The sexual abuse scandal in the Congregation of Christian Brothers is a major chapter in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in various Western jurisdictions.
In Australia, there were allegations that during the 1970s sexual abuses took place at the junior campus of St Patrick's College and St Alipius Primary School in Ballarat, Victoria. After investigation, Brothers Robert Best, Edward Dowlan and Stephen Francis Farrell were all convicted of sex crimes. Dowlan and Best were later transferred to the senior campus, and continued to offend. [1] "Four of the school's brothers and their chaplain, Gerald Ridsdale, were accused of sexually assaulting children — all but one, who died before charges could be laid, have been convicted." [2] [3]
Robert Best taught at Catholic primary and secondary schools in Ballarat, Box Hill, and Geelong (all in Victoria, Australia) between the 1960s and 1980s. He was convicted by a jury after pleading guilty to more than 40 child sex offences against dozens of students, some as young as eight years old. [4] Robert Best was sentenced to fourteen years and nine months jail on August 8, 2011.
The Commissioners found that in one instance a complaint was made to a Brother Nangle about Brother Dowlan's putting his hands down students' pants; a student was required to apologize to the school assembly for "spreading lies". [5] (Dowlan was later jailed for multiple instances of sexual abuse. [6] ) Dowlan (Ted Bales) pleaded guilty to 33 counts of indecently assaulting boys under the age of 16 and one count of gross indecency between 1971 and 1986. [7] The judge found that he had preyed on vulnerable boys as young as eight years old over a 14-year period at six different schools from the first year he became a Christian Brother in 1971. Dowlan has been jailed twice, first in 1996 for six-and-a-half years and then again in 2015. [6] Blair Smith had been one of the first detectives to properly investigate Christian Brother abuse in Victoria, his work in the early 1990s leading to the conviction of Edward Dowlan. [8] The Royal Commission also found that the Christian Brothers spent almost $1.5 million defending Best, Dowlan, and Farrell. [9]
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that Gerald Leo Fitzgerald, a Christian Brother, was moved to new locations with continued access to children after abuse allegations had been made. [10] One victim described the type of behavior of Fitzgerald to the Commission: "Brother Fitzgerald was his grade 3 teacher in 1974. He said that at the end of school every Friday Brother Fitzgerald would line up his students and kiss them goodbye. He kissed some with his tongue." He died in 1987 before any charges were laid against him.
Minutes of the meeting of the Christian Brothers Provincials with their lawyers on December 7, 1993, showed that the meeting was not focused on settling the proceedings: the concern was the cost, and there was no sentiment of recognizing the suffering of the survivors. [11] In May 2013, the Christian Brothers admitted to Victoria's parliamentary inquiry into child abuse that they did what they could to defend order members accused of sexual assault against children. [12]
During the 2016 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Ballarat it was found that 853 children were sexually abused by one or more Christian Brothers with the average age of 13. [13] 281 Christian Brothers have had abuse complaints substantiated, and the Christian Brothers have paid $37.3 million in compensation. [14] During the Ballarat Case Study of the Royal Commission it was found that Glynis McNeight, a private investigator, was paid by the Christian Brothers (through a retained law firm) to investigate two individuals who had alleged having been sexually abused by Brother Edward Dowlan. [15] [16] McNeight's report was tabled [17] that contained a strategy to manipulate witnesses such as a victim could "easily be torn down in the witness box" and "the person himself is a very nervous, excitable type who will reduce to tears and bad language easily". [18] It was also shown that the Christian Brothers knew of abuse at the hands of Brothers but did not tell police [19] and spent almost $1.5 million defending pedophile Brothers Robert Best, Edward Dowlan and Stephen Farrell. [20]
The Christian Brothers in Canada have had more than 300 former pupils alleged physical and sexual abuse at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. [21] [22] [23] [24] When allegations of physical and sexual abuse started to surface in the late 1980s, the government, police and local church leaders conspired in an unsuccessful cover-up. In Ontario in January 1993 the Christian Brothers reached a financial settlement totaling $23 million with 700 former students who alleged abuse. [25]
Allegations of sexual abuse at Mount Cashel Boys Home orphanage in Newfoundland (Canada) led to a royal commission (The Hughes Inquiry) and further investigations followed into allegations at other institutions across Canada. Throughout 1989-1993, nine Christian Brothers were charged and prosecuted for various criminal offences including sex offences against the boys of Mount Cashel orphanage. [26] [27] [28] [29]
In February 2021, a British Columbia man alleged that he was sexually abused by one of the Christian Brother's, who confessed to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary of molesting children at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in 1975. [30]
