Letter about Brandie Kessler’s Articles in the York Daily Record

By Very Rev. Robert M. Gillelan
Diocese of Harrisburg
August 9, 2016

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/diocesan_lists/Harrisburg_2016_08_03_Gillelan_re_YDR_List.pdf

[This letter from a diocesan official was posted on the website of St. Joseph’s parish in York PA. It refers to articles by reporter Brandie Kessler that appeared in the York Daily Record: - 15 priests accused of abuse had ties to Harrisburg diocese - List: Accused priests with ties to Harrisburg diocese

See also our overview of diocesan and religious order lists of accused.]

I am writing to alert you to a newspaper article that we expect will be published in the York Daily Record soon. It will address several specific cases of sexual abuse by clergy in the Diocese of Harrisburg. Some cases were well publicized previously, so they may be familiar to you already; others had a lower profile. We made the decision to confirm the cases presented by the reporter in the interest of accuracy and transparency.

There are many viewpoints concerning the disclosure of information about instances of abuse, particularly of deceased clergy who cannot now defend themselves. This is one of the reasons it has been the longstanding policy of the Diocese not to publish names. However, the names to appear in the article were obtained independently and are to be published with or without our cooperation. Therefore the Diocese decided to provide accurate information in the interest of transparency and healing.