INQUISITION NEWS: A history of clerical abuse in Delaware

A history of abuse

2002

A scandal erupts nationwide over how the Catholic Church handled accusations of child sexual abuse against hundreds of priests. The Vatican outlines a new policy defining abuse and outlining how bishops should deal with allegations.

January 2003

The Diocese of Wilmington says it has received credible allegations of sexual abuse of children against 18 priests dating to 1952. Three are named: two who had resigned and one who had been relieved of his duties. The diocese refuses to release the names of the remaining 15 priests, saying seven were dead and none was in active ministry.

January 2004

The diocese acknowledges that 60 people have accused priests of abuse in the past 50 years, and that the diocese has paid $1.6 million to victims and families. The diocese says substantiated claims had been made against one now-deceased priest, bringing the total to 19.

February 2005

The diocese acknowledges a $65,000 payment to a former Wilmington man to reimburse him for counseling needed after years of abuse by a diocesan priest, the Rev. Edward B. Carley, who died in 1998.

October 2005

The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office releases an extensive grand jury report about sexual-abuse allegations in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. That report reveals the names of several priests from the Diocese of Wilmington.

October 2005

The News Journal makes the first public attempt to chronicle how church leaders in Delaware handled molestation claims. The diocese now has acknowledged that at least 30 priests had been accused of molesting more than 60 children since 1950, but refuses to release a full list of names, saying it sees no compelling reason to do so. The newspaper's review showed that in many ways, the Diocese of Wilmington followed the same pattern revealed in Boston, Philadelphia and other dioceses, where abusive priests were quietly transferred from parish to parish.