Vatican defrocks
former St. Martin’s priest

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced last week that the Vatican has defrocked David C. Sicoli, a priest who figured prominently in the 2005 Philadelphia grand-jury report that documented the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by 63 named archdiocesan priests.
An archdiocesan news release distributed on Feb. 14 stated that "in 2004, allegations of sexual abuse involving minors by David Sicoli were reported to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and his ministry was restricted. . . . The Archdiocese of Philadelphia investigated the allegations, which were subsequently substantiated, and he (Sicoli) sought removal from the clerical state."
The allegations against Sicoli — a former assistant pastor at St. Martin of Tours in Oxford Circle — had in fact been reported within archdiocesan circles more than 20 years earlier. But the efforts to keep them from the attention of law enforcement permitted the statute of limitations on criminal prosecution to lapse, thus closing the door on any legal actions against Sicoli and other priests identified as child abusers in the grand-jury investigation and final report more than two years ago.
Charles Gallagher, Philadelphia deputy district attorney who was the senior prosecutor of the grand-jury investigation, was surprised that the archdiocese was just now reporting Sicoli’s loss of his clerical standing.
"What took the Vatican so long? We had twenty-four pages on him," Gallagher said, referring to the grand-jury findings in 2005 that tied Sicoli to years of sexually abusing youngsters in his parishes.
Sicoli’s service at St. Martin of Tours spanned September 1975 through January 1978. His other assignments included St. Joseph’s in Ambler; Immaculate Conception in Levittown; St. Louis in Yeadon; and St. Athanasius, St. Raymond of Penafort, Our Lady of the Holy Souls, Our Lady of Hope, St. Anthony of Padua and Holy Spirit, all in Philadelphia.
During his clergy career, Sicoli also was associate director of the regional Catholic Youth Organization and assistant director of the Conference of Christian Doctrine (CCD).
But the far-reaching investigation of clergy conduct in Philadelphia’s archdiocese — a probe that went back decades — tainted Sicoli’s stature.
"Four witnesses testified before the grand jury that Father Sicoli had sexually abused them as teenagers when he was assigned to Immaculate Conception parish in Levittown in the 1980s," the report said at one point. "Father Sicoli had been transferred to Immaculate Conception because of possible scandal resulting from complaints made by three boys at his previous parish — Saint Martin of Tours in Philadelphia."
The extensive report also emphasized how the church hierarchy failed to intervene and take action — including former Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua and the Rev. Monsignor William J. Lynn, who was the secretary for clergy.
"With 25 years of complaints and suspicions about Father Sicoli’s behavior with boys in the priest’s file, Cardinal Bevilacqua never removed Father Sicoli from ministry," the report said. "He never restricted his faculties or tried to supervise his behavior. He never had his secretary for clergy question a single named or suspected victim, either to ascertain the nature of Father Sicoli’s attentions or to protect the child. He and Msgr. Lynn did not even include Father Sicoli’s name on the list of priests the Review Board should investigate."
Attorney Jay Abramowitch, who represented nine of Sicoli’s alleged victims in civil lawsuits, believes that if archdiocesan leaders had reported what they knew, Sicoli would be classified as a Megan’s Law predator and everyone would know of his whereabouts.
"It’s just unbelievable the church ignored a twenty-year history and promoted him, put him in charge where he’d have free reign over children," Abramowitch said.
"This guy’s walking around free, free to menace other children. This man’s a pedophile."
According to published reports, Sicoli owns a condo in Sea Isle City, N.J., across from a playground and ballfields. Sicoli had been accused of taking some of his young victims to his home in Sea Isle, as well as on trips to Florida, California and a bar in Tijuana, Mexico, described as a habitat for prostitutes.
Donna Farrell, a spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, would not disclose where Sicoli lives these days, other than to say he is not living within the boundaries of the archdiocese. Farrell said church officials have been in touch with the district attorney and bishop in the area where Sicoli now lives.
Abramowitch finds little comfort in that for the victims allegedly molested by Sicoli.
"The announcement has had a devastating impact on my clients," the attorney said, referring to the archdiocesan announcement of the action taken against Sicoli.
According to Farrell, the victims’ response is understandable.
"It’s truly painful. Every time something is announced publicly about someone, all kinds of feelings and anger are going to come up," Farrell said.
The only sense of satisfaction for some victims may be found in pending state legislation to extend both the civil and criminal statute of limitations for childhood sexual-abuse offenses. Passage of the bills could extend the time for criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits in such cases.
In Pennsylvania, four bills are pending:
• House Bill 1137 would extend the civil statute of limitations until the abuse victim reaches age 50, mirroring criminal statutes already enacted by Gov. Ed. Rendell in 2006.
• House Bill 1574 would provide a one-year window allowing victims of childhood sexual-abuse offenses to file civil litigation previously prevented by a statute of limitations.
• Senate Bill 326 would eliminate the statute of limitations on civil suits involving childhood sex-abuse offenses if the victim is under age 14.
• Senate Bill 553 would eliminate the statute of limitations on criminal prosecution for all child sex-abuse offenses. ••
To read the grand jury’s findings on Sicoli, visit http://www.bishop-accountability.org/reports/2005_09_21_Philly_GrandJury/Philly_05_07_Sicoli.pdf
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com