Feb 3, 2006 5:20 pm US/Central
Deposition: Bishop Thought Behavior Not Sex Abuse
JOLIET (CBS) ―
There are more shocking allegations out of the Catholic Church.
A bishop from the western suburbs is being sued for failing to remove a priest suspected of sexually abusing little boys.
Joliet Bishop Joseph Imesch says in a newly released, five-hour deposition that he transferred to another parish a priest who skinny-dipped and played poker in the nude with young boys because the behavior was inappropriate, but the bishop did not consider it to be sexual abuse.
In the deposition, Imesch repeatedly defends not reporting allegations of sexual abuse by priests to authorities because he questioned the credibility of the claims.
"It's very telling. It's telling how this diocese conducted itself," attorney Marc Pearlman told CBS 2's Derrick Blakely. "And it's conducted itself in a way that's put children at great harm."
Pearlman represents a man known only as John Doe 85. He's suing the Joliet diocese, charging that Father Edward Stefanich abused him in the1960's at a Lombard parish.
Imesch discussed relocating the former priest from a Lombard parish, where families accused him in 1980 of sexually abusing boys, to a Lockport parish, where he was again accused, in a deposition unsealed Thursday by a DuPage County Judge.
Imesch was deposed Aug. 5 by lawyers for a man who has sued the diocese, alleging the Rev. Edward Stefanich sexually abused him in the 1960s at the same Lombard parish where the other priest was accused in the 1980s.
In 1987, Stefanich pled guilty to molesting a 14-year-old girl.
During the deposition, Imesch said he never considered reporting to police the alleged relationship between Stefanich and the teen because he did not have the evidence to do so, according to the transcript.
"I would not do that. There is no verification. ... And I'm not going to go say, `Hey, police, go check on my priest,''' Imesch said.
But two years earlier, Imesch refused to tell cops about allegations that Stefanich had an improper relationship with an underage girl.
Said Imesch: "I'm not going to the police and say I've got a suspicion that one of my priests is dating a girl."
Imesch also admitted transferring Father Larry Gibbs to other parishes after allegations he went skinny dipping and played strip poker with 11-year-old boys.
"It was not considered a crime or a criminal activity so there was no reason for me not to transfer him," Imesch said.
And Imesch said he refused to tell police that Father Gary Barth-Hume had confessed to molesting boys before his conviction for the same offense.
"That's a job for the police. I'm not going to get involved in that. That's not my responsibility," Imesch said.
"That is remarkable. What he's saying is, 'If my guys get caught, I'll have to deal with it. But why would I ever bring to light something they might be doing?' There's a very good reason for that. Children's lives are at stake," John Doe 85's attorney Pearlman said to CBS 2.
The Diocese of Joliet released a written statement Thursday criticizing Judge Stephen Culliton's decision to unseal the 268-page deposition.
"It puts the diocese in an extreme disadvantage because the diocese is unable to put forth any effective response at this time,'' the statement said."The diocese believes that lifting the (protective) order also violates the privacy of many other individuals except the alleged victims.''
Lawyers for the man suing the diocese, identified only as "John Doe 85,'' argued for the deposition's release to help determine whether the diocese let abusive priests remain in ministry. He's suing the Joliet diocese, charging that Father Edward Stefanich abused him in the 1960's at a Lombard parish.
In the deposition, Imesch repeatedly says he did not report to authorities allegations of abuse, including those about Stefanich's relationship, because he had questions about the credibility of the claims.
"Could I have done something more? Probably,'' Imesch said in the deposition. "We did what we thought was right at the time. And I'll live with that.''
Also Thursday, two former Will County men filed lawsuits alleging Imesch failed to monitor another priest the men accuse of abusing them at parishes in Elmhurst and Bolingbrook between 1979 and 1981.
Those lawsuits claim Imesch and other Diocese of Joliet leaders didn't limit the priest's access to children or take other action.
(© 2006 CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
