Local Clergymen Accused Of Past Sex Abuse
AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- The Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church has released a list of names of Jesuits with credible accusations of sex abuse against them in the past. That list includes several from Regis Jesuit High School.
All the accusations are decades old. They involve Mark Clark and Father Paul Pilgrim, whose accusations against them directly involved their time at Regis.
Also on the list is Father Aruthur Verdieck who served at both the high school and Regis college. The list also names Fathers Michael Barry, Eugene Maio, and Phillip Kraus, although the accusations did not involve Regis.
Regis Jesuit High School President David Card issued this statement, "This revelation carries with it a great deal of renewed pain for members of the community."
He added that the school is hoping any possible victims of sex abuse come forward who have not done so already.
Full Statement by David Card, President of Regis Jesuit High School:
The list released today by the Central and Southern Province (UCS) of the Society of Jesus is an initial step in providing transparency in regard to its history with sexual abuse. All Jesuits missioned to Regis Jesuit High School are assigned to us through the UCS Province, formerly known the Missouri Province. This is one of the first steps the UCS Province is taking in a larger process of acknowledging and disclosing its history, which we in turn acknowledge is intertwined with the history of Regis Jesuit High School.
This revelation carries with it a great deal of renewed pain for members of the community. As president and an alumnus of Regis Jesuit High School, I want to express my sincere compassion for the victims for the pain caused by Jesuits serving at Regis Jesuit in the past.
At Regis Jesuit today, we work to create a community built on trust, dignity, integrity and respect and provide a safe and productive environment that focuses on developing young men and women who are with and for others. We have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to any sexual, inappropriate, physical or emotionally abusive interaction between students and teachers or staff and will engage local authorities immediately to investigate any credible allegation of misconduct. In addition:
- All employees of Regis Jesuit, including our Jesuits, faculty, staff, coaches and volunteers who work directly with students, are background checked and must attend safe environment and sexual harassment awareness and prevention training, which includes what it means to be a mandatory reporter. Employees have also attended training conducted by the Blue Bench on bystander awareness and response.
- All of our Jesuits are screened through a more rigorous process and attend an annual safe environment program through the Jesuit Province to safeguard against abuse of minors.
CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.