Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Father John Geoghan Has Been Accused of Sexually Molesting Some 130 Young Boys

Aired January 17, 2002 - 09:14   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: We go now to trial of a former Catholic priest, a man that parishioners used to call "Father Jack." Although John Geoghan is only on trial for one charge, he's been accused of sexually molesting some 130 young boys. The criminal and civil trials could go on for years. This criminal case could go to the jury as early as today.

CNN's Bill Delaney joins us now from Boston with the latest -- Bill.

BILL DELANEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, as you said, really the first of an avalanche of accusations against now-defrocked former priest father John Geoghan, accused of by more than 100 now grown men of sexually molesting them as children through six Boston- area Catholic parishes for more than 30 years. Today, as you said, it could go the jury today, the first of three criminal trials against John Geoghan. He's accused in this first criminal trial of indecent assault and battery against a person under the age of 14.

The prosecution saying yesterday, that though the incident in question took only seconds, it is emblazed forever on the memory of the victim. That victim, now a 20-year-old college student, took the stand yesterday, and recounted what he said happened to him at a Boston-Area swimming pool about a decade ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A hand going up the back of my leg.

QUESTION: Could you tell whether a right hand or left hand?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a right hand.

QUESTION: What part of your body did you feel it touching?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My right leg.

QUESTION: And as that right hand touched your right leg, what happened?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It went up my right leg and reached my butt, and my butt was squeezed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DELANEY: The defense pointed out that the child, now this college student, 20 years old, 10 years old at the time, was not physically injured, and the defense also suggested what's really at stake here is money. They said the family is also involved in two civil suits against father Geoghan, and they're just trying to buttress that civil case to win some financial damages, but the mother of that boy took the stand yesterday, and she said, they're not even interested in financial recompense or damages. She said they just want closure on all this.

Back to you.

ANDERSON: All right, Bill Delaney, thanks very much.

We are joined now by Richard Sipe. He is a retired priest and psychologist. He has treated by several hundred victims who were sexually abused by clergy, and he joins me now from San Diego.

Thanks very much for being with us this morning.

This really extraordinarily shocking story.

I want to ask you, what seems particularly shocking about this case is not just the alleged actions of the former priest, but the actions that the Catholic Church took.

RICHARD SIPE, RETIRED PRIEST: There's no question about that. The important thing about this case is the number of victims who have come forward -- 130, and the second point is the number of members of the hierarchy, a cardinal and five bishops, who have somehow been involved in knowing about this.

ANDERSON: I should just point out, the church has admitted that they knew about some of this activity, and their reaction was to transfer this priest from parish to parish.

SIPE: Unfortunately, that is the typical way to handle these cases. In the last nine years, I've been involved in over 50 cases of sexual abuse of minors by clergy. About 13-15 of those cases are still pending in 2002 and, I can assure you, that the church is handling the things these problems exactly the same way.

ANDERSON: In your opinion, what needs to change in the church?

SIPE: We have to talk about it. The church's response has to be open and honest, to drop the defensiveness, to drop the denial, and face this problem head on.

What happens is that the victims are subjected to tremendous pressure. When you sit in on the depositions or hear the depositions that these victims are put through, they're revictimized. So the words are pastoral. We want to help you, we want to heal, yes this happened and so on.

ANDERSON: Any evidence that -- just briefly, any evidence that the church is changing its ways on this matter?

SIPE: Well, there's a lot of verbal change. And I think in some quarters, there is some changes. But there is not really a great deal of fundamental change. Now in 1991, a bishop of the United States was asked why the bishops can't be more proactive in this regard? And he said, and repeated, that it's because so many bishops themselves have been involved. Sexual abuse of minors is very common in the Catholic priesthood. About 6% percent.

OK, you go ahead.

ANDERSON: Dr. Sipe, thank you very much for joining us this morning. That is all the time we have, but we will be following this case, and we'd love to talk with you in the future.

SIPE: Great. Thanks.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com