Colorado Priests Sexually Abused at Least 166 Children Over Past 70 Years

At least 166 children were abused by dozens of Catholic priests in Colorado over the past 70 years, according to an official report commissioned by the state's attorney general's office. The damning investigation lays bare decades of sexual misconduct and shows how it took one diocese two decades to punish priests accused of abusing children. “This is a dark and painful history,” Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser told reporters on Wednesday. “The culture going back decades was one where there was a reluctance to acknowledge and address wrongdoing.” Former U.S. Attorney Bob Troyer reviewed over 500 priest files and interviewed witnesses, victims, priests and law enforcement for the report, according to CNN. Most of the incidents took place in the 1960s and 1970s, and the most recent allegations, against a Denver priest who abused four kids, were made in 1998. Denver Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila apologized to the victims, and said he will do “everything I can so it never happens again.”