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CNN Live At Daybreak

Trial Begins in Ex-priest's Sexual Misconduct Trial

Aired January 16, 2002 - 06:07   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The trial begins today in the case against a defrocked Roman Catholic priest accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year old boy. The child is one of more than 130 people who accused John Geoghan of sexual abuse during the three decades he served in Boston area parishes. Our Boston bureau chief Bill Delaney spoke to one of the alleged rape victims.

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DELANEY (voice over): Joseph Dulong, sometime in the next few days or weeks in a Cambridge, Massachusetts courtroom would like to return this statue of St. Joseph and the child Jesus to the man who gave it to him nearly 40 years ago, former priest, John Geoghan, now facing the first of three criminal trials for sexual misconduct with children.

JOSEPH DULONG, VICTIM OF SEXUAL MOLESTATION: He gave me this statue one day behind the closed doors of his bedroom. I'm going to give this back to him so that I can reclaim the life of the little boy that he took away.

DELANEY: Dulong, a former altar boy, says Geoghan sexually abused him for four years, from ages 8 to 12. One of some 130 stories, through six different Boston area parishes, for more than 30 years of alleged repeated child sexual abuse by the man known as Father Jack. A final transfer to Saint Julia's Parish in the wealthy suburb Westin, approved by present Boston Cardinal Bernard Law, who last week apologized with excuses.

CARDINAL BERNARD LAW, ARCHDIOCESE OF BOSTON: However, much I regret having assigned him, John Geoghan was never assigned by me to a parish without psychiatric or medical assessments indicating that such assignments were appropriate.

DELANEY: Answering 50 civil suits with 84 more pending, the Catholic Church has paid out $10 million so far. In 1998, the church defrocked Geoghan.

What happened here in Boston resounded to the Vatican. As of last week, all Bishops must report all allegations of priestly sexual misconduct with children directly to Rome, though the accusations will be kept secret. Here in Boston, such allegations must now be reported directly to state authorities, unless learned about in the confessional. Joseph Dulong says he's still a Catholic. While he forgives Father Jack, he also says he now refuses to look away from what happened to him, as he said the church did for much too long.

Bill Delaney, CNN, Boston.

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