Catholic Diocese of Erie Expands Child-protection Office

By Ed Palattella
GoErie
April 16, 2018

http://www.goerie.com/news/20180416/catholic-diocese-of-erie-expands-child-protection-office

Along with the release of list of accused priests and laypeople, revamping of diocesan office is a key element of bishop’s policy update.

The Catholic Diocese of Erie set precedent on April 6, when Bishop Lawrence Persico released a list of 51 priests and laypeople credibly accused of child sexual abuse or other misconduct with minors in the diocese since 1944.

Most Catholic dioceses in the United States have never named accused priests, and no diocese is known to have ever before released a list with the names of accused laypeople as well as clergy.

“I think it is a first,” said Terry McKiernan, president of BishopAccountability.org, a nonprofit online resource that tracks abuse in the Roman Catholic Church worldwide. “To my knowledge, that hasn’t happened before.”

On a much more local scale, another first for the Catholic Diocese of Erie accompanied Persico’s release of the list on April 6.