CATHOLIC CARDINAL NAMED IN LAWSUIT                         BERNARDIN DENIES SEX ABUSEDATE: Saturday, November 13, 1993    By David E. Kepple DAYTON DAILY NEWS                             DAYTON DAILY NEWS                    Copyright (c) 1993, Dayton Newspapers Inc.   A former Cincinnati man dropped a bombshell Friday on the U.S. Catholic  Church - and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Miami Valley were at groundzero.   Steven J. Cook, 34, a one-time seminarian who says he has the AIDS virus,  filed a federal lawsuit in Cincinnati accusing Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of  Chicago and a Dayton-area priest of sexually abusing him when he was a  17-year-old boy.   The lawsuit charges that the prelate and the priest "convinced (Cook) that sexual relationships with priests was appropriate conduct, a special  friendship and an honor."   "I want to see the church rid itself of this kind of vermin - this kind of evil," Cook told the Cable News Network. He is seeking $10 million in  damages.   Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, also named as a defendant but  not accused of any sexual abuse, described the charges as "rubbish" and said  they are "deserving of nothing but contempt."   Cook's lawsuit claims the abuse, which allegedly occurred between 1975 and 1977, caused psychological harm that resulted in his repressing memories of  the abuse until last year. Indeed, it says he recalled Bernardin's alleged  role only last month.   Bernardin, one of the most visible Catholic bishops in the United States,  served as archbishop of Cincinnati for 10 years until 1982, when he was  appointed to his Chicago post. At a news conference Friday, he labeled the  charges "totally false."   "I'm 65 years old, and I can tell you that all my life I have lived a  chaste and celibate life," Bernardin said. " . . . I know that I am  innocent."   Cook also accused the Rev. Ellis N. Harsham, administrator of a campus  ministry program at Wright State University, of repeated sexual abuse in the  mid-1970s.   It was Harsham - who lives at the St. Luke Parish rectory in Beavercreek - who allegedly "delivered" Cook to Bernardin's private quarters in Cincinnati  so Bernardin could have sex with the youth.   In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Harsham - then an instructor at St.  Gregory's Seminary in Cincinnati - "continuously plied (Cook) with alcohol,  marijuana and pornography."   Harsham was unavailable for comment. A spokeswoman for the Newman Campus  Ministry Center at Wright State said Harsham was away at a weeklong conferenceand was not expected to return before Monday.   The Rev. William J. Kramer, pastor of St. Luke Parish, said Harsham has  been "in residence" at St. Luke's about 12 years, and regularly helps the  pastoral staff with Mass on Sunday.   Wright State spokeswoman Lynnette Heard said the ecumenical campus ministryprogram is owned and operated by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and is  independent of the university. Harsham has been assigned to the center for  more than 10 years, she said.   "He has been a very active and very strong supporter of student life at  Wright State," Heard said. "We have never experienced any difficulty with Rev.Harsham at all."   She said students have made extremely favorable comments about Harsham's  support and assistance, particularly during times of personal crisis or  tragedy, such as the death of a family member or fellow student.   While Bernardin and Harsham were the only individuals accused of sexually  abusing Cook, the lawsuit also named several other defendants. Those include  Pilarczyk, who served as Bernardin's auxiliary bishop for several years, the  Rev. Francis W. Voellmecke, former rector of the seminary, plus the  archdiocese and the seminary.   Pilarczyk, who earlier this year decreed a sweeping policy aimed at  preventing sexual, physical and emotional abuse of children in the  archdiocese, said the allegation against Harsham was first brought to the  attention of the archdiocese in July.   "Like any such allegation, it was taken very seriously and was investigatedunder the terms of our Decree on Child Abuse," Pilarczyk said. "We found  insufficient basis upon which to substantiate the allegation and so informed  Mr. Cook's attorney. No further steps were taken."   Pilarczyk said he learned of the charges against Bernardin, his close  friend and mentor, only when they were made by Cook on CNN Friday morning.   "There is turmoil and hurt as a result of these accusations," Pilarczyk  said. "However, we will continue to deal with the whole issue of child abuse  as sensitively and responsibly as we can."   The archbishop declined to answer questions, noting the case is now in  court.   Cook, who now lives in Pennsylvania, was taking part in a "pre-seminary"  program at St. Gregory's when the abuse began, according to the lawsuit. The  lawsuit says Cook's encounter with Bernardin occurred during his junior or  senior year of high school.   The lawsuit also charges that "to protect the reputation of the church,"  Bernardin, Pilarczyk and the archdiocese "began a pattern of transferring  offending priests, ignoring warning signs and complaints of sexual  misconduct."   In the CNN interview, Cook said that after two years as a full-time  seminarian, he quit and became sexually promiscuous with men and dependent on drugs and alcohol. Later, he tested positive for the AIDS virus.   Bernardin said he can't recall ever meeting Cook and is bewildered by the  accusations.   "I can't judge the motivation of this man," Bernardin said. "All I can say is I'm not guilty of what he alleges. I can say that with total confidence."----------------------------------------------------------------------------*STAFF WRITER Jim Dillon contributed to this report.LENGTH: Long  :  122 LINESILLUSTRATION: COLOR PHOTOS:          (#1) Cardinal Joseph Bernardin denies charges that he sexually            abused a 17-year-old boy in the 1970s          CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS          (#2) Steven J. Cook on CNN Friday          CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS          SUBJ: CLERGY      LAWSUIT      ACCUSATION      SEXUAL ASSAULT      CATHOLIC CHURCHNA: PRIEST    STEVEN J. COOK    REV. ELLIS N. HARSHAM    CARDINAL JOSEPH BERNARDIN    ENHANCER: REF5