Diocese of Santa Rosa to Release List of Clergymen Accused of Abuse

SNAP
January 9, 2019

http://www.snapnetwork.org/media_statements

Another diocese has announced that they will release a list of names of clergy who have been accused of sexual abuse.

It is always helpful for survivors when these lists are posted, especially for those who may be suffering in silence. Seeing that they are not alone helps victims heal and could also compel others who were abused – whether by the same person or in the same place – to come forward.

What is not helpful for survivors is when church officials carefully curate these lists, leaving off names of priests who are accused because they do not meet the diocese’s ever-changing and nebulous definition of “credible.” For an example of the problem with church officials using “credible” as a metric, one needs to look no further than this case from San Diego. We hope that when the Diocese of Santa Rosa releases this list on Saturday, that no such curation has occurred.

For the sake of not only survivors, but also the truth and the public’s right to know it, we encourage California’s attorney general to look closely at this disclosure by the Diocese of Santa Rosa and compare it to records and files seized through the course of an independent investigation.