Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1950-2019 · 69 years · show in timeline

Sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Colorado (Special Master's report 2019)

On the basis of an agreement between the Attorney General of Colorado and the state's three Catholic dioceses, an independent Special Master examined their files. He found that since 1950 at least 166 children had been abused by 43 priests, most of them boys between 10 and 14; 97 of them only after the diocese already knew about the perpetrator. On average 19.5 years passed before a diocese restricted a reported priest. Out of almost 100 opportunities, the dioceses voluntarily reported abuse to the police fewer than ten times.

Period
1950-2019 (69 years)
Report published
22 October 2019
Country
United States
Institutions
Archdiocese of Denver
Diocese of Colorado Springs
Diocese of Pueblo
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. According to the report it is more likely than not that since 1950 at least 166 children in Colorado were abused by 43 Catholic priests: at least 127 children by 22 priests in the Archdiocese of Denver, 3 by 2 priests in the Diocese of Colorado Springs and 36 by 19 priests in the Diocese of Pueblo.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „at least 127 children victimized by 22 Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Denver, at least 3 children victimized by 2 Roman Catholic priests in the Diocese of Colorado Springs, and at least 36 children victimized by 19 Roman Catholic priests in the Diocese of Pueblo“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „Thus, over the last 70 years in Colorado, a total of at least 166 children have been victimized by 43 Roman Catholic priests.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy
  2. Five priests alone abused 102 of the 166 children. The great majority of the victims were boys (140), most of them between 10 and 14 years old. More than two thirds were abused in the 1960s and 1970s; the most recent case recorded in the files is the abuse of 4 children by a priest in Denver in 1998.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „Just 5 of those Colorado priests sexually abused 102 of those 166 children.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „The vast majority of Colorado’s victims were boys (140), and regardless of gender most were 10 to 14 years old when these priests sexually abused them.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „Over two-thirds of Colorado’s 166 child victims were sexually abused during the 1960s and 1970s.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „occurred when a Denver priest sexually abused 4 children in 1998“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy

How were they charged and sentenced?

  1. Out of almost 100 opportunities since 1950, the dioceses voluntarily reported abuse by priests to the police fewer than ten times. A reporting obligation for clergy existed in Colorado only from June 2002. According to the report, people claiming high moral authority chose to protect their institution and their colleagues rather than the children; as late as the 1980s church employees who reported abuse were punished.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 13 (PDF-S. 16)
    „Out of almost 100 opportunities to do so since 1950, the Colorado Dioceses voluntarily reported clergy child sex abuse to law enforcement fewer than 10 times.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 13 (PDF-S. 16). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 6 (PDF-S. 9)
    „Clergy reporting to law enforcement was not mandatory until June 2002“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 6 (PDF-S. 9). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 13 (PDF-S. 16)
    „professionals asserting high moral authority chose to protect their institution and their colleagues over children“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 13 (PDF-S. 16). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 13 (PDF-S. 16)
    „was reinforced by punishment imposed on Church personnel who did report child sex abuse“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 13 (PDF-S. 16). Original · Archive copy
  2. The Special Master did not refer a single allegation to a district attorney; only one case was possibly still prosecutable under the limitation rules, and it had already been reported to the authorities.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 2 (PDF-S. 5)
    „we referred no allegations of clergy child sex abuse to a Colorado District Attorney’s Office. We found only 1 allegation that is arguably still viable for prosecution within the relevant statute of limitations“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 2 (PDF-S. 5). Original · Archive copy

What happened to those affected?

