Diocese Appealing Court Ruling

By John Christoffersen

Associated Press

NEW HAVEN (AP) – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport asked the Connecticut Supreme Court June 12 to reconsider a ruling that would make public thousands of pages of documents that detail alleged sexual abuse by priests.

The court’s 4-1 ruling last month covers more than 12,600 pages of documents from 23 lawsuits against six priests that have been under seal since the diocese settled the cases in 2001. Most of the victims were altar boys or belonged to church youth organizations.

The records could shed light on how recently retired New York Cardinal Edward Egan handled the allegations when he was Bridgeport bishop.

The diocese, which has said it was “deeply disappointed” in the ruling, wants the full court of seven justices to hear the case.

“The decision raises significant concerns and deserves review by the full court, as opposed to a divided panel,” the diocese said in its motion.

Church officials say the ruling fails to uphold the privacy and constitutional rights of all parties to lawsuits, especially when cases are sealed, and contends the disclosure of the sealed documents is barred by the religious clauses of the First Amendment.

“Our position is that the Supreme Court already carefully reviewed all the issues that have been raised by the diocese in the seven years the case has been pending,” said Jonathan Albano, attorney for The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Washington Post.

Those papers and The Hartford Courant have been seeking the documents.

Egan, who was Bridgeport bishop from 1988 to 2000, was later criticized for failing to tell authorities about the abuse allegations and allowing the priests involved to continue working despite the claims.

Egan, who retired last month, has defended his handling of the cases.