Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic diocese of Savannah

The sexual abuse scandal in Savannah diocese is a significant episode in the series of Catholic sex abuse cases in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah United States of America.

Gilbert Gauthe case

In 1974, the local ordinary assigned Rev. Gilbert Gauthe as a Boy Scout chaplain despite the fact that Gauthe had previously come to Bishop Gerard Louis Frey's attention for having molested altar boys.^[1] Gauthe was stripped of his priestly duties after more allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced in 1983.^[1] Bishop Frey was criticized for his handling of Gauthe's case, and in 1985 expressed his regret, saying, "I ask for the prayers and understanding of all our people and of all people of good will of every faith and belief. I deeply regret and am distressed by the suffering that has taken place because of the tragic events in the diocese over the past several years."^[1]

In total, the diocese settled for more than $20 million in lawsuits involving Gauthe.^[1] Gauthe was later jailed for violating the Texas sex offender registration law and released in April 2010.^[2][3][4]

Wayland Brown case

In October, 2009, the diocese of Savannah paid $4.24 million to settle a lawsuit which alleged that bishop Raymond W. Lessard allowed a priest named Wayland Brown to work in the diocese when Lessard knew that Brown was a serial child molester who posed a danger to children.^[5]

According to a Georgia sheriff's sergeant, Lessard refused to cooperate in a sex-abuse investigation of Brown in 1986. The sergeant said Brown could not be questioned because Lessard "sent him to an unknown location for an indefinite amount of time." At no time did Lessard provide police with any helpful information pertaining to Brown.^[6]

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