Nearly 300 Abused By 71 Priests Since 1953, Bridgeport Diocese Says

The report, released Tuesday, Oct. 1, during a press conference, found repeated instances of sexual abuse, and that since 1953, nearly 300 individuals were abused by 71 priests.

The report goes on to say that the abuse was known about as early as 1953. In all, 281 people, nearly all minors, were abused in the church's 66-year history that the report was able to document.

Retired Superior Court Judge Robert Holzberg was hired by the diocese and the Most Rev. Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport in 2018 to conduct the investigation. He was assisted by the law firm Pullman and Comley, LLC.

Holzberg said it is likely that there are more victims and clergy abusers than have been identified.

"The abuse ranged from lewd behavior in front of victims to violent assaults. It had many profound effects on the victims over and above the sexual abuse itself, including long-term mental health problems, fear of retaliation after the fact, and estrangement from their families and from their religious faith," the report states.

Until the early 2000s, the collective response of diocesan officials to the sexual abuse crisis was inadequate in nearly every way, but the single gravest moral and legal lapse was the consistent practice of Bishops Lawrence Shehan, Walter Curtis, and Edward Egan—over four decades—of leaving abusive priests in service, the report found.

The investigation also found that until 1990, Bishops Curtis and Egan failed even to acknowledge, let alone comply with, their legal obligations arising from the 1971 state law mandating that priests report allegations of child sexual abuse to either law enforcement or the Department of Children and Families.

Egan, who died in March 2015, and served as Bridgeport's bishop from 1988 to 200, went on to serve as the Cardinal of New York, was outright hostile to abuse victims, the report said.

Caggiano, who became Bridgeport's bishop in 2013 said in a letter to the parish: "The report explores a deep wound in the life of our Church, one that has profoundly changed and challenged all of us. Yet there is reason for hope because so much work has already been done to create awareness, to protect our children and prevent future abuse."

The entire report can be found on the diocese website, along with Caggiano's letter and a list of priests it has determined have been credibly accused of abuse, now up to 41.

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