Justice Department investigating possible criminal abuse by Catholic priests in Delaware

The Delaware Department of Justice confirmed on Thursday it has been conducting an investigation into potential criminal conduct by priests or other employees of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington. 

The department has been acquiring and reviewing diocesan papers for records of sexual or other abuse. The Department of Justice issued a subpoena on Sept. 11 for a broad range of diocesan records covering decades.

"The purpose of the review is to determine whether there are any prosecutable criminal cases that may have not come to light in previous reviews of information provided by the diocese," Carl Kanefsky, a state Justice Department spokesman, said in a statement.

Kanefsky said the Justice Department has reviewed some records provided by the diocese in the time frame of 2002 to 2004, but it issued a subpoena approximately seven weeks ago in light of disclosures in other jurisdictions. 

Documents requested by the Delaware Attorney General's Office include the files of abusive priests that were made public six years ago in accordance with the non-monetary provisions of the diocesan bankruptcy settlement, said Robert Krebs, a diocese spokesman.

These files are available through various online sources and 12 years ago the names of all known abusive priests were also made public, he said. 

“We are confident that with our safe environment and reporting policies and our continued vigilance, we will continue to ensure that our parishes and schools are safe and sacred spaces,” Krebs said. “We encourage anyone who has been sexually abused by a member of the clergy or anyone else, to immediately notify local law enforcement authorities.”

Krebs confirmed the diocese received a subpoena asking for any records related to sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1955. 

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History of sex abuse

In April 2002, diocesan officials met with the Delaware Attorney General and disclosed all reports of abuse the diocese had received up to that time and cooperated fully in the ensuing investigation undertaken by the Department of Justice. 

"The Diocese of Wilmington has not had a credible reported instance of the sexual abuse of a child by anyone in diocesan or parish ministry in over 25 years," Krebs said. 

But in January, state prosecutors indicted a former diocese priest on charges he fondled and raped a girl who court documents indicated was younger than 16 when the abuse occurred. The incident was said to have occurred sometime between 1991 and 1994.

The former priest, John A. Sarro, died six months before a scheduled trial in New Castle County Superior Court. With his death, the charges were dropped.

The case marked the first time Delaware had brought criminal sex abuse or molestation charges against a Delaware Catholic priest – despite a wave of abuse allegations involving 150 survivors of priest abuse and civil litigation in the early 2000s that ultimately forced the local diocese into bankruptcy.

Pennsylvania investigations

Acknowledgment of the Delaware inquiry comes two weeks after the federal Justice Department said it had launched an investigation into alleged sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests throughout Pennsylvania dioceses after a damning report by a state grand jury, USA Today reported.

The action by the federal government, which has rarely pursued such inquiries, comes after a Pennsylvania grand jury in August concluded that church leaders protected more than 300 "predator priests" in six dioceses across the state for decades.

The report went on to assert that church leaders were more interested in safeguarding the church and the priests than defending victims.

More than 1,000 young victims were identifiable from the church's records, the report found. The federal investigation is based in the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia, according to USA Today.

Three priests named in April in the Pennsylvania grand jury sex abuse report have ties to Delaware.

At least two held positions at Salesianum School in Wilmington and another was employed at Archmere Academy in Claymont. Another is said to have molested adolescent brothers on a trip to Rehoboth Beach.

The report covers abuse and subsequent cover-ups within six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses. The abuse detailed about priests with local ties appears to have occurred outside their duties at Delaware schools though at least one of the priests was previously sued for sex abuse at Salesianum.

The late Father John McDevitt taught at Sallies in the 1980s. The grand jury report states that a man reported that McDevitt had kissed him in a confessional at a Pennsylvania High School that McDevitt taught at before his time at Salesianum.

The grand jury report does not indicate when that abuse was reported to authorities, only that the victim was 50 in 2012.

Father Henry Paul, another priest named in the grand jury report, worked at Sallies before abuse detailed in the Pennsylvania document. Father Paul Fisher was assigned to Archmere Academy for one year in 1997, according to the grand jury report.

The Delaware Department of Justice is asking potential victims of abuse by diocesan personnel to call (302) 577-5293 or visit ReportAbuse@state.de.us.

This is a developing story. Check back with delawareonline.com for more information.

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, eparra@delawareonline.com or Twitter @eparra3.