Diocese of Rockford settles abuse lawsuit - Ex-Geneva priest had pleaded guilty to molesting 2 girls

Diocese of Rockford settles abuse lawsuit - Ex-Geneva priest had pleaded guilty to molesting 2 girls
By Russell Working
Copyright © 2007, Chicago Tribune
Published May 11, 2007


The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockford has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit by two women who were abused as girls by a former Geneva priest, church officials announced Thursday.

The victims filed suit after Rev. Mark Campobello, now 42, pleaded guilty in May 2004 to molesting the girls, who were then teenagers, said Penny Wiegert, diocesan spokeswoman.

The abuse began in 1999 at St. Peter Church in Geneva and also occurred at Aurora Central Catholic High School, where Campobello was an assistant principal, teacher and spiritual director.

"Although the settlement amounts were a heavy burden for the diocese, the diocese owed restorative justice to the two women for their injuries," Wiegert said in a news release.

Others characterized the settlement as a moral victory for the women. Barbara Blaine, president of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, an advocacy group, said the women, now in their 20s, were girls when they made the allegations against their priest and teacher.

"These victims are courageous and are heroes," Blaine said.

One woman will receive a settlement of $1.15 million while the other will be paid $1.05 million, Wiegert added. The Rockford diocese will cover $250,000 toward each settlement, with insurance paying the rest.

Campobello is serving an 8-year prison term in Illinois River Correctional Center in Canton and will be eligible for parole in 2008, according to the state Department of Corrections.

The Vatican expelled him from the priesthood in 2005, after Rockford officials petitioned the Holy See to have him defrocked, the diocese reported.

The victims sued Campobello, Bishop Thomas Doran and the diocese, claiming they knew of the abuse and did not do enough to stop it. Campobello served at seven parishes in Rockford, Geneva, Aurora, Crystal Lake and Belvidere between his 1991 ordination and his arrest.

Blaine said the church agreed to crack down on abuse several years ago, promising a new attitude of openness. Yet she said Campobello was kept in his position as a priest for three months after the girls reported their allegations in September 2002.

"This case shows that nothing has changed in the way that the church deals with these issues," Blaine said.

In a phone interview, Wiegert said she isn't aware of the timeline of the accusations in 2002, but the diocese responds promptly to abuse charges and has had a strict code of conduct since it was established by former Bishop Arthur O'Neill.

"We continue to pray for anyone who has ever had to go through instances of abuse and attempt to heal from it," Wiegert said. "I think that's probably the most powerful thing we can do at this point."

A woman who answered the phone at Aurora Central Catholic High said the staff could not comment and referred calls to the diocese.


rworking@tribune.com