Catholic Church Aware of Donald McGuire's Abuse of Young Boys

While the Catholic Church has long denied knowing about Rev. Donald McGuire's pedophilia, new documents being made public on Monday indicate that at least ten separate church officials were aware of McGuire's transgressions. These documents, detailed in a press release by Jeff Anderson & Associates, could be a deciding factor on the civil suit against the Catholic Church.

The proof that three separate Catholic institutions and ten church officials were aware of McGuire's abuse is contained in over 30 pages of secret Jesuit documents according to the press release. These documents are being made public by the attorneys for the victims of McGuire as part of the civil lawsuit process.

The letters documented complaints of multiple families about McGuire during his time as a priest and span over fifty years. In the letters, families accuse McGuire of having inappropriate contact with their boys. The accusations included showing pornography, sharing a bed with young boys, and suspected sexual abuse.

According to the press release, these documents seem to prove that the Catholic church was aware the priest's pedophilia and history of being an abuser but did nothing to protect the abused or the rest of the congregation.

The Catholic Church did not report any incidents of abuse to law enforcement or attempt to discipline McGuire in any way. McGuire was sent to posts all over the world and molested many boys over the course of the next half century. He was only arrested and convicted in 2006.

In one incident detailed in the released documents, McGuire was transferred from his position at Loyola Academy in 1970 because of evidence that he abused a student. Further notifications of McGuire abusing boys were made by families in 1993, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.

One family was particularly persistent in notifying the Catholic authorities according to the press release. They repeatedly called and wrote Catholic authorities about the priest's actions, but were ignored in the years 2001-2003. Instead, an official finally wrote them asking for trust, but did not offer to investigate their claims against McGuire.