SCANDAL FALLOUT

Beleaguered New Hampshire Bishop Refuses to Resign

Many of state's Catholics want McCormack out

By Associated Press, 5/10/2002

CONCORD, N.H. - Bishop John B. McCormack said yesterday he will not step down, despite more questions about his role in the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church.

''Even though some think I should step aside, Pope John Paul II appointed me to be your shepherd,'' McCormack said in a written statement. ''I will remain your servant and toil ceaselessly on your behalf as bishop of Manchester.''

Some New Hampshire Catholics say McCormack hasn't been forthcoming enough about accusations that he ignored warnings about abusive priests and helped shuffle them to new parishes when he was a top church official in Boston.

A petition drive calling for McCormack's resignation has been circulating through some of the state's churches, and on Wednesday, The Union Leader of Manchester published a front-page editorial calling for his resignation.

McCormack acknowledged he made mistakes in the past, but said he has learned from them and will meet the challenge of keeping the church safe for everyone.

McCormack, 66, was secretary of ministerial personnel for the Boston archdiocese from 1984 to 1994 and handled sexual abuse complaints against priests for Cardinal Bernard Law for several years. In interviews last week, he said poor record-keeping, a lack of understanding of the nature of sexual abuse, and simply being left out of the loop kept him from doing more to prevent Massachusetts priests from abusing children.

McCormack, who became bishop of the Diocese of Manchester in 1998, also has apologized for the harm done by abusive priests, asked forgiveness, and said he wishes he had done more to keep children safe.

Meanwhile, a lawyer preparing a class-action lawsuit against the New Hampshire diocese said yesterday that dozens of alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests are ready to join the lawsuit.

Peter Hutchins would not specify the number of people who have contacted his firm, but he said they have more than tripled since he first filed the lawsuit April 10 in Hillsborough County Superior Court.

The lawsuit, which still must be certified as class-action by a judge, accuses the Diocese of Manchester and its employees of conspiring to conceal the names of priests who abused children.