Rochester Diocese Releases List of Disciplined Priests

Rochester Homepage
June 7, 2012

http://rochesterhomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=323162

[the list - Catholic Courier]

[Diocese of Rochester]

An unprecedented effort by the Catholic Diocese of Rochester Wednesday tonight to be transparent about priest sex abuse. For the first time, the diocese is publishing a list of all priests punished by the church in connection to sexual abuse.

The list appears on the Rochester Diocese' websites and also in the most recent Catholic Courier. It names all 23 priests removed from the ministry since 2002. The Rochester Catholic Diocese says every priest who has harmed a minor has been removed from public ministry.

Bishop Matthew Clark says the Diocese has tried to "...reach out to those who were hurt in the past by the behavior of some of our priests. I have offered then - and I offer now - my sincere apologies on behalf of our local church, and a personal pledge to each and every one of the victims and to all our faithful."

Bishop Clark's 75th birthday is next month. That is the required retirement age of Catholic Bishops. That means he has to retire and leave as soon as Rome finds a replacement.