New York ex-bishop admits covering up 25 years of child sex abuse

A former bishop of the State of New York has admitted in court to having ignored a number of sexual assaults on children committed by 11 priests between 1977 and 2002, denounced on Monday March 28 an association for the assistance of victims.

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In April 2021, Howard Hubbard, ex-bishop of the city of Albany testified under oath for four days before the Supreme Court of the State of New York and acknowledged that for 25 years, from 1977 to 2002, he was informed of sexual abuse committed on minors by his co-religionists.

Without ever reporting them to the police or sending them back.

The 680-page deposition was made public on Friday by order of a judge and has since been commented on by local American media.

In reaction, the victims' defense association "

" (Snap), based in Chicago, welcomed the fact that "

”.

In a statement released on Monday, Snap said it "

."

"

Scandal

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Questioned by the justice on the reasons for which he had remained silent, Howard Hubbard replied that he was "

" facts of sexual abuse of children, according to his remarks quoted by the local chain of NBC, WNYT Channel 13. According to this television, the former bishop of Albany, who left his post in 2014, did not want a new "

" of pedophilia which splashes American Catholic priests, even if, in a letter last August, he acknowledged that the Church had not taken the measure of the impact of these alleged crimes on the victims.

In response, the Diocese of Albany assured in a press release “

” that it considered “

”.

For years, the American Catholic Church has been rocked by revelations and accusations of sexual abuse committed by priests.

In December 2019, the Pope announced the resignation of Bishop Richard Malone, Bishop of Buffalo (State of New York), implicated for his management of a vast pedophilia scandal.