Bishop Accused of Covering Up Sex Abuse Dies at 85

Former Joliet Diocese Auxiliary Bishop Daniel Ryan died Dec. 31 at an assisted living facility in Naperville.

Ryan served as bishop of the Springfield Catholic Diocese for 15 years, but resigned in 1999, according to a report from the State Journal-Register.

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Ryan’s death comes just days after former Joliet Diocese Bishop Joseph Imesch passed away. Both men were embroiled in sex abuse scandals.

According to the Journal-Register, citing a 2006 independent investigative report by Springfield Attorney Bill Roberts, “Ryan fostered ‘a culture of secrecy’ in the diocese that discouraged priests from coming forward with information about sexual misconduct by other priests in the diocese, which covers 28 counties in central Illinois.”

The report also claims Ryan “engaged in sexual misconduct with adults and used his authority to conceal this misconduct.”

Roberts was hired by the Springfield Diocese to look into allegations of misconduct. In the report, he claimed Ryan was the leader.

“I think we saw a culture that had grown very permissive, very lax, a culture lacking discipline, a culture in which at some point the people became distrusting and wary of bringing things to the head of their church in their diocese because they believed that it wouldn’t be handled appropriately,” Roberts said in a 2006 article by the State Journal-Register.

Ryan also was named in a 2013 lawsuit filed on behalf of Daniel Gorski, who claimed he was raped dozens of times by former priest Lawrence Gibbs in the ’70s.

No charges were ever filed against Ryan.

A statement released by the Springfield Diocese didn’t mention any of the controversy that Ryan had been involved with, according to the report.

David Clohessy, director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said in a statement that he hopes Catholic officials show compassion to abuse victims by avoiding a funeral service with full honors.

“Restraint would be appropriate unless the church hierarchy wants to deepen already deep wounds,” Clohessy said.

According to the Joliet Catholic Diocese website, Ryan was born Sept. 28, 1930 in Mankato, Minnesota. He attended Griffin Catholic High School in Springfield, Illinois and the Passionist Preparatory Seminary in St. Louis. Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree in classical languages from Benedictine University (formerly St. Procopius College).

On May 3, 1956, he was ordained a priest for the Joliet Diocese at the Cathedral of St. Raymond Nonnatus in Joliet. He was named Auxiliary Bishop of Joliet Aug. 14, 1981 by Pope John Paul II. In November 1983, he was named the seventh Bishop of Springfield.