In August 2022, a British Columbia man, known only as 'John B. Doe,' filed a class action lawsuit in British Columbia, alleging that he was physically and sexually abused while attending Vancouver College, a preparatory Catholic School for boys located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood of Vancouver, British Columbia. The lawsuit alleges that six Christian Brothers working as teachers at the school, were known to have committed crimes, (in some cases admitted to crimes) against children in NL, before being transferred to Vancouver to teach at Vancouver College. [31]
In September 2022, police in Burnaby, BC, acknowledged that they had an active investigation in relation to a complaint against a former NL Christian Brother, who was transferred from the Mount Cashel Orphanage subsequent to allegations of child molestation, to St. Thomas More Collegiate, a private school ran by the congregation of Christian Brothers. The complainant, John A. Doe, is accusing former Christian Brother Edward English of abuse allegations during his time at the private college. John A. Doe, questions how Brother English was allowed to quietly be transferred from NL to BC, without charges, after admitting to molesting children to the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, in 1975. [32]
Despite a culture of silence around child sexual abuse in India, abuses continue into the 21st century, though few allegations see the light of day. [33] Mathew N. Schmalz, director of Asian Studies at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, has researched Catholicism in Asia and Africa, and argues that although celibate men are viewed as sexually aberrant in the United States, they are held in respect in Asia. According to him "In India you'd have gossip and rumors, but it never reaches the level of formal charges or controversies." [34] While prosecution of a few egregious cases has happened, most cases are never revealed, investigated, punished or prosecuted, even though more lawsuits are being filed against the Congregation of Christian Brothers in India (CCBI) for the trauma caused by Brothers, whether alive or deceased. One case that emerged during the #MeToo movement was of Francis Gale who was alleged in a detailed Facebook post to have molested Mary Therese Kurkalang, a tribal woman, since she was five years old. [35] Despite an internal investigation that began in 2018 by the "Society Protection Officer," he was not prosecuted and remained a member of the Brothers as of January 2023. [36]
In Ireland, during the latter part of the 20th century, corporal punishment was casual, frequent and brutal in Artane Industrial School, which was run by Christian Brothers. [37] Artane's staff included a number of Brothers who had been warned for "embracing and fondling" boys. Accused Brothers were excused, lightly admonished or, typically, moved to other institutions.
In Ireland in March 1998, the Congregation of the Christian Brothers published half-page advertisements in newspapers apologizing to former pupils who had been ill-treated whilst in their care. The advertising campaign expressed "deep regret" on behalf of the Christian Brothers and listed telephone lines which former pupils could ring if they needed help. [38]
In the Irish Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse's five-volume report of its investigation of systemic abuse of children in Ireland, the Congregation of Christian Brothers, which was the largest provider of residential care for boys in the country, received more allegations of abuse than all of the other male religious orders combined. [39] Artane was the largest industrial school. The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse found that Artane was under-staffed by a small number of largely inexperienced and untrained Brothers. [40]
In 2003, the order took legal action against the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, to prevent the Commission from naming deceased brothers and brothers who were too old to competently defend themselves. The High Court rejected the challenge, but did stipulate that the Commission must take into account the corroboration of accusations and the testing of witness evidence, and to allow the representatives of deceased brothers to cross-examine witnesses. [41] However, Justice Sean Ryan later overruled this when he took over the commission, and declared that individual perpetrators of abuse would not be named unless they had already been convicted [42]
The congregation issued a statement saying "The Christian Brothers accept, with shame, the findings of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse... The congregation is deeply sorry for the hurt we have caused - not just for the mistakes of the past, but for the inadequacy of our responses over recent years." [43]
In late November 2009 the organization announced they would supply a €161 million (£145 million sterling) package as part of reparations for child abuse in Ireland. [44] This includes a donation of €30 million to a government trust and €4 million donated to provide counselling services. [45] Playing fields owned by the organisation and valued at €127 million would be transferred to joint ownership of the government and the trust that runs former Christian Brothers schools. [44]
