Long Island Investigation Report Delayed, Effort Hampered by Unofficial Inquiry
Episcopal News Service. April 3, 1997 [97-1726]
(ENS) In a report to the Diocese of Long Island, March 3, the diocesan standing committee explained that an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Long Island clergy will take longer than originally expected.
"As many of you know," the committee stated, "we had hoped to be able to present a report to the people of the diocese and to the wider church much sooner than it now appears possible or advisable." The report also was shared with the House of Bishops meeting in Kanuga.
The standing committee was charged with overseeing an investigation into claims made in Penthouse magazine that a Long Island priest lured young Brazilian men to the diocese for homosexual orgies with clergy. While numerous interviews have been conducted to determine what happened, the report notes that "each line of questioning tends to open the need to make further inquiries to insure we are 'getting to the bottom' of the matter." A firm specializing in forensic auditing also is looking into any possibilities of financial culpability by those involved.
"We believe we are making significant advances in the inquiry," the report notes, adding that Bishop O'Kelley Whitaker, retired bishop of Central New York, who is heading the investigation, "has told us that a clear sense of what actually took place is emerging."
The final report may also be delayed until it is clear whether the Brazilian men involved intend to follow through on threats to file a lawsuit, the standing committee said.
The report warned that the official investigation has been hampered, however, by a "parallel investigation" being "partially funded by persons outside the diocese." The unofficial inquiry "opposes the stand taken by the delegates at convention that the people of the Diocese of Long Island themselves, through the official bodies of the diocese, can deal with the issues raised."
Those conducting the unofficial investigation have been "wrongly representing themselves as official investigators of the dioceses," causing confusion to some witnesses, the report notes. The report did not specify who was conducting the parallel inquiry.
"You placed the responsibility for this investigation in the hands of your duly-elected representatives on the Standing Committee," the report concludes. "We ask that you keep confidence in us as we continue to pursue this matter to a full and truthful conclusion.