Hawai’i’s adult victims of child sexual abuse only have until the end of April to come forward and use the civil courts.
Hawaii State Capitol
The civil window, which was renewed in 2014, was an extension of a 2012 bill that gave victims of child sexual abuse the right to use the civil courts to expose their abuse and seek justice. The law, which applies to both public and non-public entities (including the Honolulu Diocese and the Kamehameha Schools), has resulted in upwards of 80 lawsuits, although an exact number is not available at this time.
Despite all of this, to date, the Diocese of Honolulu refuses to release a list of credibly accused clerics, like more than 30 other dioceses have done. But considering they would have to include a former bishop and a well-loved Kailua priest, it’s no shock why they are keeping names close to the vest. And those are just the deceased ones. The living? We don’t know who they are, where they are, or what they are doing.
If you or someone you love were sexually abused as a child in Hawaii, don’t wait. You owe it to yourself and to other current and potential victims to come forward and let your voice be heard.
Senator Maile Shimabukuro, the lawmaker who passed the Hawaii Civil Window law, has submitted a new bill to extend the window another two years. Let’s hope she is successful.
The first step to transparency is being, well … transparent. And when your former bishop is a three-time-accused (that we know of) predator, that makes transparency even more important.
Fmr. Bishop and 3-time accused predator Joseph Ferrario
Victims to Hawai’i Bishop: Make all predators’ names public
Thirty other dioceses have exposed accused clerics
Seattle list included abuser in hiding in Honolulu
Former bishop should also be on list, group says
Releasing names is public safety imperative, SNAP says
Victims of sex abuse are demanding that the Catholic Bishop of Hawai’i publicly release the names of all clerics, employees, and volunteers who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse.
In a letter to Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva, members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org), say that releasing the list is an “important step for transparency, healing, and child protection.”
The group fears that Hawai’i’s credibly accused predator clerics could be living in local neighbors where they have unfettered access to children.
“How many credibly accused predators are living ‘under the radar’ here and elsewhere, where they can continue to prey on children?” the letter said. “Releasing these names is a public safety imperative.”
“Bishop Ferrario led this diocese for years. He has been sued and/or accused by at least three brave victims” said Joelle Casteix, SNAP Western Regional Director. “The public and Catholics deserve to know the truth. For the sake of the victims and of Catholics who considered Ferrario to be their spiritual leader, will Ferrario’s name be included?”
Other deceased serial predator priests have also been honored for decades.
For more than 40 years, St. Anthony’s in Kailua honored serial child molester Fr. Joseph Henry, who has been accused of abuse by 18 boys,” the letter said. “You must do more than just take his name off of the parish hall, you must also publicly acknowledge that he and former Bishop Ferrario were credibly accused of sexual molestation.
The letter, sent by fax and email, is included below.
(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
SNAP – The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
PO Box 6416, Chicago, IL 60680-6416 – SNAPNetwork.org
February 14, 2016
Most Reverend Clarence (Larry) Silva, Bishop of Honolulu
Chancery, 1184 Bishop St.
Honolulu, HI 96813
Dear Bishop Silva;
We are members of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPNetwork.org), the nation’s largest support group for men and women who were sexually abused in religious and institutional settings. We are writing you today with a simple request:
Publicly release the names of all credibly accused clerics who have worked in Hawai’i, both living and deceased. We also ask that you keep the list posted on your website and published in parish bulletins.
More than 30 other dioceses have made this simple and effective step.
The importance of releasing these names cannot be overstated. A similar list in Seattle exposed a 50-time accused cleric who is living here in Hawai’i. Until his name was exposed by the Seattle archbishop and reported in the Los Angeles Times, communities in Hawai’i had no idea the risk.
How many of Hawai’i’s predator clerics are living ‘under the radar’ here and elsewhere, where they can continue to prey on children?
Releasing these names is a public safety imperative. Keeping the names under wraps protects no one and only enforces the cycle of abuse.
We also ask that you ensure that the list includes ALL credibly accused clerics, even if they are deceased. Doing this helps victims heal and exposes the truth about the scope and scale of abuse and cover-up here in Hawai’i.
Bishop Ferrario led this diocese for years. He has been sued and/or accused by at least three brave victims. The public and Catholics deserve to know the truth. For the sake of the victims and of Catholics who considered Ferrario their spiritual leader, you must ensure Ferrario’s name is on the list. We also ask that you include Fr. Henry, who, despite being accused by more than 18 victims, was honored at St. Anthony’s in Kailua as recently as November.
No Catholic wants to unknowingly honor a child molester. No victim wants to see his/her perpetrator honored. No community wants to live in fear that their child is at risk from a hidden Hawai’i predator priest. The only way for victims to heal and to protect children right now is for you to show that you truly care about child safety and victims and take this important step for transparency, healing, and child protection.
Yesterday’s LA Times told the story of Edward Courtney, former Irish Christian Brother who is accused of molesting upwards of 50 kids. He’s living “under the radar” in Hawaii.
The bigger story is that EVERY cleric in Hawaii who has been accused of abuse (including former Bishop Joseph Ferrario) lives or has lived under the radar.
Why? Because unlike more than 30 other dioceses across the US, the Diocese of Honolulu and Bishop Larry Silva (pictured above) aren’t telling us who the perpetrators are.
Accused Hawaii priest George DeCosta
These are men like:
Former Honolulu Bishop Joseph Ferrario, who has been accused of abuse by at least two boys. When one of his victims came forward in the 1980s, the diocese said that according to an internal investigation, the accusations were “groundless.” The diocese’s sham investigation and repugnant treatment of the first accuser, David Figueroa, are well-known.
George DeCosta, a retired priest who still runs retreats on the Big Island. Two civil suits have been filed against him, and he was reportedly forced to retire from the priesthood in 2002.
And what about the guys who are living “under the radar?” What about the 60 lawsuits? Who’s in there? What about the predators that the diocese knows about, but no victims have filed cases?
If a similar list from Seattle can unearth one guy living in hiding in Hawaii, how many men can a Diocese of Hawaii list expose?
His fan base is huge. Recent trips to the U.S. and now Mexico show that people really like this seemingly humble and devout man. I mean, they “like him” like him.
But a pioneer in the prevention, prosecution, and exposure of child sex abuse? Not so much.
So, the next time your friend says, “Oh quit being such a pessimist. Pope Francis is changing things,” show them this:
Less than a week after a prominent child sex abuse victim appointed to Francis’ commission to prevent child sexual abuse was given a vote of no confidence (for the crime of actually trying to prevent child sex abuse):
Preventing child sexual abuse is uncomfortable and requires action. You can’t sit back and take the long view. Why? Because of the thousands of children who are being abused while you haggle over language and recommendations.