Mary O'Toole writes that "In total, 820 allegations of abuse are recorded in relation to those 132 schools." [46] "303" [46] people were accused and of those allegations "16 members and former members of the Christian Brothers have been convicted of child sexual abuse", [47] "5 lay staff have been convicted of child sexual abuse" [47] and "1 member of the clergy associated with their school who was not a Christian Brother has been convicted, though the order is unsure if this conviction was for offences in one of their schools." [47]
In 1998, a member of the Congregation of Christian Brothers was arrested for indecent solicitation of a minor. [48] Robert Brouillette was convicted in March 2000 of 10 charges related to child pornography. [49]
In 2011, the North American chapter of the Congregation of Christian Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy due to the financial burden caused by sex abuse lawsuits. The North American Province includes brothers in the United States and Canada. The majority of the claims were regarding the now-defunct Briscoe Memorial School, an orphanage and boarding school in Kent, Washington jointly run by the Archdiocese of Seattle and the Christian Brothers. [50]
In 2013, the North American chapter agreed to pay approximately $16.5 million in damages to more than 400 men and women who were sexually or physically abused as children by members of the order. Between 2006 and 2011, the order had already paid approximately 25.6 million to victims in 50 abuse cases. [51]
In December 2012, the Christian Brothers school St Ambrose College, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, was implicated in a child sex abuse case. A former lay teacher, Deacon Alan Morris, was convicted of nineteen counts of sexual assault occurring between 1972 and 1991. [52]
In 2016, an ex-pupil of St Aidan's Christian Brothers school in Sunderland was paid £17,000 compensation after claiming two members of the Christian Brothers, Brother Norman Williams and headmaster Brother Dennis O’Brien, abused him at school in 1960s. [53]
In Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, Christian Brother and former school principal Paul Dunleavy was convicted of 72 counts involving 18 victims over three trials for sexual offences against boys in his care at four schools in Belfast, Newry and Armagh between 1964 and 1991. At his third sentencing, in 2024 aged 89, a police spokesman said "There is only one place for Dunleavy and that is behind bars. He will die in prison." The Christian Brothers declined to comment. [54]
In 2016, two former Christian Brothers were sent to prison for both sexual and physical abuse. John Farrell, the former Headmaster of St Ninian's Falkland, was sentenced to five years, and Paul Kelly ten years.
In 2021 The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry issued a report on the St. Ninians residential school which had been run by the Christian Brothers between 1953 and 1983. [55] The report concluded that the school was a "a place of abuse and deprivation" particularly from 1969 until the school closed in 1983. The Christian Brothers were able to "pursue their abusive practices with impunity" and the evidence against them was "shocking and distressing." Children in care suffered sexual, physical and emotional abuse. Michael Madigan, a representative for the Christian Brothers, said the congregation acknowledged with 'deepest regret' that children had been abused. [56]
A victim was awarded £1.4m in damages in 2022, believed to be the highest sum ever to be awarded to a survivor. [57]
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Edmund Rice.
The Diocese of Ballarat, based in Ballarat, Australia, is a diocese in the ecclesiastical province of Melbourne. It is a suffragan diocese of the Archdiocese of Melbourne and was established in 1874. Its geography covers the west, Wimmera and Mallee regions of Victoria. The cathedral is in St Patrick's Cathedral, Ballarat.
St Patrick's College, sometimes referred to as St Pat's, Paddy's or SPC, is an independent Catholic secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in central Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. The school was founded by the Congregation of Christian Brothers in 1893, who continue to run the school through Edmund Rice Education Australia. The school provides education for boys from Year 7 to Year 12, with an emphasis on academic and sporting programs.
The Brothers Hospitallers of Saint John of God, officially the Hospitaller Order of the Brothers of Saint John of God, are a Catholic religious order founded in 1572. In Italian they are also known commonly as the Fatebenefratelli, meaning "Do-Good Brothers", and elsewhere as the "Brothers of Mercy", the "Merciful Brothers" and the "John of God Brothers". The order carries out a wide range of health and social service activities in 389 centres and services in 46 countries.
The Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is the metropolitan of an ecclesiastical province with two suffragan dioceses: Grand Falls and Corner Brook and Labrador. The current archbishop is the Most Reverend Peter Hundt. The Archdiocese of St. John's is the oldest Roman Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in English-speaking North America.
This page documents Catholic Church sexual abuse cases by country.
