Please note this page is currently
under construction
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
This statement was to be part of an
interview with Colleen Banford, Worcester News TV, on Wednesday
December 3, 2003. Due to a scheduling conflict the
interview was canceled by Ms Banford a few hours before it was
to occur. Additionally, Trooper Greene had also agreed to speak
with Ms Banford for this interview.
Statement released by Sime Braio for clarification of issues.
My written statement provided to Judge Tina Page on Wednesday November 19,
2003 has been taken out of context by my former Attorney Daniel J. Shea. I am
disappointed by the recent legal action initiated by Mr. Shea in his letter
Dated November 21, 2003 to District Attorney John Conte.
Mr. Shea’s illustration of the current State Police tactics can be nothing
further from the truth in my case. I am very pleased that the State Police are
currently still investigating my allegations against Auxiliary Bishop George E.
Rueger and the case remains open. This case after all has always been about
justice and not money to me.
I called Trooper Tom Greene as a clergy abuse victim. In my written statement
in which I made comment of Trooper Greene’s name, my only intention was to note
that Trooper Greene stated I could tell the Judge of the on going investigation.
It was never my intention for this hand written note to be used as a weapon
to discredit Trooper Greene. My attempt has been to try and discharge Attorney
Daniel J Shea and find suitable legal representation.
I would like to thank all those who have supported me.
Sime Braio
Friday November 21, 2003
Bishop Rueger case
dropped Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page dismissed without prejudice Wednesday
a civil lawsuit against Bishop Rueger. Sime Braio, 52, of Shrewsbury, filed
the suit in July 2002 alleging that Bishop Rueger sexually molested him when
Mr. Braio was an altar boy at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Worcester and
later while he was at the Lyman School for Boys in Westboro. Bishop Rueger
has denied the charges.
On Wednesday, Mr. Braio asked the court to dismiss the suit without
prejudice. He said he had spoken to Captain Thomas G. Greene of the State
Police Detective Bureau who advised him to drop the suit in light of an
ongoing investigation into the allegations against Bishop Rueger.
In a telephone interview Wednesday, Captain Greene said he told Mr. Braio
only “to tell the judge that the state police were conducting an
investigation into his allegations as reported.”
Mr. Braio
also told Judge Page that he was unable to find another lawyer to take his
case.
The point of greatest friction, at least for the
diocese, seems to be Mr. Shea himself, and for good reason. From all
appearances, he has been among the most available and most quotable sources
for writers covering this story, and he has been quoted repeatedly on
conspiracies and "sex rings" and other tantalizing hypotheses. The Free
Press editorial called him "the T&G’s most popular source for all matters
pertaining to the clergy sex abuse crisis." It complained that the Telegram
& Gazette’s coverage of the Sept. 12 hearing ignored repeated assertions
that Mr. Shea’s behavior had been threatening, adding that the judge herself
asked him to alter his tone because she, too, found it threatening.
WORCESTER- A Houston lawyer representing a Shrewsbury
man charging sexual abuse at the hands of a Roman Catholic bishop was
allowed to withdraw from the case yesterday, but is charging that his former
client is being coerced into a secret settlement.
Mr. Braio, 53, alleges in one of the suits, which names the Catholic Diocese
of Worcester and Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger as defendants, that he
was sexually abused as a teenager by Bishop Rueger. Bishop Rueger has denied
the allegations.
Mr. Braio has also filed a defamation suit against Monsignor Thomas J.
Sullivan, diocesan chancellor and liaison to the office of Worcester
District Attorney John J. Conte, alleging that Monsignor Sullivan
disseminated misinformation within the diocese that Mr. Braio had HIV.
A Shrewsbury man who filed a notice of intent to sue
District Attorney John J. Conte for $1 million last week has changed his
mind.
Sime Braio filed notice yesterday in Superior Court that he has dropped
First Assistant District Attorney James Reagon from the suit. Mr. Braio had
alleged Mr. Reagon had told a church official he had HIV.
July 18, 2003
Lennon questioning on Rueger is shelved WORCESTER- An attempt by Houston lawyer Daniel J. Shea
to question Bishop Richard G. Lennon of Boston under oath has been derailed,
at least for now.
A Superior Court judge granted an emergency motion yesterday indefinitely
postponing the deposition, which had been scheduled for today.
Mr. Reardon said the court should not entertain
theological, religious or ecclesiastical questions that Mr. Braio's lawyer,
Daniel J. Shea of Houston, has injected into the proceedings.
"It's just wild accusations thrown out there for the purposes of some sort
of discovery," Mr. Reardon said.
In a deposition made public last month, Monsignor
Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan chancellor and liaison to Mr. Conte's office,
said he was told by First Assistant District Attorney James Reagon that Mr.
