Selected documents related to the Archdiocese of Boston's handling of sex abuse charges against Monsignor Michael Smith Foster:

 

1.     Letter from Sean Connor to Msgr. Michael Smith Foster (9/26/02) indicating that one of Foster’s lawyers had asked the Archdiocese not to interview any witnesses.

 

2.    Letter from Foster to Church investigator Sean Connor (9/3/02) indicating that Msgr. Foster had secured the dismissal with prejudice by threatening to sue Edwards for defamation.

 

3.    Letter from Foster to Sean Connor (9/4/02) in which Foster maligns Edwards as a liar without providing any basis for this claim. 

 

4.    Mutual Release (no date) --brought about by Foster’s threat to sue Edwards for defamation, which was a violation of Church policy.

 

5.    Affidavit of Michael Smith Foster (9/4/02) in which Foster denies Edwards' allegations, but fails to provide any basis for his denial.

 

6.    Affidavit of Joseph Doherty (9/4/02) in which Doherty asserts that Edwards suffers from a lifelong “love” of injury which led him to claim that he had been molested by the late Rev. William J. Cummings and Msgr. Michael Smith Foster.  Doherty, who has no medical credentials or psychological training, draws conclusions about Edwards' medical history and psychological tendencies although he has no direct knowledge or documentary evidence to support any of his claims. 

 

7.     Affidavit of Dr. Ned Cassem (8/29/02) in which Cassem describes Edwards as a “danger to Cardinal Law” and a threat to Msgr. Foster even though Edwards has no history of violence and has never been in trouble with the law.  Cassem, who never met Edwards and did not have access to any of his medical records, also asserts that Edwards' “history is consistent with that of a sociopath or psychopath," and that Msgr. Foster should "wear a Kevlar vest" and "learn to use a gun."  Cassem later acknowledged that he signed the affidavit, which had been prepared by Foster’s lawyers, without making any effort to verify any of the unfounded claims it contained.  He also stressed that he would not alter his opinions even if contrary information came to light.

 

8.    Letter of support signed by former members of a Youth Group at Sacred Heart Parish in Newton (8/24/02?) which describes Edwards as a “boy who cried wolf,” but does not supply any evidence to support this claim.  While stressing Msgr. Foster’s positive qualities, the letter does not include any information that is directly related to Edwards' allegations.

 

9.     Decree announcing Msgr. Foster’s reinstatement (9/12/02).  Neither this document nor any other document or formal statement issued by the Archdiocese ever indicated why Msgr. Foster was restored to ministry.  At the time of Foster's first reinstatement, he was the only person who had been interviewed by the Church investigator in connection with the case.

 

10.   Notation of meeting at Cardinal’s Residence on September 13, 2002 attended by Rev. Walter Edyvean, Rev. Richard G. Lennon, Rev. John Connolly, Rev. Charles Higgins, Rev. Sean Connor, Rev. Robert Oliver, and Rev. Mark O’Connell.  Rev. Oliver and Rev. O'Connell both worked under the supervision of Msgr. Foster.  Msgr. Foster's influence over the other participants is not clear.  According to the notation, Church officials decided to “reopen the sexual misconduct preliminary investigation in light of the new evidence.”  This “new evidence” is not specified in the notation, but the only new developments during this period were that Archdiocese officials interviewed Edwards for the first time on September 12, 2002, immediately after learning that he had passed a lie detector test concerning his allegations against both Foster and Cummings.

 

11.   Email from Sean Connor to Amy Strickland (9/14/02), one of Foster’s lawyers, warning her and Msgr. Foster to stop providing false information to Boston Globe reporter Walter Robinson.

 

12.   Email from Dr. Ned Cassem to Deacon Anthony Rizzuto (9/14/02) in which Fr. Cassem falsely maligns Edwards as a “felon” and a “malingerer.”  According to Fr. Cassem, Msgr. Foster learned of the reopening of the investigation during a phone call from Globe reporter Walter Robinson.  Fr. Cassem’s email notes that “Robinson’s sources” had immediately leaked information about Edwards' interview with Fr. Connor to the Globe and also says that Robinson intended to publish a story the following day about the “‘double-cross’ of the Archdiocese.”  Fr. Cassem also cites the Globe as the source of his misinformation about Edwards.

 

13.   Letter from Sean Connor to Rev. John Beal, one of Foster’s canonical advocates (9/23/02), explaining why he needed to investigate Edwards' complaint.  Connor notes that he had been prevented from interviewing Edwards during the first investigation and also points out that Foster’s successful effort to secure the dismissal of the original lawsuit “did not address whether the misconduct in fact occurred.”

 

14.   Memo to file written by Sean Connor (10/9/02) noting that Dr. Ned Cassem’s affidavit was based solely on “2^nd and 3^rd hand” reports provided by "Msgr. Foster’s lawyers and by Foster himself.”  Connor’s memo indicates that Cassem had stressed that he would not change the conclusions drawn in his affidavit even if information contrary to his unsupported conclusions came to light.

 

15.   Handwritten note from Dr. Cassem to Sean Connor complaining that Connor was "stuck on the wrong issue here.  What are the facts, not what is the down and dirty truth.”  Cassem did not indicate whether he preferred the facts or the truth, but he stressed that he had merely signed the affidavit, which had been written by Foster’s attorneys, rather than obtaining any information on his own.

 

16.  RCAB press release announcing that the second investigation had been completed and that Msgr. Foster had been restored to ministry (10/31/02).  The release stated that Cardinal Law had “determined that the complaint is unsubstantiated,” but did not provide any explanation or evidence in support of this conclusion.  Also, even though Foster and his legal and public relations team had falsely maligned Edwards' credibility and reputation for over two months, the press release stressed,  “During this time care has also been taken so that the good name of each person involved in this process not be endangered by this investigation.”  The release ended with the promise that “the details will be made public,” but the Archdiocese has never published any specific information about the rationale it used to dispose of Edwards' complaint.

 

17.  Annotated articles from the Boston Globe (8/22/02; 8/23/02; 12/13/02) and The Pilot (11/08/02).  Note: The Globe published more than twenty articles full of misinformation about Edwards between 2002 and 2004.  Most are available at www.catholicsandsurvivors.net.

 

18.   Letter from Coalition of Catholics and Survivors to Archbishop Sean O'Malley calling for a reopening of the Foster case (9/25/2003)

 

19.   Boston Herald article on the Archdiocese of Boston's financial settlement with Edwards (12/2/2003).

 

20.   Letter from Coalition of Catholics and Survivors to Boston Globe reporter Walter V. Robinson demanding corrections to his extensive misreporting on the Foster case (12/7/2003).

 

21.   The Victims' Rights Committee Report (June 16, 2004), a detailed critique of the Archdiocese of Boston's mishandling of Edwards' charges, with commentary on Boston Globe misreporting on crucial aspects of the case, published by a group of Boston-area experts on sexual abuse.

 

22.   Boston Herald update on Foster's whereabouts and status (6/21/07).