Howard Hubbard made the admission during a deposition last year as part of a response to dozens of claims filed under the New York State Child Victims Act. A judge ordered the release of the deposition on Friday. Hundreds of people have sued the Albany diocese for sexual abuse they say they suffered as children, sometimes decades ago. During the four-day testimony, Hubbard named several priests who had been accused of sexual abuse, who were referred for treatment and later returned to the ministry without notice to the public. One, David Bendley, admitted to Hubbard that he was involved in the alleged behavior. Hubbard testified that he did not report the allegations to law enforcement because he did not feel compelled to do so, and instead kept the charges against Bentley and other secrets out of concern for “scandal and respect for the priesthood.” from the ministry. The minutes “will be read with horror by the public,” said Cynthia LaFave, a lawyer representing some of the plaintiffs, in an email statement. “The public will see the diocese’s guilt for perpetuating a culture of sexual abuse by priests, which has been allowed to continue for decades.” Hubbard headed the diocese in the suburbs of New York State from 1977 to 2014, and he has been charged with sexual abuse, which he has denied. He also testified that the diocese kept records documenting allegations of sexual abuse in secret files in a locked room that only he and other senior church officials could access. In an e-mailed statement, a diocese spokesman did not cite Hubbard’s testimony directly, but said the diocese’s priority was “protecting and assisting victims / survivors and discovering the truth” and that “it has and continues to do so. to resolve outstanding claims of victims / survivors through mediation with the assistance of the court “.
