Abuse claims test local Catholics
| • | Maui Parishioners express shock at allegations |
By Mike Gordon and Christie Wilson
Advertiser Staff Writers
The heartbreak and betrayal of trust over claims of sexual abuse by the clergy deepened for many Catholics as allegations against two Hawai'i priests were revealed in recent days, but there also is a sense that the church may emerge from the crisis an even stronger institution.
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Last weekend, parishioners at Maria Lanakila Church in Lahaina learned that their respected pastor, the Rev. Joseph Bukoski III, had been removed from his duties because of a complaint accusing him of engaging in sexual misconduct with a minor more than 20 years ago.
The Rev. Joseph Bukoski denies allegations of molestation.
The alleged misconduct occurred in Honolulu and the complainant, who came forward in April, is an adult now, said Patrick Downes, a spokesman for the Diocese of Honolulu, which includes nearly 100 churches with about 160 active and inactive clergy members.
Church officials said Bukoski, 49, has denied the allegations. Bukoski was placed on administrative leave and put under the supervision of his religious order. He is not allowed to hear confessions or celebrate public Mass.
Downes said the allegations against Bukoski are one of three separate cases in Hawai'i that church officials are investigating.
On Friday, an unrelated lawsuit filed in Honolulu Circuit Court accused former Hawai'i priest Roberto De Otero of molesting two altar boys during the mid to late 1980s at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Kalihi. De Otero, who is believed to be living in California, has admitted the misconduct and was accused of similar allegations while serving earlier as a Navy chaplain.
Jim Fulton, spokesman for the Honolulu prosecutor's office, said no complaint has been filed regarding Bukoski, and Maui police said there are no pending complaints against any clergy on the island. In Hawai'i, a criminal case must be filed within three to six years after the victim's 18th birthday, depending on the nature of the alleged offense. Although there are exceptions, state law requires most civil lawsuits to be filed within two years of reaching 18 years of age.
No details about Bukoski's alleged misconduct were released. The decision to remove him was made by Honolulu Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo, who said there has been no final determination of guilt or innocence. DiLorenzo made his decision after receiving a unanimous recommendation from the Diocesan Standing Committee For Sexual Misconduct, which recommended that Bukoski undergo "professional evaluation and treatment."
The committee, composed of church officials and lay people, has been in existence for about a decade.
The Roman Catholic Church around the world has been rocked this year by a series of sexual abuse scandals involving priests and apparent cover-ups by the church hierarchy. Of more than 47,000 priests in the nation, dozens have been suspended or forced to resign.
Bukoski is the first priest in Hawai'i to be disciplined amid the heightened scrutiny.
"I was under the ideal assumption that this would never occur in the Islands. Obviously, I was wrong," said the Very Rev. Clyde Guerreiro, provincial for the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary religious order in Hawai'i and a close friend of Bukoski, a member of the order.
David Coleman, religious studies instructor at Chaminade University, a Catholic institution, said the revelations of sexual abuse likely will have a long-lasting effect on the church, focusing attention on institutional policies involving the clergy and the role of lay members.
"This is certainly a very difficult time for rebuilding trust for the whole church and the American church, in particular, because people hadn't paid close attention to how these things should be handled and now it's coming back to roost," said Coleman, who is Catholic.
Still, the fact that attendance at Mass remains strong is an indication of Catholics' continued faith in their church, he said. "Generally, most Catholics are on the side of saying, 'How do we rebuild this and make it work?' instead of 'How do we run from this?' "
The chairman of the Department of Religion at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa said the crisis will force Catholics to make a clearer distinction between their church and its all-too-human leaders who have proven they are not infallible — and that is a good thing.
"This need not be a crippling blow. Recognizing (the clergy's) fallibility does not in any way diminish their faith in the mother church per se," Cromwell Crawford said. "It might even have a positive effect of falling back upon the faith of the church instead of identifying the church with the clergy."
