Category:Georgia Dioceses
From Eurêka
Archdiocese of Atlanta
Archdiocese of Atlanta Comprises 69 counties in the northern part of the state of Georgia with a Catholic population of about 371,000 in a total population of nearly 6 million. Archbishop Donoghue was appointed to his Atlanta post on June 22, 1993, resigned December 2004, replaced by pope with Bishop Wilton Gregory of Belleville.
Archdiocese of Atlanta abuse Four priests had been accused of sexual abuse up to January 2003. Most of the incidents dated back to 1960s-70s, corresponded to six claims for sexually abusing boys, paid more than $500,000 to settle claims, 1989-2002.
(alphabetical listing)
[4 offenders identified, 6 listed]
Archbishop Marino affair Rev. Eugene A. Marino (1934-2000), appointed Archbishop of Atlanta 1988, had a two-year affair with a 27-year-old single mother with whom he performed a secret wedding ceremony in which they exchanged rings. The lady involved had had a relationship with a another priest in Savannah, GA, with whom she had a son, 1988-90. The archbishop resigned 1990 and went to Father Groeschel's retreat center, in the New York City suburb of Larchmont. In the mid-1990s, Archbishop Marino became spiritual director of the outpatient Clergy Consultation and Treatment Service at St. Vincent’s Hospital, near Trinity Retreat. It was formed at the request of the late Cardinal O'Connor and works closely with the retreat center.
Biggers affair Rev. Clarence Biggers accused of abuse, 2002.
Cassity case Kenneth Joseph Cassity described as an “interim pastoral aide” at the parish in east Cobb County with a school run by the Missionaries of LaSalette, pleaded guilty in June 2002 to two counts of child molestation and was sentenced to six years in prison and nine years of probation. The abuse occurred between July 1999 and December 2000, Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Missionaries of LaSalette agreed to pay a Cobb couple an undisclosed amount to compensate them for medical costs resulting from the molestation of their 14-year-old sons.
Idziak affair Rev. Stanley Idziak who served the Corpus Christi parish in Stone Mountain during the 1980s, accused of abuse. Settled. Removed from parish.
Kuhl affair Rev. Morgan Kuhl was arrested after he solicited sex online from undercover officers posing as adolescent boys 1999. The subsequent FBI investigation showed that he had met teens this way and abused them. Kuhl was counseled by Archbishop Marino and Father Groeschel.
Mowat affair Rev. Anton Mowat, a visiting priest who served the Corpus Christi parish in Stone Mountain during the 1980s, took the most money to settle his case. Convicted, he served prison time for molesting four boys. Removed from priesthood.
Diocese of Savannah
Diocese of Savannah abuse One priest has been accused of sexual abuse up to January 2003. Twelve children have been sexually abused by six priests over 52 years in the Diocese of Savannah, National Audit February 2004. None of the abusive priests were named.
(alphabetical listing)
[6 offenders acknowledged, 1 listed]
Brown case Rev. Wayland Yoder Brown, Jr. (1943-), a priest from Savannah, pleaded guilty in a Maryland court in November 2002 to charges of child abuse and battery for performing sexual acts on a teenage boy and his younger brother in Maryland between 1974 and 1977. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Pope John Paul II dismissed Brown from the priesthood December 2004.
- Ranta allegation Allan Carl Ranta Jr. (1969-), a former student of St. James Catholic School, filed a lawsuit in the Court of Common Pleas in Jasper County, SC, in which he says former Savannah priest Wayland Y. Brown sexually abused him more than 25 years earlier, 2008.