Braio is HIV-positive.
Mr. Reagon has denied making any such statement. A telephone call to the
district attorney's office was not returned.
Bishop Lennon's deposition is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Friday at the law office of Bourgeois, Dresser & White, 4 Dix St.
The Rev. Christopher Coyne, spokesman for the Boston Archdiocese, said he
was unfamiliar with the particulars of Mr. Shea's request, but added all
members of the archdiocese are in the habit of cooperating with the legal
process.
In pretrial deposition testimony made public last month, Monsignor Thomas J.
Sullivan, diocesan chancellor and liaison to District Attorney John J.
Conte's office, said he was told by First Assistant District Attorney James
Reagon that Mr. Braio is HIV-positive.
Msgr. Sullivan said Mr. Gribouski responded, "Well,
how about if the diocese would offer us some money and a confidentiality
agreement?"
"I said two words to him, very hot. "Absolutely not,'" Msgr. Sullivan said.
"We hung up - oh, then at that point he said, "Then I've just decided I will
not be representing Mr. Braio.'"
Msgr. Sullivan said he was incensed by what he termed an immoral request by
Mr. Gribouski, one he believed was an attempt at extortion.
"I'd say it this way: When there is - knowing that the case has no
merits, and believing fully in my heart that Mr. Gribouski at that time also
realized that the case had no merits, to simply ask the question, would the
diocese be willing to pay money and have a confidentiality agreement over
the matter, is immoral," he said.
WORCESTER- A Superior Court judge yesterday ruled against attempts by
the Diocese of Worcester to limit questioning of Bishop Daniel P. Reilly in
a coming deposition and to prevent the release of transcripts to the media.
The deposition is for a lawsuit that accuses Auxiliary Bishop George E.
Rueger of child rape.
............James G. Reardon Jr., a lawyer for the diocese, wants to prevent
the public release of court documents, specifically depositions, generated
by the lawsuit. He also is seeking to delay discovery in the case until the
court rules on a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
WORCESTER-- A lawyer for the Telegram & Gazette argued before
a Superior Court judge yesterday that reporter Kathleen A. Shaw is protected
from having to divulge the specifics of conversations she had with a man who
has sued Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger alleging rape.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Monday at Worcester
Superior Court.
Kathy Shaw Telegram reporter is scheduled to be disposed
November 11, 2002 in the Bishop Rueger case.
Mr. Braio's Attorney was out of town and unavailable for comment.
He has previously stated he would stand next to Ms Shaw and go to "jail" if
need be.
The deposition of Attorney Gribouski, Mr Braio's first attorney was taken
by Worcester diocesan Attorney James Readon and completed on Friday October
25, 2002. By law the information contained in the deposition can not
be made public until 10 day after deposition.
Glen Alexander's participant in
sworn deposition given earlier this month in the Bishop Rueguer case
was informed that his former wife received a very disturbing visit from a
detective, questioning the reliability of Mr. Alexander. Mr.
Alexander's former wife was very disturbed by the tone of the questioning
conducted by this female private investigator. Faced with this disturbing
event she has discontinued visits to the local area fearing for her
children's well-being and safety .
Attorney Gribouski will testify in Bishop Rueger suit.
October 24, 2002
Telegram and Gazette staff member Richard Nangle reported today that
Judge Daniel Toomey yesterday in Worcester Superior Court ruled in favor of
Attorney Reardon in the scheduled deposition of Attorney Gribouski.
The Motion filed by Mr. Braio's attorney was dismissed. Mr.
Gribouski will be disposed at the offices of diocesan lawyer James G. Readon.
Catholic free press September 27, 2002
By Margaret M. Russell
It is a “travesty of justice”
that the daily newspaper published an incomplete statement of one witness in
a civil lawsuit against the diocese, Bishop Reilly’s secretary said
Wednesday.
“The article that appeared in the Telegram & Gazette on Wednesday, September
25, 2002, publicizing the partial deposition of Mr. Glen Alexander, was a
travesty of justice, particularly since it represented only one part of a
deposition yet to be completed and was not identified as such,” Father Rocco
Piccolomini, also vicar for clergy, said in a statement. Incomplete witness statement angers diocesan officials
Witness against diocese testifies
Wednesday, September 25, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- A sworn deposition given earlier this month
disputes assertions by Catholic Diocese of Worcester officials that Sime
Braio attempted to extort money from the diocese before he filed a lawsuit
accusing Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger of sexual abuse.
Mr. Braio, 52, filed the civil suit in July against the diocese and
Bishop Rueger, alleging that Rev. Rueger, who was then a priest, sexually
molested Mr. Braio when he was a teenager.
