NEW LONDON (CT)
The Day
December 18. 2018
By Joe Wojtas
Following the Hartford Archdiocese’s Dec. 8 announcement that it will publish the names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse and report how much it has spent to settle lawsuits prompted by their actions, Diocese of Norwich spokesman Wayne Gignac said Tuesday he has no information about whether the diocese here would take the same steps.
“Parishioners will be informed directly, if and when such a decision is made,” Gignac said.
This weekend, Hartford Archbishop the Most Rev. Leonard Blair announced that in January the archdiocese would publish the names of its clergy members who have been involved in lawsuits and legal settlements or otherwise “credibly accused” along with the names of priests from other religious orders and dioceses who had been credibly accused of an offense that took place in the archdiocese.
He said the archdiocese will also contract for an independent review of all clergy files to identify any additional names dating back to 1953 when the archdiocese was formed. The list of names would be updated as any new information becomes available.
“Finally, the archdiocese will be publishing the financial outlay that has been made as a result of the abuse of minors by clergy and the sources of these funds,” Blair wrote.
Gail Howard, one of the leaders of the Connecticut chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said she had to give credit to Blair for publishing such a list.
“But every diocese should have done this 10 years ago,” she said, adding that she questions whether the names of all accused priests will appear on the list.
She said there are examples across the country in which people who have made complaints against priests say the names of those priests were not contained in similar lists released by their diocese.
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