SAN JOSE (CA)
Mercury News
September 13, 2018
By John Woofolk
The Diocese of San Jose said Thursday it will launch an independent investigation into clergy sexual abuse and name priests credibly accused of abusing children as part of a diocesan effort to confront a scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic church around the world.
The extraordinary announcement — the first pledge to go public from a Bay Area diocese — came in a statement to parishioners from Bishop Patrick J. McGrath, who also said the diocese had hired a former FBI official to review how church leaders have handled past abuse complaints.
“Recent revelations of the horrific and heartbreaking crime of the sexual abuse of minors by priests — and the systematic cover-up by bishops – have fueled a crisis, unprecedented in modern times, in the Catholic Church,” McGrath said in the statement. “There is a need for reform; there is a need for transparency in the way the Church responds to allegations of the sexual abuse of minors and vulnerable adults, even as we continue our efforts of preventing abuse and fostering a safe environment for all.”
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