philly.com
Posted: Thu, May. 3, 2012, 2:09 PM
By Joseph A. Slobodzian
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Nicolas Cudemo.
Prosecutors today began dissecting the career of the Rev. Nicholas V. Cudemo — transferred among Archdiocesan high schools over more than two decades after being accused of molesting a series of teenage girls — as the trial continued to explore the church’s handling of allegations of sexual abuse by some priests.
“As a male celibate, he needs female companionship and friendship,” Archdiocesan officials reported Cudemo told them when confronted in October , 1991 about allegations by several cousins that the priest had fondled them during their teen and preteen years.
That statement and others were contained in church archives that were read to the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury hearing the case against Msgr. William J. Lynn, who as secretary for clergy from 1992 to 2004 was the designated investigator of complaints of sexual misconduct against priests.
Most of Cudemo’s predations against teenage girls occurred before Lynn’s tenure as secretary for clergy. Cudemo was ordained in 1963 and the first allegation against him — involving a junior at Lansdale Catholic High School — was in 1966 at his first post as assistant pastor at St. Stanislaus parish in the Montgomery County community. Now 75, Cudemo was defrocked in 2005.
Lynn, the highest-ranking church official criminally charged in the church sex-abuse scandal, is accused of conspiracy and endangering the welfare of children for enabling some deviate priests to be transferred to other parishes after being accused. Lynn has denied the charges.
Prosecutors have been permitted to introduce evidence that predates Lynn’s tenure as secretary of clergy to show that he was allegedly perpetuating a church policy of protecting the church’s reputation at the expense of the victims of sexually abusive priests.
Although the 1991 Cudemo meeting occurred before Lynn became secretary for clergy, he was then beginning to work in the office and that day was taking notes as Cudemo was being questioned.
The records read to the jury today under the direction of Assistant District Attorney Patrick Blessington showed that Cudemo repeatedly deflected complaints made against him by denying sexual acts and admitting that he was “imprudent” and had let himself become too close to the girls.
“I’m attracted to young girls and I counsel them,” Cudemo is quoted as saying in a 1977 meeting after he was accused of have sex with a teenage student while he was teaching at Cardinal Dougherty High School.
But by 1991, the excuses were sounding hollow. A 31-year-old woman who owned a Florida condominium with Cudemo wrote church officials that she had been in a relationship with the priest since she was 15. And then there was the group of female cousins who accused Cudemo of fonding them when they were young assuring them that “It’s OK for cousins to be this close.”
At the 1991 meeting where Cudemo was ordered to go into treatment, the priest waxed and waned — argumentative and apologetic — but was ultimately unremorseful.
He blamed the allegations on a group of enemies who are “out to get me” but also told the officials: “I’ve known lots of women and it always takes two to do these things. … They were always more than willing.”
Contact Joseph A. Slobodzian at 215-854-2985, jslobodzian@phillynews.com, or follow him on Twitter @JoeSlobo
*Sick!
*I second that, Sylvia!
‘ A 31-year-old woman who owned a Florida condominium with Cudemo wrote church officials that she had been in a relationship with the priest since she was 15.”
That is a criminal offense in itself. She was 15.
In 1977 he said he was attracted to young girls. And all this occurred till 1991?
Where the hell were the Church officials and why didn’t they do the obvious….get this man out of Ministry.
No excuse, in my honest opinion. The Church’s thinking was screwed up. I find it hard to believe they could be so ineffective. Like that Cardinal in Ireland…..shame on them all.
Mo M MMM Mo Most of Cudemo’s predations ( SEXUAL ASSAULTS) against TEEN AGED and PRE TEEN AGED GIRLS occurred before Lynn’s tenure as secretary for clergy.M M MO MO MOST of them did.
*“As a male celibate, he needs female companionship and friendship,” – ” the priest had fondled them during their teen and preteen years.”
“imprudent” isnt that an incurable disease?
“I’m attracted to young girls and I counsel them.” Sholudn’t we be more focused on ALL the good for little girls this wonderful man has done throughout his life??
I’ve known lots of women and it always takes two to do these things. … They were always more than willing.”
I personally have been told by more than one priest that we (men) need to beware , women by their nature are seductive!!! This pervert applies the same principle to females ages zero+1 to life.
“a group of enemies who are “out to get me” . Sound familliar (Anti Agendas)?
There are some sick people in this world but this thing is not one of them.Sick and Evil are not synonymous.
*Thoughts on all this:
Lynn, the highest-ranking church official criminally charged in the church sex-abuse scandal, is accused of conspiracy and endangering the welfare of children for enabling some deviate priests to be transferred to other parishes after being accused.
Prosecutors have been permitted to introduce evidence that predates Lynn’s tenure as secretary of clergy to show that he was allegedly perpetuating a church policy of protecting the church’s reputation at the expense of the victims of sexually abusive priests.
Although the 1991 Cudemo meeting occurred before Lynn became secretary for clergy, he was then beginning to work in the office and that day was taking notes as Cudemo was being questioned.
“Taking notes.” We hear this statement in the cardinal Brady fiasco in Ireland. I am willing to bet that a lot of note taking was done in the past. But nothing was done about it until the abuse became out of control. Don’t you think?
Then the Church had to act because it knew this was a criminal act being hidden or “moved around” and eventually it would be before the Courts.
I would like the RC Church to stop hiding behind lawyers and courts of law and come out open and honest. Merely state it has a very serious problem with abusive priests, celibacy, lonliness, alcohol, and declining vocations. What is the average age of priests in Canada? I truly believe the nail is in the coffin for the priesthood and that in 30 yrs there will be a total revamping of the Catholic Church with laity in full controll….if they wish that to happen.
In the meantime, the Fr Lynns and Cardinal Bradys of the Church…..and there must be many many of them…..must come clean and resign. They basically did nothing then and allowed the abuse to continue. Their inactivity far outweighed their activity to help matters.
Yes, lots of note taking MikeMc – canon lawyers here doing their ‘job.’ Both Lynn and Brady were then functioning in their capacity as canon lawyers.
There was evidence at the Cornwall Public Inquiry regarding the gyrations canon law guru Father Frank Morrissey omi and one Jeff King (then a lawyer, now a diocesan priest) went through to find a way to make information which falls upon the ears of a bishop via the suspect clerical molester be privileged, and to thereby ensure that the bishop could not therefore be legally compelled to testify.
There are without doubt some good canon lawyers out there, but, when it comes to the sex abuse scandal in the Church an awful lot have been busy circling the wagons, and/or defending the indefensible, and/or running about diocese to diocese trying to plug holes in the leaky dykes.