WINONA (MN)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona
[with list of names]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Joel Hennessy, Director of Communications
jhennessy@dow.org office 507.858.1249 cell 507.254.3948
WINONA, MN – December 16, 2013 – In 2002, the National Review Board commissioned the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to conduct a blind study to determine the nature and scope of child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. Each diocese in the United States was contacted by John Jay College and was required to report the number of priests within its diocese who had “credible” accusations of abuse.
The national study required the report of any accusation that was not implausible (see definition below). This included allegations that did not necessarily result in a criminal, civil or diocesan investigation and allegations that were unsubstantiated.
The national study defined an implausible allegation as one that could not possibly have happened under the given circumstances (e.g., an accusation is made to a bishop about a priest who never served at that diocese). The study went on to say that erroneous information does not necessarily make the allegation implausible (e.g., a priest arrived at the diocese a year after the alleged abuse, but all other facts of the case are credible and the alleged victim might have mistaken the
date). Allegations that were determined not to be “implausible” have since been referred to as “credible” accusations.
The methodology of the national study encouraged over-reporting and the study specifically directed each diocese not to engage in the endeavor of weighing the credibility of any of the accusations out of concern that the data produced by the study would arguably be invalid because of subjective determinations as to the credibility of, or substantiation of, the allegation(s).
The national study concluded that approximately 4% of priests in ministry in the United States had accusations of abuse made against them. The study also found that the annual number of incidents of sexual abuse of minors by priests increased steadily to a peak in the late 1970s and early 1980s and then declined sharply after 1985.
The Ramsey County District Court has ordered that the Diocese of Winona publicly release the names associated with the John Jay College Study, as well any other priests who have had accusations of child sexual abuse since 2004. In compliance with that Order, the Diocese of Winona hereby releases the following names, ages, places of ministry, ministerial status and current location of each priest associated with the John Jay Study, as well as the same information of those who have been accused of perpetrating sexual abuse against a minor since 2002.
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