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CNN Live Saturday
Will The Death Of Father Geoghan In Prison Affect Other Pending Cases?
Aired August 23, 2003 - 18:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with breaking news. Former priest and convicted child molester John Geoghan is dead after being attacked in a Massachusetts prison.
Our Michael Okwu is in New York with the details. Michael, what can you tell us? How did this happen?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN: Well Andrea, the defrocked priest was assaulted and killed while serving time in a correctional facility in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Now, according to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, Geoghan was assaulted around noon, taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead about two hours later.
Now more details surrounding Geoghan's death are still sketchy at this point, but he was part of a general population of 27 other inmates.
Geoghan was 68; he was convicted in January 2002 on one count of indecent assault and battery of a child, charges stemming from his 1991 molestation of a ten-year-old boy in a swimming pool. He was serving the maximum nine to ten years.
Geoghan's case rocked the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Boston after revelations that the Church, under the leadership of Cardinal Bernard Law, shuttled Geoghan from parish to parish despite warnings about his behavior.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese released the following statement. Quote, "Upon hearing the news of the tragic death of John Geoghan, the Archdiocese of Boston offers prayers for the repose of John's soul and extends it's prayers and consolations to his beloved sister Kathy at this time of personal loss."
Although he was serving time for one case, Andrea, he was also awaiting trial for a child rape that allegedly happened in 1986. In fact, more than 130 people have accused him of sexual abuse during his 30-year career in six parishes.
It turns out all of this was just the beginning for the Church. The scandal mushroomed after a judge ordered the release of church files involving dozens of priests, dozens of examples of abuse, dozens of instances in which church leaders moved priests to different parishes after allegations arose. And in December, Cardinal Law was forced to resign and today the Archdiocese is negotiating to sell some 540 special claims for roughly $56 to $55 million -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: And you have to wonder just how Mr. Geoghan's sudden murder in prison might impact those 540 cases. Michael Okwu in New York, thanks very much.
Geoghan's trial and conviction unleashed a sex abuse scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church.
We have a guest now who is joining us on the phone. His name is Scott Appleby with the University of Notre Dame.
He's on the line from South Bend, Indiana. I'd like to begin if I could, Mr. Appleby, by asking you what impact you think that Mr. Geoghan's murder in prison might have within the Catholic community at large.
SCOTT APPLEBY, UNIV. OF NOTRE DAME: Well, I think the announcement from the Archdiocese that prayers would be said for the repose of his soul was fitting and proper. Catholics should pray for anyone in that situation, and I think people will pray for him.
And will pray for John Geoghan in a different way in that he was clearly a troubled soul. At the same time this -- this prevents a kind of closure probably for so many of his victims.
Father Geoghan was accused of molesting over 100 -- the number is sometimes given 130 -- credible accusations of sexual abuse over the course of his priesthood. And many of the lawsuits are still pending and of course the working out of the grief of that abuse is still pending in the lives of so many people, so not that there would ever be closure in a final way for that experience, but the death of Father Geoghan certainly leaves that question wide open for many people.
KOPPEL: What is your reaction to Father Geoghan's murder?
APPLEBY: Well, it's mostly sadness, as one would feel in any case of anyone being killed or murdered and also kind of a poignancy. This was clearly a sick man and a predator priest. He's kind of the icon, sadly, for the scandal that's rocked the Catholic Church.
Father Geoghan was the first -- not the first, actually -- but one of the first major cases, notorious cases and so his death, while some might think, well there's a relief, or even some might say sadly he got what's coming to him, I think the prevailing feeling is one of sadness for what he did, for the state of his own soul and one will pray for that, and also first and foremost for his victims.
KOPPEL: Mr. Appleby if you would, you're a church historian, could you put this in the context for us? Obviously this has been a tremendous scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, but it is only one of many when you look over the last couple thousand years going back to where the popes were selling indulgences.
So just where -- how do you -- how does this size up against the other highs and lows over the last couple thousand years?
APPLEBY: This is the most serious scandal in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, so rather than go back thousands of years, we should say it comes at a particularly unfortunate time when the Catholic Church is already struggling with a number of issues, including the lowering -- the lower number of priests, the need to replace those priests, the need to address some very serious gaps in the education and formation of Catholics in this country.
A whole host of other mini crises and then this enormous sexual abuse scandal, which will cost the church literally tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars, and, in fact, hundreds of millions of dollars in legal settlements, and also a terrible blow to the self- respect and morale of Catholics. It comes at a particularly bad time and one can already say in the history of the church in this country, it is by far the greatest scandal that's occurred.
I don't know how you would begin to compare this to the scandals around so-called bad popes in the past. It's a very different kind of thing because it effects the church really at every level here and it's so well known to every Catholic because of the media that in a sense it's incomparable.
KOPPEL: Well, another sad day in this very, very sad chapter in the Catholic Church. Scott Appleby joining us from South Bend, Indiana. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Pending Cases?>
Aired August 23, 2003 - 18:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with breaking news. Former priest and convicted child molester John Geoghan is dead after being attacked in a Massachusetts prison.
