While a former Iona College president faces charges of sexual abuse, with the accusations posted online by the western regional director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), his religious order has also issued a statement, as reported by the Snap Network and Pleasantville Patch.
SNAP representative Joelle Castiex posted a statement for the media on their website that stated that the victim, known as John Doe in the suit, was abused by Brother J.L. in 1969 while the youth attended the Cardinal Farley Military Academy in New York.
SNAP also wrote that J.L. is a member of the Irish Christian Brothers. The religious order, based in New Rochelle, also ran the Military Academy.
Doe, now living in Orange County, reported the abuse to church officials in 2008 and, after meetings with Catholic staffers and the Bishop, a diocese lawyer told Doe that she believed his allegations were true.
On the other hand, the Irish Christian Brothers claimed that the allegations were found to be "without merit" and they took no action against Father J.L.
J.L., who retired from the college in 2011, was its president at the time the allegations were reported and had been for 17 years.
Castiex said, "It's not often that church officials come out and say that they believe a victim, but then to have the Irish Christian Brothers instantly claim the allegations were without merit and refuse to reach out to other potential victims is reckless and callous."
SNAP would like to see the Irish Christian Brothers contact students from all of the schools that J.L. worked including the Rice High School in Harlem, Iona Prep, the New York Archdiocese and the Archdiocese of Newark.
A spokesman issued the following statement from the Irish Christian Brothers, "In his 52 years of service in the order, there was one claim filed against him in 2008. This allegation was swiftly and thoroughly investigated by an external agency, which found the allegation to be unsubstantiated due to major inconsistencies—including witnesses, whom the complainant provided to investigators and said would corroborate his allegation, who did not corroborate the allegation. An independent external review board accepted the report of the outside investigator and, because the allegation was determined to be unsubstantiated, did not require him to be removed from ministry. As for the apparent allegations circulating on the Internet, we have not seen this claim and therefore cannot comment."
SNAP also has information that the school, under J.L.'s time as president, was investigated for an alleged internal embezzlement by a nun that served as the school's VP of finance. A loss of over $800,000 was not disclosed on the school's tax forms when reviewed by the U.S. Department of Education.
Castiex added, "If a school is willing to cover-up this kind of theft, it's not surprising that they did everything they could to sweep Doe's allegations under the rug. Hopefully, the courts and Doe will be able to expose the full cover-up of abuse by Irish Christian Brothers."
Maintaining your privacy, while filing a priest abuse lawsuit, is the way many abuse victims prefer things. If a member of the clergy has abused you, a court may find the clergyman, as well as his order, responsible for your damages. Contact a personal injury lawyer today for help.