historians and researchers of Catholic sex abuse should consider the military careers of some prominent abusers. During World War II, +Weldon was a chaplain for four years with lieutenant commander rank. He spent 16 months on the Navy carrier Guadalcanal.
Something else we can't ignore: the late Bishop Weldon of Springfield, an alleged participant with priests in sex abuse of boys, was a Council Father all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. (One of about 2,600, but still a position of influence.)
