Baltimore man sues nation's oldest seminary
over negligence of sexual abuse
BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore man is suing the country's oldest seminary and the religious order that runs it, claiming they were negligent in his sexual abuse at the hands of a seminarian in the 1970s.
Tom Finnerty, 61, said the abuse started when he was in the first grade. His family wanted him to have supplemental religious education, so they looked to St. Mary's Seminary & University for a tutor.
He was paired with then-seminarian John Banko.
What happened during that time has had a big impact throughout Finnerty's life.
"I have a little problem with authority figures. I had really bad, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety," he said.
Finnerty is now suing the institutions he claims caused his pain: St. Mary's and the Associated Sulpicians of the United States, the religious order that runs the seminary.
In the 23-page complaint filed Wednesday by the law firm SBWD Law, the abuse sometimes happened in open areas in the seminary. The complaint also claims the seminary had a reputation as a "breeding ground for pedophilia and promiscuous sexual behavior."
The complaint claims the seminary and the Archdiocese of Baltimore should have known the abuse was happening, but nothing was ever done.
In a statement to WJZ, St. Mary's said it reviewed the complaint.
"Due to the lack of substantiating evidence included in the complaint, St. Mary's is unable to comment further in detail at this time," the statement reads.
The Associated Sulpicians did not respond to WJZ's requests for comment.
"They did nothing to protect me. They took advantage of the people they were supposed to serve and help. I was one of them," Finnerty said.
This filing comes as the Supreme Court of Maryland will decide on the constitutionality of the Child Victims Act. Passed last year, it eliminated the statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases.
"It is cases like this that make the CVA so important and explain why it is so necessary," Michael Belsky, an attorney with SBWD Law.
Banko was named in the Maryland Attorney General's Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He was convicted of sexually abusing boys in 2003 and 2006 in New Jersey.
Banko died while serving his sentence in 2016.
For Finnerty, he said telling his story now is about preventing this from happening again.
"It doesn't matter about me," Finnerty said, fighting back tears. "It matters more about making sure that no one else was getting abused."
Catholic Diocese of Rochester bankruptcy case leaves
survivors of childhood sexual abuse waiting for justice
August 22, 2024 - 2:14 PM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Survivors of childhood sexual abuse are frustrated that the Catholic Diocese of Rochester’s bankruptcy case is still unresolved.
Carol Dupre was 15 when her parish priest, who was forty years older, started abusing her. She says she told her mother. But when she complained to the church, no one believed her, and nothing was done.
Carol is one of hundreds to file a claim against the Catholic Diocese of Rochester when the state enacted the Adult Survivors Act. That extended the statute of limitations for sex crimes and gave adult survivors two years to file lawsuits.
The Diocese filed for bankruptcy protection after that, and insurance companies and the diocese have been hashing out what each will pay to survivors.
Now 77, Carol says she’s only worn black for the last three years as a sign of mourning while she waits for resolution.
“I have a white dress and that I will be put on when this is over. So, I just stick to the black. I have a little jacket on right now, but I’m wearing a black dress. I don’t know. It’s silly. My friends think it’s silly, but I have I just say to them, ‘Hey, this is empowering right now,'” Carol shares.
Dupre says the fight isn’t about money, it’s for acknowledgement of what happened to her and so many others.
Some survivors tell News10NBC they’re worried they may not live long enough to get justice.
News10NBC’s Antonina Tortorello reached out to the Diocese of Rochester for an interview. Instead, a spokesman gave her a statement that reads:
“It is still a matter before the court and we pray for a just resolution, especially to ease the pain and suffering of the survivors, who have endured this very painful ordeal now approaching five years.”
Those are the right words to say, but your actions don't reflect that attitude. Do you think, when you stand before Jesus Christ, that He is going to judge you on your words, or on your actions. Matthew 25:31-46.
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