Documentary record Bound by Fear
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Other Christian institutions & contexts Catholic Denver, Colorado, USA · 2019

Colorado: independent review finds abuse reported to police fewer than 10 times in 100 opportunities

Record class

Institutional event

Evidence status

Official finding

Authority role

priests of Colorado's three dioceses, diocesan leadership controlling ministry assignments

Organization

Archdiocese of Denver, Dioceses of Pueblo and Colorado Springs

Spiritual nexus

The report's most damning metric is about authority itself: nearly two-thirds of the victims were harmed after the hierarchy already knew — the diocesan power over assignments was the mechanism of continued access.

  • Pastoral or clerical authority
  • Institutional obedience or isolation

Evidence structure

Proceedings

  1. 2019-10-23 · special master's report and 2020 supplement

    Colorado Attorney General (Special Master Robert Troyer). The AG-commissioned review found at least 166 children abused by 43 priests over 70 years; that the dioceses reported abuse to police fewer than 10 times in roughly 100 opportunities since 1950; that the average gap between a credible allegation and any restriction of ministry was 19.5 years; and that 97 of the 166 victims were abused after bishops already knew the priest had offended. A December 2020 supplement substantiated 46 further victims.

Documented coercion mechanisms

  • 19.5-year average gap between credible allegation and ministry restriction
  • children abused after bishops already knew the priest was an offender

Primary record

Sources

official ag report inquiry report Colorado Attorney General, 'Special Report on Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse' (23 Oct. 2019) and supplement (1 Dec. 2020).

The special master's findings on victim counts, non-reporting, and post-knowledge abuse.

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