Diocesan officials
accused of bribing man to keep quiet By Diane C. Beaudoin
Correspondent
A deposition taken in preparation for a
civil lawsuit filed against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester alleges
that diocesan officials offered a Shrewsbury man money to keep quiet about
the sexual abuse he had alleged.
Sime Braio, represented by attorney
........, is suing the diocese and Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger for
alleged molestation that occurred beginning when he was an altar boy at Our
Lady of the Lourdes Church in Worcester.
An acquaintance of Braio's testified in
the deposition that Monsignor Timothy Sullivan came to Braio's home and,
instead of offering support, offered a bribe so that Braio would not make
his allegations public.
Responding to questions posed by .....,
Glen Alexander, who was at Braio's residence but not directly involved in
the conversation, said that Braio was offered thousands of dollars "to ease
your pain" by Sullivan.
"I want to say ten thousand, but I
don't remember, it was something thousand," Alexander said in the
deposition.
Alexander also testified that he saw
Sullivan carry a large bag into the residence, but that he did not know what
was inside. Alexander told .... he could not say for sure the money was
intended as a bribe, but said, "What does that tell you?" when someone
offers money to ease one's pain.
The deposition includes details of acts
allegedly performed by then-Father Rueger, including an incident when Braio
said he was given alcoholic beverages that may have been drugged, and was
then sodomized.
Deposition in Bishop Rueger Case
Tuesday September 10, 2002
On Tuesday September 10, 2002, a deposition was taken in the Simi Braio
extortion investigation on behalf of Mr. Braio. Mr. Braio remains steadfast
in his assertion that Monsignor Thomas Sullivan came to his home on May 10,
2002 in Shrewsbury, unaccompanied in the capacity as a member of the Initial
Review Committee of the Diocesan Pastoral Care Committee. After having a
short conversation relating to the alleged sexual abuse by Bishop George E. Rueger, Monsignor Sullivan presented to Mr. Braio a small black bag, which
contained one hundred dollar bills.
In the deposition on Tuesday Glen, who was disposed recalled Monsignor
Sullivan arriving at the home of Mr. Braio on May 10, 2002 and carrying what
appeared to be a small black case. Glen further went on to state
that he had the opportunity to hear the conversation between Monsignor Sullivan
and Mr. Braio.
Glen went on to further avow that Attorney Roger’s, representing the Worcester
Diocese left the deposition, and failed to return to finish the entire
questioning. Glen felt that this was an intentional action. ‘No matter what
Mr. Roger’s asked I had the correct answer” Glen who is highly decorated
Naval veteran felt it
was his duty to correct the misconception presented by Monsignor Sullivan
and Bishop Daniel Reilly.
Under terms of the law, the deposition cannot be released for ten days.
Worcester Telegram.
Letter to the Editor,
July 13, 2001
The Worcester Diocese has been humiliated once again by the behavior of
Bishops Reilly's office. Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan's attempt to blame
the media and discredit Kathy Shaw reporter for the Worcester Telegram
demonstrates a total lack of moral accountability. Monsignor Sullivan's
claim of extortion is despicable. The Diocese has again been caught lying
and covering up. The biggest insult is do they really believe that the
Catholic's in the Worcester Diocese are so naive as to believe a man would
only extort $10,000? The representation of a defense Attorney instead of a
civil Attorney clearly illustrates, Mr. Braio was unaware of how to
legally proceed. The Worcester Dioceses is responsible for it's own
dissemination of false information. Without the hard work of Ms Shaw,
Bishop Reilly's reassignment of Fr Inzerillo in December 2000 directly
after paying a $300,000 settlement in favor of the plaintiff, Mr. Edward
Gagne would have remained a secret to St Leo parents. Every Worcester
Dioceses family owes these hard working media people their gratitude.
As for Mr. Conte's Office, he projects the biggest failure. Without his
corporation for the past 27 years the Catholic Church would of been held
accountable. How did that first Police report filed in Lunenburg
concerning Fr. Kelley in 1975 result in no prosecution. How many children
and families have suffered needlessly due to Conte's inability to perform
his elected duties? It is well past time this cozy relationship between
Church and State becomes history.
Diocese clarifies extortion claim
Wednesday, July 17, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- The Catholic Diocese of Worcester clarified that an
unnamed local lawyer did not attempt to extort money from the diocese, but that
one of the requests for money came through the lawyer.
The clarification followed a declaration of support last week by diocesan
officials for Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger. Bishop Rueger was named in a
lawsuit filed Thursday by a Shrewsbury man alleging he was sexually abused many
years ago by the bishop.