As distinct from abuse by some parish priests, who are subject to diocesan control, there has also been abuse by members of Roman Catholic orders, which often care for the sick or teach at school. Just as diocesan clergy have arranged parish transfers of abusive priests, abusive brothers in Catholic orders are sometimes transferred.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Response of the Newfoundland Criminal Justice System to Complaints also known as the Hughes Inquiry was a Canadian royal commission chaired by a retired judge, Samuel Hughes, launched after allegations of sexual abuse by members of the Congregation of Christian Brothers at Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. The commission began inquiry investigations on 1 June 1989 and published its report in April 1992.
The Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Victoria is part of the Catholic clerical sexual abuse in Australia and the much wider Catholic sexual abuse scandal in general, which involves charges, convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests and members of religious orders. The Catholic Church in Victoria has been implicated in a reported 40 suicides among about 620 sexual abuse victims acknowledged to the public after internal investigations by the Catholic Church in Victoria.
St. Josephs Industrial School, Artane was an Industrial School run by the Christian Brothers in Artane, Dublin from 1870 to 1969.
From the late 1980s, allegations of sexual abuse of children associated with Catholic institutions and clerics in several countries started to be the subject of sporadic, isolated reports. In Ireland, beginning in the 1990s, a series of criminal cases and Irish government enquiries established that hundreds of priests had abused thousands of children over decades. Six reports by the former National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church established that six Irish priests had been convicted between 1975 and 2011. This has contributed to the secularisation of Ireland and to the decline in influence of the Catholic Church. Ireland held referendums to legalise same-sex marriage in 2015 and abortion in 2018.
Catholic sexual abuse cases in Australia, like Catholic Church sexual abuse cases elsewhere, have involved convictions, trials and ongoing investigations into allegations of sex crimes committed by Catholic priests, members of religious orders and other personnel which have come to light in recent decades, along with the growing awareness of sexual abuse within other religious and secular institutions.
Catholic Church sexual abuse cases in Canada are well documented dating back to the 1960s. The preponderance of criminal cases with Canadian Catholic dioceses named as defendants that have surfaced since the 1980s strongly indicate that these cases were far more widespread than previously believed. While recent media reports have centred on Newfoundland dioceses, there have been reported cases—tested in court with criminal convictions—in almost all Canadian provinces. Sexual assault is the act of an individual touching another individual sexually and/or committing sexual activities forcefully and/or without the other person's consent. The phrase Catholic sexual abuse cases refers to acts of sexual abuse, typically child sexual abuse, by members of authority in the Catholic church, such as priests. Such cases have been occurring sporadically since the 11th century in Catholic churches around the world. This article summarizes some of the most notable Catholic sexual abuse cases in Canadian provinces.
The Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Europe has affected several dioceses in European nations. This article summarises reported cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by clergy and representatives of the Catholic Church by country and diocese.
The Mount Cashel Orphanage, known locally as the Mount Cashel Boys' Home, was a boys' orphanage located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The orphanage was operated by the Congregation of Christian Brothers, and became infamous for a sexual abuse scandal and cover-up by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and NL justice officials.
Several cases of sexual abuse in St. John's archdiocese have been reported, starting in 1988. It is an important chapter in the series of clerical abuse affairs that occurred in the dioceses of Canada.
Gerald Francis Ridsdale is an Australian laicised Catholic priest and sex offender. He was convicted between 1993 and 2017 of a large number of child sexual abuse and indecent assault charges against 65 children aged as young as four years. The offences occurred from the 1960s to the 1980s while Ridsdale worked as a school chaplain at St Alipius Primary School, a boys' boarding school in the Victorian regional city of Ballarat.
14% of New Zealand Catholic diocesan clergy have been accused of abuse since 1950. Several high profile cases are linked to Catholic schools.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse was a royal commission announced in November 2012 and established in 2013 by the Australian government pursuant to the Royal Commissions Act 1902 to inquire into and report upon responses by institutions to instances and allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia. The establishment of the commission followed revelations of child abusers being moved from place to place instead of their abuse and crimes being reported. There were also revelations that adults failed to try to stop further acts of child abuse. The commission examined the history of abuse in educational institutions, religious groups, sporting organisations, state institutions and youth organisations. The final report of the commission was made public on 15 December 2017.
The Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry was established in October 2015 to inquire into cases of abuse of children in care in Scotland. It was to report and make recommendations within four years by 2019. But this deadline was later changed to "as soon as reasonably practicable". Concerns have been raised about mounting costs and delays in the inquiry. Six years after the start of the on-going inquiry and long after the original deadline, Anne Smith released a report which was critical of the previous Scottish government for the 'woeful and avoidable' delay in setting up the inquiry.
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