Archdiocese of KCK substantiates allegations of child sexual abuse against retired priest

The Archdiocese of Kansas City in the US state of Kansas has confirmed allegations of sexual abuse of minors by a retired priest, church officials said on Friday.

“Deeply saddened by the suffering of victims and survivors of abuse, the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas and St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison announce that substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors have been made against Father Roderic Giller, OSB, who retired from parish ministry in July 2013, while serving at St. Peter and Paul Parish in Seneca,” said the statement, published in The Leaven, the archdiocese’s official newspaper.

The allegations were first received by the archdiocese and abbey in July 2004, the statement said. At that time, they were treated like violations of boundaries today.

Further investigations were recently launched “based on updated safe environment protocols and additional information,” the statement said.

“A better understanding of the events has led to the allegations being substantiated,” it said. “The Catholic Church has a zero-tolerance policy towards the sexual abuse of minors, applied in the broadest sense of the word. With this announcement, the Archdiocese and Abbey reaffirm their commitment to anyone harmed by a Church representative, to atone for the harm and to accompany survivors through restorative processes on their path to healing and peace.”

The archdiocese said the estimated period of abuse was between 2004 and 2006. Giller was dismissed from public service.

Giller has been assigned to numerous parishes and schools in the archdiocese, the announcement said. No time frame was given for when he was at which locations. Listed are St. John, St. Benedict and St. Joseph in Atchison; St. Patrick in Atchison County; St. Ann in Hiawatha; Sacred Heart in Sabetha; St. Augustine in Fidelity; Sts. Peter and Paul in Seneca; St. Joseph in Wathena; St. Charles in Troy; and St. Benedict in Bendena.

Giller also attended St. Benedict’s Abbey, a Benedictine monastery in Atchison. He was placed on the archdiocese’s list of delinquent clergy.

Giller is a priest of the Order of Saint Benedict. He was born in 1934 and ordained a priest in 1955, according to the archdiocese.

A June 19, 2013, article about Giller’s retirement in the St. Joseph News-Press said Giller was a native of St. Joseph and first served as a priest at St. Benedict’s Parish in Kansas City, Kansas. He also taught religious education at Bishop Ward High School and later drove buses for Catholic schools in Atchison, it said.

“The Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, and St. Benedict’s Abbey take all allegations of misconduct by church personnel very seriously and work with urgency, respect, and compassion to respond to the needs of survivors,” the statement said. “We encourage anyone with knowledge of misconduct by a church volunteer, staff member, religious, or clergy member – regardless of when the abuse may have occurred – to first contact civil authorities and then call or text the Archdiocese’s confidential reporting line at (913) 276-8703 or online at: www.archkck.org/reportabuse.”

An advocacy group for victims of sexual abuse said Friday that the archdiocese must do more to ensure people are informed about substantiated allegations.

“The question now is: what will the church hierarchy do to warn others about this child-abusing clergyman and urge others with information or suspicions about him to call the police?” said a statement from David Clohessy, former national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests. “If history is any indication, we suspect, unfortunately, that they will do nothing.

“This priest is still alive. He could be prosecuted and children could be protected. But only if caring adults speak up now.”