Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 4 January 2019
AP Exclusive: Big jump in U.S. Catholic dioceses naming names

By CLAUDIA LAUER or bankruptcy filings. Some
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Over dioceses declined to name
the past four months, Ro- any deceased priests,
man Catholic dioceses since they could not de-
across the U.S. have re- fend themselves, and some
leased the names of more would not identify any cler-
than 1,000 priests and oth- gy members at all.
ers accused of sexually Now, 13 dioceses have
abusing children in an un- hired outside consultants
precedented public reck- including FBI agents and
oning spurred at least in former judges to review
part by a shocking grand their files, and dioceses
jury investigation in Pennsyl- that had previously been
vania, an Associated Press secretive are coordinating
review has found. to release statewide lists in
Nearly 50 dioceses and re- such places as Texas and
ligious orders have publicly New Jersey.
identified child-molesting Bishop Anthony B. Taylor
priests in the wake of the of the Little Rock Diocese
Pennsylvania report issued in Arkansas disclosed the
in mid-August, and 55 more names of 12 priests in Sep-
have announced plans to tember and announced
do the same over the next the hiring of a consultant to
few months, the AP found. In this Aug. 15, 2018 file photo, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, celebrates review diocesan files.
Together they account for Mass at St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington. "The Pennsylvania grand
more than half of the na- Associated Press jury report kind of helped
tion's 187 dioceses. us firm up our decision to
The review also found that tims a sense of vindication port was largely responsible investigations such as New move forward with what
nearly 20 local, state or after decades of official for the urgency now be- Jersey, New York, Nebraska, we were doing. It affected
federal investigations, ei- silence or denials. Also, it ing shown by the church. Florida and Delaware, or in the timing rather than the
ther criminal or civil, have could increase pressure Many bishops cited those cities like Houston or Chey- decision," Taylor said.
been launched since the on dioceses to set up vic- findings and other scandals enne, Wyoming, where lo- In October, the pope ac-
release of the grand jury tims' compensation funds, — including the resignation cal prosecutors are look- cepted the resignation of
findings. Those investiga- as the church has done in over the summer of Wash- ing into individual priests. Cardinal Donald Wuerl,
tions could lead to more Pennsylvania already. And ington Archbishop Theo- In his Christmas address last archbishop of Washington,
names and more damn- it could result in the remov- dore McCarrick, accused month, Pope Francis made D.C., after he was accused
ing accusations, as well as al of molesters from posi- of groping an altar boy in an unprecedented call for in the report of mishandling
fines against dioceses and tions outside the church the 1970s — in their letters priests who had abused some allegations of abuse
court-ordered safety mea- that give them access to to their congregations. children to turn themselves against priests and others
sures. children. The biggest list of names in and vowed the church while bishop of Pittsburgh
"People saw what hap- "This is a milestone. We are has come from the Jesuits will "never again" hide their from 1988 to 2006.
pened in these parishes getting closer and closer West Province, a religious crimes. The world's bish- The report is also credited
in Pennsylvania and said, to what this ought to be, order that encompasses ops will hold a summit at with spurring an uptick in
'That happened in my par- the true coming to terms nine Western states. It iden- the Vatican next month to victims contacting support
ish too.' They could see the that would have to be at tified 111 priests. The New forge a comprehensive re- networks or law enforce-
immediate connection, a national level," said Joe Orleans Archdiocese and sponse to the crisis. ment. Pennsylvania's clergy
and they are demanding McLean, who filed a lawsuit the Diocese of Syracuse, The U.S. bishops adopted abuse hotline has received
the same accounting," said with other victims seeking New York, named 61 and new reporting procedures more than 1,400 new alle-
Tim Lennon, national presi- to compel the U.S. Confer- 57 respectively. The Great and other reforms after the gations since August, and
dent of the board of the ence of Catholic Bishops Falls-Billings, Montana, Dio- furor in Boston but held off Lennon said there has been
Survivors Network of those to release files on alleged cese disclosed 47 names, on any further measures a dramatic increase in vic-
Abused by Priests, or SNAP. abusers nationwide. including those of a few recently at the direction tims reaching out to SNAP.
The recently disclosed ac- The Pennsylvania investiga- nuns, while the Los Ange- of the Vatican. The bish- While praising the release of
cusations date back six or tion , led by state Attorney les Archdiocese reported ops are holding a retreat names, many experts said
seven decades in some General Josh Shapiro, iden- more than 50 from the past outside Chicago starting the lists are often incom-
cases, with the oldest from tified nearly 300 "predator decade or so. Wednesday for "prayer plete. Terence McKiernan,
the 1910s in Louisiana. Most priests" dating back seven Some dioceses, like Peoria, and reflection" upon the co-director of BishopAc-
of the priests were long decades and accused Illinois, released only names scandal. Messages left by countability.org, which has
ago removed from ministry. church leaders of covering with no information on the the AP seeking comment tracked abuse for more
An AP examination found up for the abuses, in some allegations or the church's from conference officials than a decade, said many
that more than 60 percent cases by returning priests response. Others detailed were not returned. dioceses have left off
are dead. In most cases, to duty after short stays in such things as parish assign- In the 16 years between names of known abusers
the statute of limitations for treatment centers or reas- ments, numbers and dates the Boston scandal and his group has published in
bringing criminal charges signing them. Advocates of allegations — including the Pennsylvania investi- its online database.
or suing has run out. said the report had big im- an Omaha priest with 20 to gation, only about 30 dio- "It's not enough," agreed
Nevertheless, advocates pact because it was the 35 accusations against him ceses around the country Pennsylvania's Shapiro. "I
say exposing molesters largest to date in scope, — and attempts at treat- had released lists of priests do not believe that the
nearly two decades after encompassing most of the ment, restriction and pun- they deemed credibly church is capable of polic-
the scandal first erupted state. ishment. And more names accused of abuse. Most ing itself though. They need
in Boston in 2002 is an en- Victims' advocates and could be coming in places of those dioceses came outside forces, ideally law
couraging step, in part others, including some where attorneys general clean because they were enforcement, to hold them
because it gives some vic- church officials, said the re- have launched statewide forced to do so by lawsuits accountable."q