WORCESTER-- Bishop Daniel P. Reilly issued a letter read at
all weekend Masses in support of Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger.
The letter restates Bishop Rueger's position that allegations of sexual
abuse in a recent lawsuit are not true.
Meanwhile, Sime J. Braio, who filed the suit Thursday in
Worcester Superior Court, suffered a heart attack and stroke during the
weekend. He is said to be recovering.
The letter to parishioners in the Catholic Diocese of Worcester noted
that Bishop Rueger met with journalists last Friday in the chancery,
“surrounded by many of his co-workers who have served closely with him over
the years. He emphatically denied that there was any truth to the allegation
being made, yet did so calmly and with a sense of Christian charity.
“His words were inspiring to all of us gathered there, as he avowed
unequivocally his commitment to the priesthood which he loves and respects
more dearly than anything in life,” Bishop Reilly said.
The bishop said the allegation was “thoroughly investigated by civil
authorities under the direction of the district attorney's office and by our
own internal investigation team.”
The bishop said Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan has represented the
Diocesan Pastoral Care Commission “in an attempt to determine if there is a
possible victim.”
“As Monsignor Sullivan stated to the media, the claims made by the
accuser to the diocese have been spurious and, indeed, attempts at extorting
money from the church at the expense of Bishop Rueger,” he said.
“It is truly regrettable that incidents like these received such public
attention.” He called such allegations “an affront to those who have been
victimized” and need understanding and prayers.
Mr. Braio, 52, of Shrewsbury alleged in his lawsuit that he was
sexually abused when he was in his early teens by Bishop Rueger.
He has been physically disabled for several years and is assisted by a
personal care attendant. He was admitted to an area hospital Sunday
suffering from a heart attack and stroke, according to lawyer .......
The lawsuit also said that Monsignor Sullivan, diocesan chancellor, had
met with Mr. Braio and offered him $10,000 to remain silent. Monsignor
Sullivan issued a stern denial of the accusation and said that it was Mr.
Braio who attempted to extort money from the diocese last February.
Mr. ...said yesterday that the allegation of extortion does not “make
sense to him,” but that he intends to talk further with his client when he
is able. “They said he asked for $10,000. That's too small an amount of
money for someone planning extortion. I do know from talking with a number
of victims who have sought settlements from the diocese that $10,000 is
always the diocese's opening offer.”
Monsignor Sullivan said the attempt at extortion happened on Feb. 26,
and was repeated thereafter on a couple of occasions. He said Mr. Braio's
first lawyer, whom he did not name, also tried to extort money from the
diocese.
Mr. Shea said he also wants to talk to his client about what happened
in February. “From what I can tell, Mr. Braio was coming to terms with what
happened to him regarding the abuse and wanted to increase the number of
visits he had with his psychiatrist. He went to the diocese and asked them
to help him out. He was on disability and paying the psychiatrist out of
pocket,” he said.
“When he first went to the chancery, he was not represented by counsel.
I always advise clients never to go there without a lawyer,” Mr. Shea said.
He added that Mr. Braio was also not represented by a lawyer when Monsignor
Sullivan met with him at his house.
Mr. ......said his co-counsel, Abigail Williams, brought up what she
considers inconsistencies in the diocese's statement about what happened
with Mr. Braio.
“They said on one hand that Mr. Braio was planning extortion and was
considered to be a felon. Then in May, Monsignor Sullivan goes to the house
and calls it reaching out to a potential victim. They've got two different
stories going on,” Mr. ......said.
Bishop Reilly said he considered it “disturbing” that any allegation
made against a member of the clergy will be “guaranteed coverage in the
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, regardless of merit.”
The bishop since February has removed six priests from their pastoral
duties, and in each case issued a public statement to be printed in the
Telegram & Gazette and The Catholic Free Press and put on the diocesan Web
site and in other media. The bishop explained who he was removing and why he
did it.
He called on Catholics of the diocese to voice support for Bishop
Rueger and “take a stand for those whose lives and reputations are being so
callously treated without cause or reason.”
Mr. ...... said Bishop Reilly did not tell parishioners the “whole
story.” The lawyers acted with “due diligence” before filing the lawsuit.
“He should have told the Catholics about what he said in the suit, that Mr.
Braio was taken by his caregiver to the Catholic St. Vincent Hospital where
he was evaluated in the psychiatric trauma unit.” The professional mental
health evaluator concluded that Mr. Braio sustained severe trauma from abuse
and he was deemed to be “credible.”
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Area man sues Bishop
Rueger
Friday, July 12, 2002
By Kathleen A. Shaw Telegram & Gazette Staff
WORCESTER-- A civil suit filed in
Worcester Superior Court yesterday alleges that Auxiliary Bishop George
E. Rueger of the Catholic Diocese of Worcester sexually molested a teen-age
boy at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the early 1960s.
