Summary of report

McAfee & Taft A Professional Corporation was retained by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City (the “Archdiocese”) to conduct an independent investigation and review of the Archdiocese’s past handling of allegations of sexual abuse of minors by priests. At the Archdiocese’s request, we have prepared and released this Report, which includes our findings, a discussion of cases where we believe allegations of child sexual abuse are substantiated, an analysis of how the Archdiocese has handled allegations over the years, and our recommendations on how the Archdiocese can better handle allegations of child sexual abuse in the future.
 
The Archdiocese directed us to independently investigate any matter that we deemed warranted investigation. As part of our independent investigation, we reviewed a large amount of data, many records, and interviewed numerous witnesses. The Archdiocese did not refuse any of our requests to review records in its possession. The Archdiocese was under no obligation to have any investigation performed and could have performed a review of its own files and made its own findings without any involvement of an outside law firm. By retaining a law firm to conduct an independent investigation to be followed by a public report, the Archdiocese subjected itself to independent criticism and review of its past actions and omissions.
 
We presently have identified and provided details in our Report relating to 11 priests who worked within the Archdiocese from 1960 through 2018 for whom we have substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors. There are additional files still under investigation and as those investigations conclude, additional names of priests with substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors will be released as warranted. Most of the priests still under investigation relate to allegations raised with the Archdiocese after it announced our firm’s investigation in August of 2018, though a few relate to older files that need additional investigation for various reasons. The matters still under investigation do not relate to any current active priests within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, though one matter still under investigation relates to a retired priest who still resides within the territory of the Archdiocese.
 
Our key findings of the Report include:
 

• Inadequacies in the Archdiocese’s recordkeeping policies and systems that have resulted in the intentional or accidental deletion of records documenting or relating to allegations of sexual abuse of minors;
• Decentralized, disorganized, and scattered Archdiocesan records documenting or relating to allegations of sexual abuse of minors;
• Inconsistent and inadequate investigations conducted by the Archdiocese into past allegations of sexual abuse of minors;
• In some instances, a failure by the Archdiocese to take appropriate action when presented with credible allegations that its priests had sexually abused minors, including a failure to monitor certain priests of concern to the Archdiocese; and
• A failure by the Archdiocese to follow its own policies and procedures relating to allegations of sexual abuse of minors, particularly when the Archdiocese was involved in litigation or when presenting key factual evidence to the Archdiocesan Review Board (the “Review Board”).

 
Our Report also makes a number of key recommendations to the Archdiocese. In summary, these recommendations include:
 

• Steps that the Archdiocese should take to consolidate, modernize, and improve its recordkeeping system to ensure that it preserves, tracks, and has access to all records documenting or relating to allegations of sexual abuse of minors;
• Ways to improve its investigative process, including the hiring of a truly independent, qualified investigator, so that both the Archdiocese and the public can have confidence that actual or perceived human bias is lessened when the Archdiocese receives allegations of sexual abuse of minors;
• Increased involvement by the Review Board into allegations of sexual abuse of minors. The Review Board is mandated by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and the majority of its members are lay persons not employed by the Archdiocese;
• For the protection of our children and to heighten accountability, improved public communications about the actions taken by the Archdiocese relating to allegations of sexual abuse of minors; and
• Clarifying that all Archdiocesan personnel, including clergy, should immediately report to the Archdiocese any concerns about the sexual abuse of minors and imposing consequences for failing to immediately report such concerns.

 
Our firm consists of persons who live, work, and worship in Oklahoma and beyond. We humbly submit this Report with the hope that its contents and any ensuing improvements adopted by the Archdiocese result in a safer environment for all children for generations to come.

To read the entire report, visit archokc.org/clergyabusereport