Texas Catholic dioceses to release names of clergy accused of sexual abuse

AUSTIN (TX)
Austin American-Statesman

October 10, 2018

By Asher Price

As pressure mounts on Roman Catholic dioceses across the country to come clean about how they handled abusive priests, the 15 Catholic bishops in Texas announced Wednesday that they will soon publish the names of clergy who have been “credibly” accused of child sexual assault.

“My hope in releasing these names is to be transparent and begin to rebuild trust with the people I shepherd,” Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez said in a statement Wednesday.

“This sort of scandal has undermined the credibility of church and it has caused people to be angry and upset — and they have every reason to be upset,” he told the American-Statesman.

Victims’ advocates said the move is part of a national reckoning in a new era of accountability.

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