Sime J. Braio, now 52, filed suit against the diocese and Bishop Rueger,
claiming that the molestation started when he was 13 and continued when he
was older.
“It's all false,” Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan chancellor,
said of the allegations contained in the lawsuit. “We've been working with
the district attorney on this.”
District Attorney John J. Conte said last night his investigators
concluded that Mr. Braio's charges could not be substantiated.
According to the suit, Mr. Braio previously contacted the diocese about
his allegations and was questioned by the
Massachusetts
State Police.
Mr. Braio, a Shrewsbury resident, is represented by lawyers
........, with offices in Houston and Worcester, and Abigail Williams, a
registered nurse and lawyer with an office at 370 Main St.
Mr. ...... said last night that he and his co-counsel investigated the
matter before filing the suit. He said Mr. Braio signed a statement under
oath stating the allegations in the lawsuit were correct.
Since February, the Diocese of Worcester has removed six priests after
allegations of sexual misconduct were made. Civil lawsuits are pending that
allege abuse by the Rev. Robert E. Kelley and the Rev. Lee F. Bartlett.
The new suit maintains that as a result of molestation that occurred at
Our Lady of Lourdes, Mr. Braio began what he called “acting out” in the form
of running away from home and taking automobiles on “joy-rides.” His
behavior landed him in the former Lyman School for Boys in Westboro when he
was 14.
Mr. Braio alleges that Bishop Rueger received permission from school
administrators to take him away for weekend outings. He said there were
three to five visits to the bishop's family home in Scituate.
“There were increasing levels of sexual contact,” according to the
lawsuit. “On that last occasion, he was given alcohol that may have been
drugged and was anally sodomized by the Rueger defendant with sufficient
force to cause hemorrhaging.”
Mr. Braio said that he recently was contacted by two
Massachusetts
State Police officers “and subjected to a 12-hour interrogation.” State
police a short while later asked him to sign a release allowing them to
obtain information from Dr. Jorge Balaguer, whom the officers believed had
information relevant to his allegations against the auxiliary bishop. Mr.
Braio said he signed the release.
Before filing suit, Mr. Braio was evaluated in the psychiatric trauma
unit at St. Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical Center and was found to be
suffering from severe trauma of the type associated with past sexual abuse.
The person who made the evaluation concluded of Mr. Braio that “as a
patient, he was an accurate historian,” according to the suit.
Mr. Braio said that he believed for many years that sexual acts by
clergy members were permissible, a belief reinforced by Auxiliary Bishop
Rueger, the suit states.
“Thus, he has never been able to connect his lifelong psychiatric
problems with the actions of the defendants,” according to the lawsuit.
Monsignor Sullivan said Mr. Braio on Feb. 26 called the diocese “and
attempted to extort the Diocese of Worcester with false claims of sexual
misconduct against Bishop Rueger. No money was paid to Mr. Braio on that
occasion or any other occasion, he said.
Mr. Conte said last night that his investigators spent 2.5 months
investigating Mr. Braio's allegations against the auxiliary bishop and could
not support the plaintiff's claims.
Bishop Rueger, 72, a native of Worcester, was ordained to the
priesthood in 1958 by Bishop John J. Wright and prepared for priesthood at
St. John's Seminary in Brighton.
He was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes and was transferred in 1963 to
St. Peter's Parish in Worcester. He became headmaster of Marian High School
in 1971. He went to Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Whalom, in 1974 and later
served as diocesan school superintendent from 1978 to 1980. He also served
at Sacred Heart Parish, Hopedale. He left Hopedale in 1981 to return to St.
Peter's, and became pastor.
He served there until being named auxiliary bishop.
D.A. says investigation did
not substantiate charges
By Kevin Luperchio
Catholic free Press
A 2 1/2-month-long investigation by the district attorney’s office and the
diocese has failed to substantiate allegations that Bishop Rueger sexually
molested a 13-year-old altar boy at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the early
1960s.
Bishop Rueger firmly denied the allegations last Friday at a press
conference in the plaza in front of the Chancery. He did so with the support
of Bishop Reilly, who also spoke at the press conference. Joining him in
support in the plaza were clergy and staff at the Chancery.
Sime J. Braio, now 52, filed a civil suit July 10 in Worcester Superior
Court claiming he was molested while he was at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish
and later while he was at the Lyman School for Boys in Westboro.
“These allegations are totally unfounded,” Bishop Rueger said. “What the
allegations cite 40 years ago never happened.”
