How could a convicted sex offender end up on the altar of a Catholic church in Cleveland, leading carols, sitting right next to the bishop? It’s a question that led to the ouster of a local pastor and has victim advocates on edge.

“For 20 years, bishops in the United States have promised better accountability, better oversight. Clearly, it’s not working,” said Claudia Vercellotti of the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).

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Two decades after the Boston Globe’s Spotlight investigation revealed a child sex abuse crisis, News 5 investigators took a new, in-depth look at the Diocese of Cleveland and its leadership.

In 2020, Cleveland Bishop Edward Malesic arrived here in Northeast Ohio from a diocese in Pennsylvania that had just been hit with a child abuse lawsuit.

MALESIC NAMED AS THE LEADER OF THE EPIOCESE

Let’s be clear here. Malesic was not accused of child sexual abuse, but as the leader of the diocese he was named in a lawsuit, John Doe v. Diocese of Greensburgand then back in another suit later, based in Cleveland.

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So, here’s what we’re going to present to you. There are allegations that the bishop and others withheld information about child abuse by priests. The church denies it. You’ll also hear what a federal judge had to say.

The victim in the Greensburg case is stepping forward for the first time, exclusively with News 5. We want to warn you that the details are disturbing.

JOHN DOE FROM PA: Abuse by a priest

As a boy, John Doe attended a church in Everson, Pennsylvania, which is in the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg.

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“I was a happy, optimistic young kid,” Doe said. He told us that he and his family had faith in his church community, but that would soon be shaken and shattered. “I was raped by the head of my church repeatedly by a Catholic priest,” Doe said.

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In a federal lawsuit, Doe said he was “abused many times on approximately thirty trips to Washington, DC, both church-sponsored and other trips, including vacations…” where he and the accused priest called Joseph Sredzinski every time they “share a hotel room”. and slept in the same bed.”

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“(There were) different trips I took with the priest for youth functions … pro-life movement in the District of Columbia,” Doe told us.

Doe said the abuse took place “in or around 1991 to 1997.”

The lawsuit said during that time, Doe “reported the sexual abuse, or attempted to do so, to church and lay authorities on several occasions … left messages about the abuse with a woman in the (diocesan) office … a reported the abuse. to a nun…” but was told “that he must be mentally disturbed…”.

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The lawsuit said that in 2018 the very “mayor of Everson, PA…” at the time contacted a member of the clergy in the diocese about the priest in question.

Records show the accused priest, Sredzinski, died in 2015, the same year Malesic became bishop of Greensburg.

THE JOHN DOE TRIAL ALLOWS THE CONSPIRACY

In the lawsuit, Doe alleged that Malesic and others were part of a conspiracy to “conceal allegations of sexual assault and abuse from the public . . .”

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Doe’s lawsuit was filed in June 2020, and just months later, in September, Malesic was sent to Cleveland.

“Bishop Malesic never did anything to help me and my case,” Doe said. “I never contacted my lawyer. You never contacted me.”

Attorney Richard Serbin represented Doe.

“I actually hold the institutions more responsible than the predator,” Serbin said. “The predator can’t help it. Institutions can.”

Malesic was not a bishop during the time Doe said he was abused. However, in Doe’s lawsuit, he said Malesic “admitted that 21 priests and clerics (in the diocese) were ‘credibly’ accused of sexual misconduct with minors…” but “information was withheld about patterns of grooming and sexuality of credibly accused priests. abuse….”

PA GRAND JURY REPORT: PRIEST INFORMATION

In 2018, the Pennsylvania grand jury report revealed that there was a wealth of documentation regarding concerns about Fr. Sredzinski, including handwritten notes in his file.

So far, the Greensburg list shows only Sredinski’s name and no details about the abuse.

Doe’s lawsuit alleged that “the Diocese … knew or reasonably should have known” of the priest’s “sexual interest in children.”

