New Colorado Report Identifies More Abusive Catholic Priests

A new state report identified 46 victims who were sexually abused by Catholic priests in Colorado and nine additional priests who abused children.

The report was released on December 1, 2020, by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser. It was the culmination of a 22-month investigation led by former U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer. The investigation identified a total of 212 children who were abused by 52 different priests in Colorado from 1951 to 1999.

First Report Identified 43 Abusers

In February 2019, Troyer was appointed to lead an independent review of child sexual abuse in three Colorado dioceses. An independent compensation fund was also created for victims alongside the investigation.

Last October, Troyer’s initial findings revealed at least 166 children were abused by 43 priests.

Nine Priests Mentioned In New Report

The new report identified nine priests accused of sexual abuse.

A prominent local priest, Charles Woodrich, was one of the nine named in the latest report. Woodrich, also known as Father Woody, founded the Samaritan House, a homeless shelter in Denver. He was called Denver’s “patron saint of the poor.”

However, the Colorado report found Woodrich abused multiple children. One victim, who chose to remain anonymous, said Woodrich began abusing him when he was 12 years old in 1983. Woodrich continued to abuse him once or twice a month for the next six years. The victim said the trauma of Woodrich’s abuse has affected the trajectory of his life. He has struggled with relationships, became involved with crime and experienced homelessness himself.

Woodrich died in 1991.

Another priest identified was Father Joseph Walsh. Walsh was accused of abusing a boy and girl at Sacred Heart Orphanage in the 1950s. The male victim was abused from the ages of four to eight, while the female victim was abused from ages seven to thirteen. The male victim reported the abuse in 1969 and 1981. Despite the reported abuse, Walsh’s authority or access to children was not restricted. Walsh is now deceased.

Colorado Continues To Address Clergy Abuse

Investigators warned the investigation should “not be taken as an exhaustive compilation of every incident of clergy in Colorado sexually abusing children over the last 70 years.”

The investigation did not include the following abuse types:

• Abuse from Colorado priests in religious orders 
• Abuse by priests that occurred before they were ordained
• Sexual misconduct committed by priests against adult victims 

Weiser said the state will continue to address sexual abuse by priests, potentially through legislation or further investigation. He encouraged other victims to come forward.