Our Michael Okwu is in New York with the details. Michael, what can you tell us? How did this happen?
MICHAEL OKWU, CNN: Well Andrea, the defrocked priest was assaulted and killed while serving time in a correctional facility in Shirley, Massachusetts.
Now, according to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, Geoghan was assaulted around noon, taken to a hospital, and pronounced dead about two hours later.
Now more details surrounding Geoghan's death are still sketchy at this point, but he was part of a general population of 27 other inmates.
Geoghan was 68; he was convicted in January 2002 on one count of indecent assault and battery of a child, charges stemming from his 1991 molestation of a ten-year-old boy in a swimming pool. He was serving the maximum nine to ten years.
Geoghan's case rocked the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Boston after revelations that the Church, under the leadership of Cardinal Bernard Law, shuttled Geoghan from parish to parish despite warnings about his behavior.
A spokesman for the Archdiocese released the following statement. Quote, "Upon hearing the news of the tragic death of John Geoghan, the Archdiocese of Boston offers prayers for the repose of John's soul and extends it's prayers and consolations to his beloved sister Kathy at this time of personal loss."
Although he was serving time for one case, Andrea, he was also awaiting trial for a child rape that allegedly happened in 1986. In fact, more than 130 people have accused him of sexual abuse during his 30-year career in six parishes.
It turns out all of this was just the beginning for the Church. The scandal mushroomed after a judge ordered the release of church files involving dozens of priests, dozens of examples of abuse, dozens of instances in which church leaders moved priests to different parishes after allegations arose. And in December, Cardinal Law was forced to resign and today the Archdiocese is negotiating to sell some 540 special claims for roughly $56 to $55 million -- Andrea.
KOPPEL: And you have to wonder just how Mr. Geoghan's sudden murder in prison might impact those 540 cases. Michael Okwu in New York, thanks very much.
Geoghan's trial and conviction unleashed a sex abuse scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church.
We have a guest now who is joining us on the phone. His name is Scott Appleby with the University of Notre Dame.
He's on the line from South Bend, Indiana. I'd like to begin if I could, Mr. Appleby, by asking you what impact you think that Mr. Geoghan's murder in prison might have within the Catholic community at large.
SCOTT APPLEBY, UNIV. OF NOTRE DAME: Well, I think the announcement from the Archdiocese that prayers would be said for the repose of his soul was fitting and proper. Catholics should pray for anyone in that situation, and I think people will pray for him.
And will pray for John Geoghan in a different way in that he was clearly a troubled soul. At the same time this -- this prevents a kind of closure probably for so many of his victims.
Father Geoghan was accused of molesting over 100 -- the number is sometimes given 130 -- credible accusations of sexual abuse over the course of his priesthood. And many of the lawsuits are still pending and of course the working out of the grief of that abuse is still pending in the lives of so many people, so not that there would ever be closure in a final way for that experience, but the death of Father Geoghan certainly leaves that question wide open for many people.
KOPPEL: What is your reaction to Father Geoghan's murder?
APPLEBY: Well, it's mostly sadness, as one would feel in any case of anyone being killed or murdered and also kind of a poignancy. This was clearly a sick man and a predator priest. He's kind of the icon, sadly, for the scandal that's rocked the Catholic Church.
Father Geoghan was the first -- not the first, actually -- but one of the first major cases, notorious cases and so his death, while some might think, well there's a relief, or even some might say sadly he got what's coming to him, I think the prevailing feeling is one of sadness for what he did, for the state of his own soul and one will pray for that, and also first and foremost for his victims.
KOPPEL: Mr. Appleby if you would, you're a church historian, could you put this in the context for us? Obviously this has been a tremendous scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, but it is only one of many when you look over the last couple thousand years going back to where the popes were selling indulgences.
So just where -- how do you -- how does this size up against the other highs and lows over the last couple thousand years?
APPLEBY: This is the most serious scandal in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, so rather than go back thousands of years, we should say it comes at a particularly unfortunate time when the Catholic Church is already struggling with a number of issues, including the lowering -- the lower number of priests, the need to replace those priests, the need to address some very serious gaps in the education and formation of Catholics in this country.
A whole host of other mini crises and then this enormous sexual abuse scandal, which will cost the church literally tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars, and, in fact, hundreds of millions of dollars in legal settlements, and also a terrible blow to the self- respect and morale of Catholics. It comes at a particularly bad time and one can already say in the history of the church in this country, it is by far the greatest scandal that's occurred.
I don't know how you would begin to compare this to the scandals around so-called bad popes in the past. It's a very different kind of thing because it effects the church really at every level here and it's so well known to every Catholic because of the media that in a sense it's incomparable.
KOPPEL: Well, another sad day in this very, very sad chapter in the Catholic Church. Scott Appleby joining us from South Bend, Indiana. Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Pending Cases?>