Dist. Atty John Conte said in a telephone interview last Friday that State
Police assigned to his office took a lengthy statement from Mr. Braio. His
office then conducted an extensive investigation into Mr. Braio’s
allegations over about 2 1/2 months. He said they were not able to
substantiate Mr. Braio’s charges.
He said one of Mr. Braio’s claims was that a reporter had pictures of the
bishop in a compromising situation. The investigators spoke to the reporter,
who said there were no such pictures, the district attorney said.
Mr. Conte said the statute of limitations had passed for criminal action on
the allegations. He said that, in keeping with a policy his office and the
diocese have agreed to, if someone wants to make allegations, his office
will take a statement and investigate. If the allegations are substantiated,
the case is turned over to the diocese. In Mr. Braio’s case, the allegations
were not substantiated, he said.
Bishop Rueger said he remembered Mr. Braio from his first assignment as
associate pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish. At the time, Mr. Braio was a
member of the parish’s religious education classes, “a young man with a
difficult background,” he said.
The bishop said he had very limited contact with Mr. Braio and could recall
only one other occasion since when he’d seen Mr. Braio. On that occasion,
Bishop Rueger visited Mr. Braio at a local hospital after the man’s heart
surgery; this meeting, the bishop said, occurred a few years ago at the
request of the hospital’s chaplain.
“I love the priesthood. I could never compromise the priesthood. It has been
the joy of my life. I have undertaken all of my ministry with an energy and
an enthusiasm that God gave me,” the bishop said.
Despite the difficulty in facing what he called a false allegation, Bishop
Rueger said he felt “a kind of inner peace.”
“I know I am innocent,” he said. “I know that what was alleged never
happened.”
Bishop Reilly, who also spoke at the press conference, gave Bishop Rueger an
enthusiastic endorsement. When he said that Bishop Rueger will continue his
ministry, the Chancery staff applauded.
He called Bishop Rueger “a good friend and bishop,” adding “we want you to
know that we love you, support you and pray for you.”
Msgr. Thomas J. Sullivan, diocesan chancellor, detailed the charges and the
actions taken by the diocese and the district attorney’s office after Mr.
Braio’s first call to the diocese.
He said in an interview last Friday that Mr. Braio contacted the bishop’s
office on four separate occasions in an attempt to extort the diocese. On
each occasion, Mr. Sullivan said he contacted the District Attorney’s Office
immediately following his conversations with Mr. Braio.
Msgr. Sullivan said he first spoke with Mr. Braio on Feb. 26, 2002, shortly
after Mr. Braio left a message alleging that he’d been sexually abused.
During several phone conversations that day, Mr. Braio alleged that Bishop
Rueger sexually molested him and said he would speak with the media about
his alleged ordeal if the diocese did not pay him a sum of money, Msgr.
Sullivan said. Mr. Braio did not discuss a specific sum on that occasion, he
added.
Msgr. Sullivan said he and Father Rocco Piccolomini, diocesan vicar for
clergy, offered to meet with Mr. Braio in person; this, he said, is a
standard practice outlined in the diocese’s policy regarding sexual abuse
allegations. Both Msgr. Sullivan and Father Piccolomini are members of the
diocese’s Initial Review Committee, the committee which first evaluates
sexual abuse allegations against diocesan clergy and employees and reports
their findings.
Mr. Braio said he was unable to meet with Msgr. Sullivan and Father
Piccolomini at the Chancery because he was an invalid, Msgr. Sullivan said,
so they agreed to meet him at his Shrewsbury home.
Later that day, Mr. Braio canceled the meeting, saying he was not ready to
discuss the details of his alleged abuse. However, a local attorney called
Msgr. Sullivan later that day and said he was considering representing Mr.
Braio.
Following Mr. Braio’s initial phone call, Msgr. Sullivan and Msgr. Edmond T.
Tinsley, another member of the Initial Review Committee, investigated his
claims.
They found that everything Mr. Braio alleged could be disproved, Msgr.
Sullivan said, adding that the findings led Bishop Reilly to allow Bishop
Rueger to continue ministering in his present capacity.
Raymond Delisle, diocesan spokesman, said Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo, the
papal nuncio to the United States, who would oversee the removal of a
bishop, was kept apprised of the diocese’s investigation.
“Based on the situation as he was apprised, he felt there was no need for
action,” Mr Delisle said.
On May 9, Mr. Braio’s attorney contacted Msgr. Sullivan offering to drop the
matter if the diocese paid his client a sum of money, the monsignor said.
Msgr. Sullivan refused the offer and the lawyer decided soon after not to
represent Mr. Braio, he said.
