Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1945-2023 · 78 years · show in timeline

Georgia 1945 to 2023: State prosecutors' council finds the Church relocated accused priests, often without warning the new diocese; most victims were brushed aside

Brokered by the Georgia Attorney General, the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council reviewed the files of the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah from 2019; the report appeared in March 2023. It found no ongoing or unreported abuse, but historical allegations that can no longer be prosecuted because of death, limitation or earlier proceedings. The Church relocated accused priests within and outside Georgia, often without informing the new parish or diocese. A priest accused in 1945 went on to abuse further children in California until 1983. Abuse was treated as an internal matter of canon law, and according to the report most victims were brushed aside by church leaders who protected the abusers and the institution.

Period
1945-2023 (78 years)
Country
United States
Institutions
Archdiocese of Atlanta
Diocese of Savannah
Category
Sexual abuse, Cover-up
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. Most victims were boys aged ten to eighteen; there were also girls. Perpetrators gained the parents' trust, gave gifts, alcohol or pornography; one priest presented the abuse as initiation into a "club". Many victims did not disclose until their forties or fifties. Before 2002 the Church mostly sent perpetrators to therapy and, according to the report, often treated the acts not as crimes but as internal matters of canon law. The majority of victims were brushed aside and ignored by church leaders who above all wanted to protect the abusers and their institution.
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 254
    „The records showed that most of the victims were boys; but there were young girls who were also victims of sexual abuse.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 254. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 254
    „Father Leonard Mayhew manipulated his victims by representing the sexual abuse as initiation into a “club.”“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 254. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 253
    „The file review showed that in many instances the Church failed to view or treat these acts as criminal offenses, but rather as internal matters handled through Canon Law.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 253. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 254
    „While a majority of the victims were brushed aside and ignored by church leaders who preferred to protect the abusers and their institution above all“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 254. Original

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. On 31 January 2019 Attorney General Christopher Carr brokered a meeting after which the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah allowed the Prosecuting Attorneys' Council to review their files on suspected child abuse. The review found no ongoing or unreported abuse, but historical allegations against priests that can no longer be prosecuted because the accused were dead or had already been convicted or the offences were long time-barred.
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), S. 2
    „On January 31, 2019, the Attorney General, Christopher M. Carr, facilitated a meeting“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, S. 2. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „This file review did not uncover any current, ongoing, or unreported sexual abuse by priests or criminal conduct.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „None of those priests could be prosecuted because they are either deceased, have already been prosecuted or the statute of limitations expired long before the review was agreed to by the parties.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original

Background

Response of the Church

  1. Within and outside Georgia the Church relocated priests after they had been accused of child sexual abuse, at times without warning the new parish or diocese. One example: in 1945 a mother reported her son's abuse by a priest in Savannah; the priest was transferred to Atlanta and later to California, where he abused five more children from 1954 to 1983. In 2019 his personnel file contained no allegations; these were in a separate confidential file. The report finds that the Church and its personnel took actions that enabled the abuse and prevented its discovery by public authorities.
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „The evaluation of the files also uncovered that the Church, outside of and within Georgia, relocated priests after they were accused of sexually abusing children.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „At times, it appeared the church did so without providing notice to officials in the new parish, diocese, or archdiocese of the prior accusations of sexual abuse of children.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „After leaving Savannah, Georgia, Father Dowling would go on to sexually abuse Victim 139, Victim 140, Victim 141, Victim 142 and Victim 143 in California from 1954 through 1983.“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „Dr. Locey subsequently located a separate “confidential” file containing the sexual abuse allegations against Father Dowling“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original
    Evidence: Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis), Conclusion, S. 250
    „this review uncovered historical acts by the church and its personnel that enabled sexual abuse of minors by its priests and prevented the discovery and investigation of these acts by public or civil authorities“
    Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, Conclusion, S. 250. Original

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    Prosecuting Attorneys' Council of Georgia (Peter J. Skandalakis): Report of Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Savannah, 20 March 2023. Original (retrieved 31 Oct 2026)
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Last changed on 31 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.