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“It was wrong and maybe you (Malesic) weren’t there when it happened, but the institution you speak for was. And that was a crisis,” Serbin said.

The suit also claimed the defendants “(conspired) to conceal improper and illegal activities occurring within the diocese…”.

“Bishop Malesic did nothing to help me heal,” Doe said.

FEDERAL JUDGE: CONSPIRACY ‘SUFFICIENTLY PLEA’.

The Diocese of Greensburg tried to get the case out of court, but the federal judge wrote“The court finds that Mr. Doe has sufficiently pleaded his conspiracy claim, including against Bishop Malesic.” So the case against Malesic could go forward.

“The bishop’s only concern is to protect the obligations of the church,” Doe said.

“There is what I call a conspiracy of silence,” Serbin said.

As we look at this story in early August, I received a letter from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland saying, in part, that the Bishop “has never concealed or conspired to conceal the sexual abuse of any person.”

And “under his leadership, the diocese continues to educate, train and background check thousands of employees and volunteers…”.

But people are wondering, what about convicted sex offender and church volunteer Keith Kozak?

QUESTIONS ABOUT CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER IN CLEVELAND

Kozak was able to volunteer to lead hymns from the altar at a Catholic church in Cleveland for many months, including this year, and even sat next to Malesic and helped with the children’s services. He’s a man who court records show tried to date a boy, but it was all part of a police sting.

As we reported a few months ago, Kozak told us that the church’s pastor, Father Michael Feldtz, was aware of his criminal record.

RELATED: Sex Offender Allowed to Help Lead CLE Catholic Church Masses; News 5 Investigation leads to change

“I sat down with him and had a nice long talk. Plus I filed paperwork with the diocese,” Kozak said as we stood at his front door.

“She filed papers with the diocese,” he told us. However, parishioners and parents at the church school told News 5 investigators they never knew anything about Kozak’s background until News 5 broke the story.

After our report, Malesic banned the sex offender from volunteering and forced Feldtz to resign as pastor.

Advocates for the victims questioned the bishop’s leadership. “They need to put the same effort they do with fundraising into notifying parishioners, parents and the community at large,” Vercellotti said. “The bishop created this problem.”

Anne Barrett Doyle of BishopAccountability.org told us, “A bishop’s ultimate act of compassion is to disclose information.”

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AS LEADER, BISHOP MALESIC NAMED IN CLEVELAND TRIAL

Malesic was named in another trial as diocesan leader when, in 2022, the Diocese of Cleveland was sued after Father Robert McWilliams was convicted of sexual crimes against multiple children.

RELATED: A teenager is suing the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, claiming it failed to protect him from abuse

In an email, the diocese told us, in part, that McWilliams was “a master of deception … even the best policies cannot guarantee that a person intent on evil … will be … stopped” and McWilliams been “certified and verified”. …”

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A lawyer for one of the victims said the Catholic Church’s efforts are not working. “They just don’t do enough,” said attorney Konrad Kircher.

The McWilliams lawsuit was settled. The John Doe lawsuit against the Diocese of Greensburg and Bishop Melsic was also settled shortly after the judge in that case wrote, “The pleadings … are sufficient … to establish a claim of conspiracy to commit fraud.”

EFFECTS ON DOE, PLEADINGS, NO ADMISSION OF GUILT

Doe’s lawsuit stated that after the abuse, Doe “suffered serious and permanent physical and emotional injuries . . .”

“I was in pain that I couldn’t recover from. I couldn’t even step in front of a church as an adult,” Doe said, but he told us he’s committed to helping victims of abuse. “My voice is all I have, so I will continue to advocate for change.”

Settlement terms in the Pennsylvania and Cleveland cases were not disclosed. There is no admission of guilt. I have requested an interview with Malesic several times. He refused each time.

CLICK HERE for the letter and various statements from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland sent to News 5 Investigators while researching this story.

CLICK HERE for the statement from the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg provided to News 5 Investigators while researching this story.