Lawyers Release List of NYC Priests They Claim Have Been Accused of Sex Abuse

By Maura Grunlund
Staten Island Live
February 22, 2019

https://www.silive.com/news/2019/02/lawyers-release-list-of-nyc-priests-they-claim-have-been-accused-of-sex-abuse.html

Monsignor Francis Boyle, left, and Monsignor Charles Coen are among those priests who appear on "The Anderson List" and against whom allegations have been deemed substantiated by the Archdiocese.

A law firm that advocates for abuse victims has released the names of more than 110 Roman Catholic priests and other religious figures in the Archdiocese of New York who it claims have been accused of “sexual misconduct.”

The list, posted on the website of Jeff Anderson and Associates, includes the names of about 30 current or former members of the clergy with ties to Staten Island.

The unveiling of the alleged roster of shame, dubbed “The Anderson List,” coincides with a summit that Pope Francis currently is hosting with the world’s bishops to stem the growing worldwide scandal. Embattled church leaders are meeting in an effort to prevent further clergy sex-abuse against minors.

The Anderson law firm identifies monsignors, principals, pastors and parochial vicars who served on Staten Island.

Many of the cases on the list which have been deemed substantiated were previously reported by the Advance.

Near the top of the list is Monsignor Francis Boyle, the former longtime pastor at Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church in West Brighton. The Archdiocese previously announced that Monsignor Boyle “will never serve as a priest again” after a church panel substantiated sex-abuse allegations against him.

“Credible” child sex-abuse allegations were levied against another man on the roster, Monsignor Charles Coen, who was a pastor and Irish musician on Staten Island, according to a previous announcement by the Archdiocese.

The law firm did not provide specific information about the nature of the allegations, when and where they were made, and whether the Archdiocese deemed them substantiated or unsubstantiated. It posts what amounts to a disclaimer on its website.

In doing so, the law firm seems to nod to readers who might be troubled by the lack of proof, specific information about alleged crimes and due process.

“While lawsuits were filed involving many of these alleged perpetrators, the vast majority of the claims against these individuals have been settled or have not been fully evaluated in a civil or criminal court,” the law firm said.

“Accordingly, the allegations should be considered just allegations and should not be considered proven or substantiated in a court of law. All individuals should be considered innocent until proven guilty.”

The law firm offers only general information about how and why each name was chosen for the manifest.

“This list is an attempt to compile information already available from various public sources including the public media, bishopaccountability.org, court filings, press statements, claims filed through the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program in the Archdiocese, lists disclosed by dioceses and religious orders regarding allegations of sexual abuse of minors, and other sources that have attempted to chronicle this information for public use,” the law firm said on its website.

“This list is intended to raise awareness about the important issue of sexual abuse, provide the public with vital information, and provide awareness and healing to survivors.”

The law firm claims on its website that the “Archdiocese of New York has not made available to the public the full history, identities, knowledge, and context of those accused of sexual abuse within the Archdiocese.”

The Archdiocese of New York strongly disputed the law firm’s characterization of how it handles sex-abuse allegations.

“As we have explained numerous times after similar Jeff Anderson press conferences here in New York, the Archdiocese of New York has consistently released names of priests found to have credible and substantiated allegations of abuse," said a statement from Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the Archdiocese of New York.

"First and foremost, the names of any cleric – bishop, priest, or deacon – alleged to have committed an act of abuse have been shared with the district attorneys who serve the ten counties of the Archdiocese, and they have now been shared with the Attorney General of the State of New York.

"Any new allegation of abuse against a bishop, priest, deacon, or lay employee of the archdiocese is immediately shared with the district attorney, so that they might determine if there is a prosecutable crime.

“In addition, when a bishop, priest, or deacon is removed from an assignment following an accusation of abuse, the parish community is notified, and a story is published in Catholic New York, the archdiocesan newspaper. If the allegation is found to be substantiated by our review board, parishioners of the priest or deacon’s former assignments are also notified, always with a request that people contact their district attorney to report any criminal behavior, as well as our Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program and Victims Assistance Coordinator so that we might also offer our support and help.”