Fr. Leonard Abercrombie – Archdiocese of Los Angeles

| Aug 28, 2020 | Abuser Profiles, Catholic Church

Father Leonard Abercrombie

Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Extern)

Ordained: 1946

Died: 1994

Assignment History:

  • 1946:           St. Joseph (Golden, CO)
  • 1946-1950: St. Francis de Sales (Denver, CO)
  • 1950-1953: Air Force chaplain (CO)
  • 1953:          St. Therese (Aurora, CO)
  • 1953-1956: St. Anthony (Hugo, CO)
  • 1956-1962: Sacred Heart (Roggen, CO)
  • 1962-1964: St. Francis de Sales Cathedral (Baker City, OR)
  • 1964-1966: All Saints (Denver, CO)
  • 1966-1969: St. Peter (Kremmling, CO)
  • 1969-1972: St. Anthony Hospital (Denver, CO)
  • 1972-1993: Veterans Affairs Research Hospital (Mission Hills, CA)

Summary of Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Father Leonard Abercrombie:

Father Leonard Abercrombie was ordained a priest in 1946, and served in multiple parishes in the Diocese of Los Angeles. According to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, at least two survivors have come forward alleging child sexual abuse by Fr. Leonard Abercrombie in the 1970s, and at least nine men have alleged abuse by Abercrombie in the Archdiocese of Denver.

Among the victims, three are brothers who were abused consecutively as each became older. According to the brothers, the abuse began between the ages of seven and 10. The men did not tell anyone until many years later and did not realize the other brothers were also abused. In 1993, a survivor’s sister wrote a letter to Pope John Paul II, alleging that Fr. Abercrombie sexually abused her brother from 1953 to 1957, beginning when he was seven years old. When confronted, Abercrombie admitted to the abuse.

According to media reports, Fr. Abercrombie has been named in at least two child sexual abuse lawsuits, one filed in 2003 in California, and the other filed in 2005 in Colorado. Claims against Fr. Abercrombie were included in the Archdiocese of Denver’s 2008 settlement with several survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Fr. Abercrombie was included in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ list of priests accused of sexual misconduct involving minors.

In October 2019, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office released the report of a special investigation into sexual abuse allegations in Colorado. According to the report, Fr. Leonard Abercrombie was the subject of 18 reports written into the files of the Archdiocese of Denver. The reports were summarized individually and show that he “frequently abused boys on overnight camping trips, often taking them to his camping trailer parked in remote locations.” As the authors pointed out, “there is strong circumstantial evidence that the Denver Archdiocese knew he was sexually abusing children as early as 1962. The full scope of Abercrombie’s sex crimes against children is not known.”

In addition to his parish assignments and chaplaincies, Abercrombie was very involved in Camp St. Malo in Allenspark, a Catholic summer camp for boys. Fr. Abercrombie died in 1994 in Mission Hills, California.

Horowitz Law is a law firm representing victims and survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and other clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in California.  If you need a lawyer because you were sexually abused by a priest in one of California’s Catholic dioceses, contact our office today. Although many years have passed, those abused by Catholic clergy in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles now have legal options due to a voluntary compensation fund created by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, but filing deadlines will apply so do not delay in reaching out to us.  Our lawyers have decades of experience representing survivors of clergy sexual abuse in California and nationwide. We can help.

Contact us at 888-283-9922 or [email protected] to discuss your options today.