NEW YORK (NY)
Associated Press
October 26, 2018
By Nicole Winfield
The umbrella organization of Catholic religious orders in the U.S. is suggesting that its members consider voluntarily identifying priests accused of sexual abuse, opening up what could be a major new chapter in the Catholic Church’s long-running abuse and cover-up saga, The Associated Press has learned.
The invitation to transparency by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, which represents about a third of the 37,000 Catholic priests in the U.S., is significant because religious orders such as the Franciscans and Benedictines have largely flown under the radar over two decades of a scandal in the U.S. that has focused on abuse by diocesan priests and cover-up by their bishops.
Anticipating that the spotlight will shift amid new investigations in a dozen U.S. states, the conference will formally invite its 120 member orders to consider voluntarily publishing the names of men with an “established allegation” against them, said the Rev. Gerard McGlone, who is responsible for child protection at the conference.
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