  1. A former foster child who came forward to the Archbishop of Denver at the age of 18 received an answer only after more than 13 months: "I am sorry you believe this happened to you." Later a lawyer for the archdiocese called him to say it was too late, he should seek counselling and should not contact the archdiocese again. The Diocese of Pueblo threatened a victim who raised compensation that if he filed a claim it would sue him and make him pay its legal fees.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Archdiocese of Denver, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 161)
    „“I am sorry you believe this happened to you.”“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Archdiocese of Denver, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 161). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Archdiocese of Denver, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 161)
    „a lawyer for the Denver Archdiocese called the victim and told him it was too late to do anything, he should seek counseling help, and he should not contact the Denver Archdiocese again“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Archdiocese of Denver, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 161). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Diocese of Pueblo, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 221)
    „any claim for compensation was barred by the statute of limitations, that if he filed such a claim the Pueblo Diocese would sue him and make him pay the Pueblo Diocese’s legal fees“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Diocese of Pueblo, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 221). Original · Archive copy

Witness accounts and records

From the case files The sister of a victim on her call to the perpetrator in 1991 (file of the Archdiocese of Denver)

"I called him. I accused him. He asked if he needed a lawyer. Then he started to cry and said, ‘Yes I did it. It was all in a wet dream though. It didn't count. There was no intention. Did [your] brother really tell after all these years?’”

Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General: Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Archdiocese of Denver, Incident Reports (PDF-S. 49). Original · Archive copy

Background

Why? Justification and motives (according to the sources)

  1. The report finds a strong culture of not reporting serious crimes against children if doing so might harm the reputation of the Catholic Church or the career of a fellow priest.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 12 (PDF-S. 15)
    „a strong culture of reluctance to report serious crimes against children if doing so might harm the reputation of the Roman Catholic Church or the career of a fellow priest“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 12 (PDF-S. 15). Original · Archive copy

Response of the Church

  1. 97 of the 166 children were abused after the dioceses already knew that the priest was abusing children. On average 19.5 years passed before a diocese concretely restricted a priest's authority after a report; in the meantime almost a hundred children were abused.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4)
    „97 of Colorado’s 166 child victims were sexually abused after the Colorado Dioceses were on notice that the priests were child sex abusers.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 1 (PDF-S. 4). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 2 (PDF-S. 5)
    „historically on average it took 19.5 years before a Colorado Diocese concretely restricted an abusive priest’s authority after receiving an allegation that he was sexually abusing children.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 2 (PDF-S. 5). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 2 (PDF-S. 5)
    „Nearly a hundred children were sexually abused in the interim.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 2 (PDF-S. 5). Original · Archive copy
  2. The dioceses concealed abuse with euphemisms: the anal rape of a twelve-year-old was called a "boundary violation", almost ten assaults by a young priest "boy troubles", and a serial abuser was said to suffer from "nervousness". In the 1980s church officials in some cases removed such documents from the personnel files. As late as 1998 perpetrators were transferred shortly before a scandal could have triggered reports.
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 11 (PDF-S. 14)
    „to describe the anal rape of a 12-year-old boy as merely a “boundary violation.”“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 11 (PDF-S. 14). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 11 (PDF-S. 14)
    „document almost 10 child sex assaults by a Diocesan priest fresh out of seminary as “boy troubles” or refer to a serial child sex abuser as suffering from “nervousness.”“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 11 (PDF-S. 14). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 11 (PDF-S. 14)
    „In some instances, Church officials in the 1980s purged such documentation from priest files.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 11 (PDF-S. 14). Original · Archive copy
    Evidence: Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General, Executive Summary, S. 12 (PDF-S. 15)
    „the Colorado Dioceses transferring child sex abusers just ahead of the child sex abuse scandals which often generate abuse reports and documentation. This practice occurred in Colorado as recently as 1998.“
    Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, Executive Summary, S. 12 (PDF-S. 15). Original · Archive copy

See also

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    Special Master Robert Troyer im Auftrag des Colorado Attorney General: Roman Catholic Clergy Sexual Abuse of Children in Colorado from 1950 to 2019, Special Master’s Report, 22 October 2019. Original · Archive copy (retrieved 22 Oct 2026)
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Last changed on 22 October 2026. Is something missing or wrong? Suggest an addition or correction.