Mr. Braio then contacted Msgr. Sullivan on May 10 and asked to meet with him
at his (Mr. Braio’s) home. During the meeting, Msgr. Sullivan said, Mr.
Braio re-iterated his demands for money. According to Msgr. Sullivan, Mr.
Braio planned to use the money for several specific purchases including
etching his mother’s name on her gravestone. At this meeting, Msgr. Sullivan
said he learned that Mr. Braio was not an invalid.
Msgr. Sullivan said his final conversation with Mr. Braio occurred two weeks
ago. At this time, he said, Mr. Braio was growing increasingly impatient
that he’d not received any money.
Msgr. Sullivan said he heard nothing more from Mr. Braio. However, on
Thursday evening, he received a phone call from a Worcester Telegram and
Gazette reporter asking for a comment on allegations Mr. Braio had brought
to the paper.
the lawyer now representing Mr. Braio in his suit, declined to comment for
this story.
WORCESTER-- Pope John Paul II's representative to the United
States has agreed with the findings of an investigation conducted by the
Catholic Diocese of Worcester that cleared Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger
of allegations he sexually molested a teen-age boy at Our Lady of Lourdes
parish in the early 1960s.
Local diocesan officials said Archbishop Gabriel Montalvo -- the papal
nuncio to the United States -- has maintained an ongoing dialogue with
Worcester Bishop Daniel P. Reilly since Sime J. Braio, a 52 year-old
Shrewsbury man, reported earlier this year that he had been molested by
Bishop Rueger.
Vatican officials could not be reached for comment. Diocesan spokesman
Raymond L. Delisle said Archbishop Montalvo -- Rome's highest emissary in
the United States -- agreed there was no substance to the charges.
A civil suit was filed on Mr. Braio's behalf Thursday in
Worcester Superior Court against Bishop Rueger and the diocese. It
alleges that the molestation began when Mr. Braio was 13 and continued when
he was older.
According to the suit, the sexual abuse resulted in behavior that
eventually landed Mr. Braio in the former Lyman School for Boys in Westboro.
Mr. Braio said Bishop Rueger was given permission by school
administrators to take him away for weekend outings at the bishop's family's
home in Scituate, where, he alleged, he was abused further.
Yesterday, at a press conference in front of the Chancery Building on
Elm Street, Bishop Rueger vehemently denied the charges.
“These allegations are totally unfounded,” said Bishop Rueger, who was
surrounded by supportive Chancery officials and staff.
Bishop Rueger said he met Mr. Braio when he was asked to make a
“hospital call” while the teen was living at the Lyman School. That was the
only time that he had contact with Mr. Braio, he said.
“My greater pain,” the bishop said, “comes today from the fact that all
of my life -- 72 years -- I have been a part of this diocese, and in all
those years I have had the support of my family, my friends, and I have been
able to minister to so many people.
“I love the priesthood,” he added. “I could never compromise the
priesthood. It has been the joy of my life, and I have undertaken all of my
ministry with an energy and an enthusiasm that God gave me.”
Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, the diocesan chancellor, reiterated the
diocese's position that Mr. Braio tried at least three times to extort up to
$10,000 from the church in exchange for not going public with his
allegations.
In addition to the diocesan inquiry, Mr. Braio's allegations also were
investigated by Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte's office and state
police and could not be substantiated.
The DA's office is investigating the diocese's complaints about the
alleged extortion attempts.
Unlike six other priests who were removed from public ministry after
allegations of sexual misconduct were made against them, diocesan officials
said Bishop Rueger continued his duties after Mr. Braio took his complaints
to the Chancery.
Officials said that only the pope could remove or suspend Bishop Rueger,
adding that Vatican officials found no evidence to warrant such action.
An auxiliary bishop in Worcester yesterday denied that he
molested a teenager four decades ago, and the Worcester diocese accused the
complainant of extortion.
Bishop George E. Rueger, 72, said he did not abuse Sime Braio, 52,
despite accusations made by Braio in a lawsuit filed Thursday in Worcester
Superior Court.
''These allegations are totally unfounded,'' Rueger said at a news
conference. ''What the allegation cites some 40 years ago never happened.''
Braio, of Shrewsbury, alleged in the lawsuit that Rueger began to abuse
him when Braio was a 13-year-old altar boy at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in
Worcester. Braio alleged that the abuse continued when he was a student at
the Lyman School for Boys in Westborough, where Braio says he was placed
after running away because of the abuse.
Braio said he informed the Diocese of Worcester of his allegation 10
months ago. His decision to file a lawsuit was first reported by the
Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
Diocesan officials said they investigated Braio's allegation and
determined it to be false. They said they also reported it to Worcester
District Attorney John J. Conte. The diocese said Conte did not substantiate
the allegation; Conte did not return two calls seeking comment yesterday.
