In 1970, a letter was sent to Father Leonard Joseph Kelly instructing him to depart his parish promptly due to undisclosed reasons. The bishop, John Michael O’Neill, emphasized the urgency of the situation, advising Kelly to leave Baie Verte permanently under the guise of requiring medical care to avoid scandal.
Rather than involving authorities, Bishop O’Neill directed Kelly to the Southdown Institute, a therapy center near Toronto known for treating various issues affecting priests. Recently uncovered letters from Kelly’s personnel file at the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Grand Falls have sparked legal action by Guardian Insurance in central Newfoundland.
Guardian is seeking a Norwich order to obtain crucial documents from the Southdown Institute regarding Kelly’s admission in 1970. The insurance company aims to determine if the church had prior knowledge of Kelly posing a risk to children before their insurance policy inception.
Kelly, a priest from Windsor ordained in 1955, faced allegations of sexual abuse in Gander, leading to a lawsuit filed in 2022. He was also convicted of assaulting two 12-year-old boys in the 1980s. The legal battle against Kelly’s abuses during the insurance policy period hinges on potential non-disclosure or misrepresentation by the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation of Grand Falls.
The unfolding legal saga sheds light on the church’s handling of abusive priests, including Kelly, and their referrals to institutions like the Southdown Institute. The Winter Commission report of 1990 exposed a history of clergy misconduct dating back to the 1970s, prompting further investigations into the church’s ties to facilities such as Southdown.
The court filing seeks to uncover the truth behind the church’s actions regarding Kelly and other priests sent to the Southdown Institute. The ongoing legal proceedings aim to unveil the extent of the church’s knowledge and response to allegations of abuse within its clergy ranks.