Diocese of Columbus Ordered to Release Records

By Zach Hiner
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
December 11, 2019

https://bit.ly/38vnjdF

An Ohio judge is forcing the Catholic Diocese of Columbus to turn over records about clerics who may have seen, suspected or hidden cases of sexual abuse. We applaud this ruling which we believe will lead to safer communities and more transparency about cases of sexual violence.

We are grateful to Judge Jaiza Page for ordering the release of records related to 15 clerics who may have known about sex abuse within the Diocese of Columbus. We believe that Catholic officials in Columbus should have been willing to release this information without a court order. Instead, the diocese remained committed to secrecy and silence about cases of abuse. Examples like this show that it is only through the secular justice system – and not through Church leaders themselves – that we can expect transparency.

We hope this news will encourage others who may have knowledge about abuse within the Diocese of Columbus to come forward and make a report to police and prosecutors.