Diocesan spokesman Raymond L. Delisle said Worcester Bishop Daniel P.
Reilly does not believe the allegation against Rueger. Delisle said the only
time Rueger recalls interacting with Braio was when he once visited him in a
hospital, and he said there has never been another abuse allegation against
Rueger during his 50 years as a Worcester priest.
The diocesan chancellor, Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, accused Braio of
extortion, saying that Braio had threatened to talk to the Worcester
Telegram unless he was paid money by the diocese. Sullivan said the diocese
reported the extortion allegation to State Police.
Braio's lawyer, ............... of Houston, said his client did not try to
extort money from the diocese and stands by his allegations.
''I don't believe a single word coming from the mouth of any bishop of
the Catholic Church,'' ......... said. ''We found [Braio] to be a very credible
witness
Bishop denies former
altar boy's charges of sex abuse
by Robin Washington
Saturday, July 13, 2002
An auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Worcester yesterday vehemently
denied charges he sexually molested an altar boy 40 years ago.
``I know that what was alleged . . . just never happened,'' auxiliary
Bishop George E. Rueger said of charges in a lawsuit filed Thursday by Sime
Braio, 52, of Shrewsbury. ``I love the priesthood. I could never compromise
the priesthood,'' Rueger said.
Braio, who charged Rueger began molesting him when he was an altar boy at
Worcester's Our Lady of Lourdes and continued doing so after the youth was
placed at the Lyman School for Boys in Westboro, claimed he first told the
diocese of the abuse 10 months ago. Then, the suit states, ``he was visited
by a . . . Monsignor Sullivan, who offered him $10,000 to buy his silence.''
In a statement, Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, chancellor of the diocese,
said he did meet with Braio, but not until May 2002 and ``no offer of money
was made to Mr. Braio by myself or any others.''
Sullivan, who accused Braio of attempting to extort the diocese by
threatening in February to go to the media unless he was paid, also said
state police and District Attorney John J. Conte found no merit to the
claims.
But lawyer ......... said he and co-counsel Abigail Williams vetted
their client fully before filing suit.
``He's completely credible,'' said ......., adding that Braio also had a
psychiatric evaluation. Of the diocese's denials, ...... said: ``That's the
consistent response I've seen in all the cases of allegations against
bishops.''
Diocese claims bishop accuser
tried blackmail
Man says he was raped by a current Worcester Diocese bishop in
the 1960s.
Cape Cod Times July 13, 2002
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WORCESTER, Mass. - A Shrewsbury man says he was sexually
abused by a bishop in the Worcester Diocese, but church officials say he's
making up his accusations after trying to blackmail them.
In a civil lawsuit filed Thursday in Worcester Superior Court, Sime J.
Braio, 52, says Auxiliary Bishop George E. Rueger abused him in the 1960s.
Braio said the abuse started when he was a 13-year-old altar boy at Our Lady
of Lourdes Church in Worcester, where Rueger was a parish priest at the
time.
Rueger denied the accusations, and Bishop Daniel P. Reilly stood by his
fellow cleric's claims of innocence.
The lawsuit also says that Monsignor Thomas J. Sullivan, Chancellor of
the Diocese, offered Braio $10,000 to keep from going public with his
accusation. Braio says he refused the money.
Church officials said they never offered money to Braio, and accused him
of trying to blackmail them.
In a statement posted on the diocese's Web site, Sullivan said Braio
called the diocese on Feb. 26 and "attempted to extort the Diocese of
Worcester with false claims of sexual misconduct against Bishop Rueger."
Sullivan said Braio threatened to talk to a reporter from the Telegram &
Gazette of Worcester unless he was paid money. Sullivan did not specify how
much money Braio asked for, but said Braio tried to blackmail the diocese
three more times.
Sullivan said each of those incidents was reported to the office of
Worcester County District Attorney John Conte.
"We do not believe it's extortion," Conte said yesterday. "We're not
pursuing it at this time."
Conte also said he found nothing to back up Braio's claims of abuse.
"The allegations he made in his statement to us were unsubstantiated,"
Conte said.
Attorney Daniel J. Shea said his client has severe psychological problems
stemming from the alleged abuse and cannot hold a job.
"My client may have sought compensation from the church," Shea said. "I'm
not entirely sure if there was any request for assistance."
Braio says that after he was first molested, he began "acting out" by
running away from home and taking cars on joy rides. When he was 14, Braio
says he was placed in a Westboro school for troubled boys.
While at the boarding school, Braio says Rueger took him out for "weekend
outings" between three and five times. During those weekends, Braio says
Rueger raped him.
