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SALT LAKE CITY — The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City released the names of two Jesuit priests Friday who they say had “credible claims of sexual abuse" made against them for incidents occurring in the ‘80s.
Fr. Raymond Devlin was accused of sexually abusing “minors or vulnerable adults,” and his “faculties for priestly ministry” were removed in 1990. He died in 2011, according to an emailed statement from the Diocese.
Fr. Edward J. Konat’s actions were reported in 2002 and his priestly faculties were also removed. He "left Utah in 1985 and was expelled by the Jesuits," Diocese officials said in the statement. Both incidents were reported to the Division of Child and Family Services in 2002 — nearly 12 years after the first incident was reported, the statement said.
“The Diocese of Salt Lake City is committed to protecting children. Sexual misconduct by church personnel is an affront to human dignity and the mission of the church. The spiritual well-being of all victims, their families, and others in the community is of particular concern to the church,” the statement read.
In 1990, the Diocese implemented written policies and procedures for the reporting and handling of sexual misconduct claims, and the Diocese reaffirmed its commitment to uphold a 2002 charter that requires the church to provide abuse prevention and reporting programs, as well as perform background checks on anyone who works with children, the statement said.
In September, the Diocese said it had received "credible allegations of sexual abuse" against 16 priests since 1990. Those allegations involved about 34 victims, the church said.
The Diocese released the two men's names in response to the anticipated release from the Jesuits West Province and the Jesuits Midwest Province. The Diocese confirmed receiving allegations against Devlin, who appears on the Jesuit West list, and Konat from the Jesuit Midwest list.
It is unclear why the provinces are just now releasing the priests' names. This article will be updated if more information becomes available.
The church encourages those who have been a victim of abuse by a clergy member to call the victim assistance coordinator at 801-328-8641 ext. 344.
