A letter apologizing for sexual abuse at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland decades ago has caused more alleged victims to come forward.
The school sent the apology in late August after a former student sent school leaders a letter saying he was abused by a faculty member in the 1950s.
The school said the letter caused many to send letters of support, but a few brought forward new allegations of sexual abuse in the 1970s.
In the latest letter sent to school alumni, dated Nov. 18, Rev. William Murphy said he has reported 33 complaints of sexual abuse or attempted sexual abuse to the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Jesuits for further investigation and follow up.
Murphy said the most recent alleged incident happened more than 30 years ago. The school has identified six perpetrators, of which three may still be alive. Five of those people were Jesuits, or priests, at the time of the alleged incidents, and one was a lay teacher.
The school notified civil authorities about two who are alive and living in Cuyahoga County. They are no longer Jesuits. The third is elderly and under supervised car out of state, according to Murphy.
“We owe a special debt of gratitude to all the men who have come forward to tell their own stories,” said Murphy. “Their courage, openness and honesty are heroic.”
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article courtesy of Newsnet5.com
