Shanley convicted; Boston Archdiocese apologizes to victims

Published: 2005-02-08

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (CNS) -- After a jury found laicized priest Paul R. Shanley guilty on all four counts of child sex abuse, including rape, the Boston Archdiocese apologized for "the crimes and harm perpetrated against children by priests." The Feb. 7 verdict could mean a life sentence for a man who has been one of the main figures in the clergy child sex abuse scandal that erupted in the Boston Archdiocese in 2002 and spread throughout the U.S. church. His sentencing was set for Feb. 15. "Survivors of clergy sexual abuse, their family and friends have endured much suffering as a result of the depraved violations of human dignity perpetrated on them as children and teenagers," said a three-paragraph statement released by the archdiocese Feb. 7. The Shanley trial "brought the intensity of these sufferings to the surface," it added. "It is important for the Archdiocese of Boston, in this moment, to again apologize for the crimes and harm perpetrated against children by priests who held the trust and esteem of families and the community," said the statement. "Survivors and families who bear the wounds of these shameful acts are held with great tenderness in our prayers." Shanley, 74, was found guilty on two counts of raping a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child. All the charges involved the same person, who said he was repeatedly abused by Shanley in the 1980s.

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