Joseph Keith Symons


Joseph Keith Symons is a retired Catholic bishop who resigned as Bishop of Palm Beach, Florida, in 1998 after admitting he was guilty of sexually abusing boys early in his career. He had been a bishop since 1981, serving as an auxiliary bishop in St. Petersburg and then as Bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee from 1983 to 1990 and as Bishop of Palm Beach from 1990 until his resignation.

Biography

Symons was born in Champion Township, Michigan, on October 14, 1932. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of St. Augustine in Florida on May 18, 1958.
In 1971, Symons became chancellor of the St. Petersburg Diocese. Pope John Paul II named him the Titular Bishop of Sigus and the Auxiliary Bishop of St. Petersburg in Florida by Pope John Paul II on January 16, 1981. He was consecrated by Bishop William Thomas Larkin of St. Petersburg on March 19, 1981. Archbishops Edward Anthony McCarthy of Miami and Thomas Joseph McDonough of Louisville were the co-consecrators.
Symons was transferred to the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee on October 4, 1981, and installed as the second bishop of the diocese on November 8, 1983. He was then transferred to the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, on June 12, 1990, and installed as the second bishop of that diocese on July 31, 1990.
In 1991, Symons authorized the filming of the rite of exorcism performed by the Rev. James J. LeBar and other priests on a 16-year-old girl identified only as "Gina". The footage of the exorcism was then publicly broadcast on ABC's 20/20 TV program. Symons explained that he hoped that the broadcasting would help "counteract diabolical activities around us."
In 1996, a husband and wife charged that years earlier Symons had ignored their report that a St. Petersburg priest had abused their children and tried to bribe them by offering to pay for therapy for their sons. He said he had the priest submit to a psychiatric evaluation.
In April 1998, a man in his 50s informed a priest and the Archbishop of Miami, John C. Favalora, that Symons had sexually abused him decades earlier. Symons admitted he had abused five boys early in his career. Pope John Paul accepted his resignation as bishop of Palm Beach on June 2, 1998, and named Bishop Robert N. Lynch of St. Petersburg as Apostolic Administrator of Palm Beach. Symons issued a statement that said: