accountability.charlottediocese.orgAccountability — Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte

Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte Accountability Abuse Data FAQs Resources & Training Report Abuse To the People of God of Western North Carolina Dear Friends in Christ, With great sorrow yet abiding hope, the Diocese of Charlotte publishes this list of 14 clergy who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse within the diocese since it was established in 1972. It is painful to even try to comprehend such gravely immoral behavior, particularly for those who have carried the burden of sexual abuse by clergy. However, in speaking with survivors and hearing their stories, it is clear to me that making known the names of their abusers can promote healing for them and their families. I pray this step achieves that goal. This list is the culmination of a process begun more than a year ago in our belief that a full accounting of credibly accused clergy would provide validation for victims and demonstrate our commitment to transparency and accountability. While most of the names on the list were made known years ago by the diocese and others, to ensure this accounting was comprehensive, the diocese engaged independent investigators to review some 1,600 personnel and other historical records dating back almost 50 years. To all who have been victimized by Catholic clergy, I apologize on behalf of the diocese and express to you personally my heartfelt sorrow for the physical, emotional and spiritual pain you have suffered. You deserved a priest in whom you could place your trust, a model of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Regrettably, it is clear in our history that the Catholic Church – including this diocese – did not fully understan­­d the pathology of child sexual abuse or respond to allegations as aggressively as it could have, as we do today. While nothing can change the past, in our sorrow we also find hope. The information we present here reflects a clear shift in the way the Church – and this diocese – has addressed the problem of child sexual abuse since 2002, when the U.S. Catholic Bishops adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People . The Charter mandates zero tolerance, strict accountability standards, and protocols for reporting allegations and preventing abuse in all of our parishes, schools and ministries. Since I became bishop in 2003, I have been fortunate to have the Charter as our guide on this issue. Please be assured, our file review confirmed that no clergy member serving in our diocese today has a credible allegation of child sexual abuse against him. These men deserve our prayers and our support, for they have endured the long shadow cast by the immoral acts of a few in the past. Also be assured that all of the accused clergy named on this list have long since been removed from ministry – and most are now deceased. Under the Charter, anyone credibly accused must be removed from ministry until a determination of guilt or innocence is made through government or Church proceedings. It is also our practice to report all allegations of child sexual abuse to civil authorities for action, independent of our Church adjudication process. We continue to urge people to contact law enforcement directly if they have been victimized. And we are launching an independent hotline to make it easier for people to report suspected cases of sexual abuse or misconduct to us for investigation and Church disciplinary purposes. I am grateful for the courage and strength of abuse survivors who have shared their most private pain so those responsible could be held accountable and children today can be protected from harm. I pray the information we are sharing will provide some measure of healing and restoration of trust – for victims and for our many brothers and sisters in Christ whose confidence in the Church hierarchy has been shaken and who have felt betrayed by the way some Church leaders handled abuse allegations in the past. Unfortunately, no list of this nature can be considered a final accounting. It is a document to which new names might be added. This list reflects credible allegations we have documented now, and it will be updated as new information emerges – and as additional survivors, perhaps prompted by this list, come forward. I invite you to read more here about the information we publish today. Please pray with me that this information achieves the goal of bringing healing to victims. I also ask that you please pray for the Church, and for the Lord to call good and holy priests to serve the People of God in our growing diocese. With the Lord’s help, we can continue fostering a safe and supportive environment in our parishes, schools and ministries so that the Church in western North Carolina can help lead future generations to Him. Yours in Christ Jesus, Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, J.C.D. Bishop of Charlotte Continue Reading Credibly Accused Clergy Listed below are 14 clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the Diocese of Charlotte since it was established in 1972. Summarized are the allegations considered credible as a result of action by civil authorities, findings by the diocese’s Lay Review Board, or as the result of a comprehensive review of the diocese’s personnel and other files by independent investigators in 2019. Included on separate tabs are credibly accused clergy and religious brothers who served in western North Carolina before the Charlotte diocese was established, or were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct elsewhere. Diocese of Charlotte Est. 1972 Listed are clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the Diocese of Charlotte since it was established in 1972. Name Ordination Date Affiliation(s) Location(s) of Alleged Abuse* Donald Philip Baker Left ministry 1980 Diocese of Charlotte St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Lenoir, N.C. Est. 1972 Diocese of Charlotte Affiliation Diocese of Charlotte Donald Philip Baker Ordained, 1980 | Left ministry, 1994 Affiliation Diocese of Charlotte Allegation(s) Location St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Lenoir, N.C. In March of 2017, a man reported to the Diocese of Charlotte that Baker had sexually abused him in his Lenoir parish from 1986 to 1989, when he was a teenager. The diocese alerted Caldwell County DSS, and Lenoir police investigated but did not file charges. At the time of the allegation in 2017, Baker was living in Arizona, where he had relocated in 1991 and worked briefly in the Diocese of Phoenix. Baker left ministry in 1994. In 2019, after an investigation, the Charlotte diocese’s Lay Review Board deemed the allegation credible and recommended that Baker not be permitted to engage in any ministry. He remains permanently out of ministry. Assignments Holy Infant Catholic Church (Reidsville, N.C.) Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church (Greensboro, N.C.) St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church (Lenoir, N.C.) St. Joseph Catholic Church (Newton, N.C.) Report Abuse Charles Jeffries Jeff” Burton Removed, Deceased 1967 Society of Jesus-Maryland Province (Jesuits) Youth Ministry Center, Flat Rock, N.C. Est. 1972 Diocese of Charlotte Affiliation Society of Jesus-Maryland Province (Jesuits) Charles Jeffries Jeff” Burton Ordained, 1967 | Removed, 2007 | Deceased, 2011 Affiliation Society of Jesus-Maryland Province (Jesuits) Allegation(s) Location Youth Ministry Center, Flat Rock, N.C. In May of 1994, an adult male reported to the Diocese of Charlotte that Burton made advances and inappropriately touched him in 1982 at a youth ministry center in Flat Rock, when he was 17. Burton had been assigned by his supervising religious order, the Maryland Province of Jesuits, to work in the Charlotte diocese, and was appointed co-director of diocesan youth ministry in Flat Rock. At the time the allegation arose in 1994, Burton had not worked in the diocese for more than a decade. The diocese reported the allegation to his supervising religious order. The Jesuits sent Burton for treatment and then returned him to ministry in New Jersey, the order...