SAN FRANCISCO (CA)
KQED Radio
February 16, 2019
In response to reignited public outrage over the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, a number of independent religious orders are publishing lists of priests accused of sexual misconduct with minors.
Father David Gaa, head of the Franciscans Friars of the Province of Santa Barbara, which oversees more than 140 priests — or brothers, as they’re called — in California and neighboring states, is leading this effort within his order, combing through records going back as far as 1950.
Franciscans keep their own archives and run their order independently from dioceses.
Gaa, whose official title is Provincial Minister, said he knows the church has a history of releasing incomplete lists of accused brothers, and because of that, trust has not been repaired.
“I clearly understand the outrage,” he said. “It’s been a colossal failure of the leadership of the hierarchy of the Catholic church. It’s the last chance, the last opportunity, to make sure things are transparent and that the truth just comes out.”
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