List the Predators: Ogdensburg Diocese Should Name All Those Accused of Abuse

Watertown Daily Times
March 22, 2018

http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/opinion/list-the-predators-ogdensburg-diocese-should-name-all-those-accused-of-abuse-20180322

A representative of a law firm in Minnesota called on the leaders of the Roman Catholic dioceses of Ogdensburg and Syracuse last week to release the names of all priests accused of sexual abuse.

“We hope the dioceses will view this as being on the cusp of doing the right thing,” Mike Reck, a lawyer with Jeff Anderson & Associates, said during a March 14 news conference. “They have this information. They could disclose it, and we hope they do.”

The law firm represents victims of abuse by priests in these two dioceses. It released a report naming eight priests from Ogdensburg and 19 from Syracuse accused of sexual abuse.

In so doing, the law firm urged the two dioceses to become more transparent by making public the names of all their priests who have faced accusations of abuse. This would show that church leaders take this crisis seriously by exposing the predators within their ranks.

The Diocese of Ogdensburg, however, has opted to follow a tragic pattern of obstruction. Through a spokesman, Bishop Terry R. LaValley made it clear that the diocese would continue to keep the names of these priests under wraps.

“The concern of Bishop LaValley and the Diocese of Ogdensburg remains with the victims of sexual abuse by clergy and their healing,” Mr. Crowley said in a statement. “To protect the privacy of victims, the diocese will not release or confirm names of accused clergy.”

Mr. Crowley said that some victims have asked Bishop LaValley to withhold the name of their abusers. However, this appears to be a tactic to safeguard the identity of perpetrators rather than to serve victims.

The Diocese of Ogdensburg has established the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program. This is a two-person panel that will determine if those claiming sexual abuse by priests should be financially compensated.

It’s good that the diocese has implemented a process to deal with this aspect of the sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the Catholic Church for decades. But this effort falls short of the full obligation that diocesan leaders have in ensuring no one again endures the horror of abuse.

Church officials throughout the nation have for many years heaped more injury upon victims by keeping the names of predator priests a secret. This is unacceptable. The Diocese of Ogdensburg should show who has engaged in this abominable behavior and what it’s doing to protect parishioners from now on.