ARLINGTON (VA)
Arlington Diocese
July 19, 2019
Following his death in 1992, reports of sexual abuse of minors by Msgr. William Reinecke in the late-1960s and early-1970s were first brought forward and were fully documented by national and local media. In some instances, it was alleged that abuse occurred during overnight trips that Msgr. Reinecke had taken with minors.
The abuse committed by Fr. Reinecke was a grave sin and horrendous crime. No person should ever be victimized, and the Church should be a place of peace and joy for all people, especially children. The Catholic Church—like all institutions that work with minors—operates very differently today than it did 50 years ago, and interactions between priests and minors are more controlled and limited than in the past. In particular, such overnight trips – apart from fully-chaperoned youth events – are explicitly prohibited.
Additionally, the Diocese has a comprehensive and thorough system of policies and protocols that aid in prevention of sexual abuse of minors and reports all allegations to legal authorities. Our protocols include background checks for all clergy, staff and volunteers, as well as a training program that helps people identify grooming activity and other concerning behaviors, whether in a church setting or elsewhere.
In September 2018, the Diocese of Arlington hired two former FBI special agents to examine all clergy files and information going back to the founding of the Diocese in 1974. They performed this thorough review to assist the Diocese in its publication of a list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor. That list was published on February 13, 2019, and can be found at ArlingtonDiocese.org/ClergyAbuseList. The purpose of releasing the names of those credibly accused of sexual abuse of a minor was to assist victims and survivors in their healing.
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