It’s taken more than 20 years for the dozen or so men allegedly molested by a former Catholic priest in Colorado to come forward and make their horrific stories public. It took courage, and our hearts go out to them.
Notable as the stories have unfolded in recent days is the apparent shift in the church’s response. The archdiocese of Denver was first told about some of the alleged abuses by Harold Robert White more than 30 years ago but inexcusably did nothing about it, allowing him to continue serving and moving him from parish to parish.
A past complainant told The Denver Post that White received a terse response from the church. But one victim who reported his abuse to the church in 2003, many years after it occurred, said he received an apology from Archbishop Charles Chaput along with a welcome offer of counseling.
It is absolutely critical that current church leaders take these allegations seriously and follow current church guidelines in reporting the incidents to authorities.
An archdiocesan lawyer reported the 2003 allegation to the Loveland Police Department, but it was determined that the statute of limitations had run out. The criminal statute of limitations on child sexual abuse is 10 years past the victim’s 18th birthday.
A 2002 state law and new archdiocesan policy – both put in place the same year the clergy sex abuse scandal began unraveling in Boston – requires the church to make the report to police.
No longer a priest, White is 72 now and living in Denver. His own godson was among his alleged victims. White’s only response to date is that he doesn’t remember the first man who came forward.
Church officials have not said whether the alleged molestations played a role in White leaving the priesthood, or even whether he left voluntarily or was dismissed. We can only assume a connection. For the church to acknowledge the reason for his departure could raise questions as to why White was not reported to authorities sooner and why parents in the parishes where he served were not warned of the allegations.
We know from The Post’s reports that White was moved through 11 parishes, but he never faced criminal or civil charges. That was the pattern in Boston, which led to the resignation of a cardinal in 2002.
White has not commented on the allegations, but those who are coming forward now deserve a resolution.
