How could a convicted sex offender end up on a Cleveland Catholic church's altar leading songs, standing right next to the bishop? It's a question that led to the removal of a local pastor and has victims' advocates raising concerns.
"For 20 years the bishops around the United States have promised better accountability, better oversight. Clearly, it doesn't work," said Claudia Vercellotti from the group Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP).
Two decades after the Boston Globe's Spotlight investigation that exposed a child sexual abuse crisis, News 5 Investigators took a new, in-depth look at the Cleveland Diocese and its leadership.
In 2020, Cleveland's Bishop Edward Malesic arrived here in Northeast Ohio from a diocese in Pennsylvania that had just been hit with a child sex abuse lawsuit.
MALESIC NAMED AS LEADER OF DIOCESE
Let's be clear here. Malesic has not been accused of sexually abusing children, but as the leader of the diocese, he was named in a lawsuit, John Doe versus The Greensburg Diocese, and then again in another suit later on based in Cleveland.
So, here's what we're going to lay out for you. There are accusations that the bishop and others have withheld information about child abuse committed 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 the details are disturbing.
JOHN DOE FROM PA: THE ABUSE BY A PRIEST
As a boy, John Doe attended a church in Everson, Pennsylvania, which is in the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg.
"I was a happy, optimistic young kid," said Doe. He told us he and his family trusted his church community, but that would soon be shaken and shattered. "I was raped by the head of my family church repeatedly by a Catholic priest," said Doe.
In a federal lawsuit, Doe said he "was abused many times on approximately thirty trips to Washington, D.C., both church-sponsored trips and otherwise, including vacations…" where he and the accused priest named Joseph Sredzinski each time "shared a hotel room and slept in the same bed."
"(They were) different trips that I had gone on with the priest for youth functions…pro-life movement in the District of Columbia," Doe told us.
Doe said the abuse happened "in or around 1991 to 1997."
The lawsuit stated during that time, Doe "reported the sexual abuse, or attempted to do so, to church and secular authorities on multiple occasions…left message(s) about the abuse with a woman in the (diocese's) office…reported the abuse to a nun…" but was "told he must be mentally disturbed…."
The suit stated that in 2018 even the "mayor of Everson, PA..." at the time contacted a clergy member in the diocese about the priest in question.
Records show the accused priest, Sredzinski, died in 2015, the same year Malesic became bishop in Greensburg.
JOHN DOE'S LAWSUIT CLAIMS CONSPIRACY
In the lawsuit, Doe claimed Malesic and others were part of a conspiracy to "conceal allegations of sexual assault and abuse from the public…."
Doe's lawsuit was filed in June of 2020, and just a couple of months later, in September, Malesic was sent to Cleveland.
"Bishop Malesic never did anything to help me and my case," said Doe. "Never reached out to my attorney. Never reached out to me."
Attorney Richard Serbin represented Doe.
"I actually hold the institutions more responsible than the predator," said Serbin. "The predator can't help themselves. The institutions can."
Malesic was not the bishop during the time when Doe said he was abused. However, in Doe's lawsuit, it said Malesic "admitted that 21 priests and clerics (in the diocese) were 'credibly' accused of sexual misconduct with minors…" but" information has been withheld about the credibly accused priests' patterns of grooming and sexual abuse…."
PA GRAND JURY REPORT: INFORMATION ON PRIEST
In 2018, the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report showed there was a lot of documentation of concerns surrounding Fr. Sredzinski, including handwritten notes in his file.
To this day, the Greensburg list only shows the name of Sredinski and no details of the abuse.
Doe's lawsuit stated that "the Diocese…knew or reasonably should have known" about the priest's "sexual interest in children."
"This was wrong and maybe you ( Malesic) weren't there when it happened, but the institution that you speak for was. And this was a crisis," said Serbin.
The suit also claimed the defendants "(conspired) to conceal the improper and illegal activities taking place within the diocese…."
"Bishop Malesic didn't do anything to help me heal," said Doe.
FEDERAL JUDGE: 'SUFFICIENTLY PLED' CONSPIRACY
The Greensburg Diocese tried to get the case kicked out of court, but the federal judge wrote, "The court concludes that Mr. Doe has sufficiently pled his claim of conspiracy, including against Bishop Malesic." So, the case against Malesic could move forward.
"The bishop's only concern is to protect the liabilities of the church," said Doe.
"There's what I call a conspiracy of silence," said Serbin.
As we were looking into this story, in early August, we got a letter from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland saying, in part, the Bishop "has never once concealed or conspired to conceal the sexual abuse of any person."
And "under his direction, the diocese continues to educate, train, and background check thousands of employees and volunteers…."
But people question, what about the convicted sex offender and church volunteer Keith Kozak?
QUESTIONS ABOUT CLEVELAND CONVICTED SEX OFFENDER
Kozak was able to volunteer to lead songs from the altar at a Cleveland Catholic church for many months, including this year, and even stood next to Malesic and helped with children's services. He's a man that court records show tried to meet up with a young boy, but it was all part of a police sting.
As we reported just a couple of months ago, Kozak told us the church pastor, Father Michael Feldtz, knew his criminal background.
RELATED: Sex offender allowed to help lead CLE Catholic church masses; News 5 Investigation leads to change
"I sat down with him, and we had a nice long talk. Plus, I filed paperwork with the diocese," said Kozak while we stood at his front door.
"Filed paperwork with the diocese," he told us. However, church parishioners and parents of the church's school told News 5 Investigators they never knew anything about Kozak's past until News 5 broke the story.
After our report, Malesic banned the sex offender from volunteering and forced Feldtz to resign as pastor.
Victims' advocates have called into question the bishop's leadership. "He needs to put the same effort that he does with his fundraising into notifying parishioners and parents and the community at large," said Vercellotti. "The bishop's created this problem."
Anne Barrett Doyle from BishopAccountability.org told us, "The ultimate act of compassion by a bishop is to release information."
AS LEADER, BISHOP MALESIC NAMED IN CLEVELAND LAWSUIT
Malesic was named in another suit as the leader of the diocese when, in 2022, the Cleveland Diocese was sued after Father Robert McWilliams was convicted of sex crimes against several children.
RELATED: Teen sues Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, claims it failed to protect him from abuse
In an email, the diocese told us, in part, that McWilliams was "a master of deception…not even the best policies can guarantee that a person intent on committing evil…will be…stopped" and McWilliams was "thoroughly vetted and screened...."
An attorney for one of the victims said the Catholic Church's efforts are not working. "They're just not doing enough," said Attorney Konrad Kircher.
The McWilliams lawsuit was settled. The lawsuit of John Doe vs. The Greensburg Diocese and Bishop Melsic was settled, too, soon after the judge in that case wrote, "The pleadings…are sufficient…to establish a claim for conspiracy to commit fraud."
EFFECTS ON DOE, SETTLEMENTS, NO ADMISSION OF GUILT
Doe's suit stated that after the abuse, Doe "has suffered serious and permanent physical and emotional injuries…."
"I was in pain that I haven't been able to recover from. I couldn't even step in front of a church as an adult," said Doe, but he told us he's determined to help victims of abuse. "My voice is all I have, so I will continue to advocate for change."
The settlement terms in the Pennsylvania and Cleveland cases have not been disclosed. There is no admission of guilt. We have asked for a sit-down interview with Malesic several times. He has declined each time.
CLICK HERE for the letter and various statements from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland sent to News 5 Investigators during the research of this story.
CLICK HERE for the statement from the Catholic Diocese of Greensburg sent to News 5 Investigators during the research of this story.
