|
Syracuse Diocese to release list of clergy accused of sexual abuse of children
By Jacob Pucci
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse will publish a list Monday of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor in the diocese since 1950. The list will be available online Monday morning (Dec. 3) on thecatholicsun.com and syrdio.org. The list will include the names of priests both living and deceased, the diocese said in a statement announcing the list's release. The release of the list was publicly announced in a letter from Bishop Robert J. Cunningham to diocese parishioners today and made available in all parishes over the weekend. Priests were informed in meetings with the bishop on Thursday. Diocesan staff were informed Friday. The decision to release the names of abusive priests is an apparent reversal of Cunningham's previous policy, which was to confirm the names once a victim makes it public, but not to release a list. The New York State Attorney General launched a probe in September into all eight dioceses in the state, seeking information about whether church officials knew about and covered up sexual abuse by clergy. The probe came on the heels of an expansive grand jury investigation in Pennsylvania and subsequent report that detailed sexual abuse by more than 300 priests, including 27 with ties to New York. The Syracuse Diocese's decision comes amid a national trend to release the names of abusive priests. More 75 other dioceses across the country have released the names of abusive priests, according to a count by the law firm Anderson & Associates, which represents victims nationwide. Among those dioceses that released names of abusive priests were Ogdensburg and Buffalo. The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo's report, released on Nov. 7, included the name of a Syracuse priest. Contact: jpucci@syracuse.com
|
.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.