BOSTON (WHDH) - Cardinal Sean O’Malley is expanding the archdiocese’s review of “serious” inappropriate conduct at St. John’s Seminary to include the three seminaries it sponsors, St. John Seminary in Brighton, Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, and Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Chestnut Hill.
In a statement issued Thursday, O’Malley said he decided to expand the review, which launched in August after two former seminarians of St. John’s Seminary in Boston posted allegations of misconduct on social media, after consulting “with many men and women who care deeply about the Church and our seminaries.”
“While the initial review was specific to St John’s, I have concluded that to meet the generally expected levels of transparency and accountability, it is best to expand the review to include all three seminaries,” O’Malley wrote. “I want to reassure the seminary communities and the wider public that these are institutions committed to the highest standards of integrity, respect and safety for our seminarians, faculty and staff.”
In addition to a three-member panel conducting an internal review, O’Malley also said he has hired the Boston-based law firm Yurko, Salvesen & Remz to conduct the review of the Archdiocesan seminaries. The review will be led by former U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern, with the assistance of Doug Salvesen and others at the firm.
In the statement, O’Malley vowed that once the review is complete, he is “committed to releasing an independent report that addresses any issues arising from the review and identify steps that we will take to remediate any identified problems.”
Anyone with information relevant to the review is encouraged to contact the firm directly, either by email to dsalvesen@bizlit.com or by calling (617) 723-6900.
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