St. Xavier, Xu and Other Schools Get List Monday of Jesuit Priests Accused of Abusing Kids

By Dan Horn
Cincinnati Enquirer
December 12, 2018

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/12/accused-catholic-priests-st-x-and-other-find-out-soon-jesuit-priests-church-child-sex-abuse/2294198002/

Pope Francis celebrates a mass with the Jesuits on the occasion of the order's titular feast, in Rome's Jesus' Church, Friday, Jan. 3, 2014. (AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

St. Xavier High School, Xavier University and other Jesuit institutions in the Midwest will find out next week if they've employed Catholic priests accused of sexually abusing children.

The Midwest Province of Jesuits said Wednesday it would release a list naming every priest in the order who has faced a credible accusation of abuse since 1955.

The decision to make the list public comes as the church is under increasing scrutiny from lay Catholics, abuse survivors and criminal prosecutors to resolve a problem that has plagued it for years.

"It's a step in the spirit of transparency and reconciliation," said Mike McGrath, a spokesman for the Midwest Jesuits. "There's been a lot of discussion and debate in the church about this question."

Jesuit churches and schools were notified this week that the list was coming out on Monday, Dec. 17. The list will be posted on the religious order's website at jesuitsmidwest.org, and will include the names of the accused priests, the locations and the dates of the alleged abuse.

Officials at St. Xavier High School sent an email to employees, parents and alumni Wednesday alerting them to the upcoming release of the list.

"The list is being released in an effort to be transparent about the past, to precipitate victims who desire assistance and make the intent to protect youth unmistakable," the email said.

St. Xavier Principal Terry Tyrrell said school records show no credible accusations of abuse over the past 40 to 50 years.

The list will cover more years, however, so school officials will have to wait until Monday like everyone else to find out if allegations were reported to the Jesuits, or if priests who passed through St. Xavier were accused of abusing kids elsewhere.

"We have a zero-tolerance policy here," Tyrrell said.

McGrath said all of the names on the list, which covers Jesuits in all or parts of 12 states, have been reported to local law enforcement over the years. In many cases, however, the names have not previously been made public.

"This isn't like we've been sitting on crimes," McGrath said. "We've been working very closely over a long period of time to make sure civil authorities were notified."

He said the standard used for inclusion on the list is whether "there is a reasonable certainty the accusation is true." He said that determination is made after consulting with the abuse survivor, corroborating witnesses, the accused priest and any records that could support or refute the claim.

Two of the Jesuits' four provinces in the United States already have released the names of accused priest. The fourth is expected to do so later this month.