Asheville, WNC priests named in Charlotte diocese list of clergy credibly accused of abuse

ASHEVILLE (NC)
Asheville Citizen Times

Dec. 30, 2019

By Joel Burgess

The Catholic Charlotte Diocese has released a list of clergy it says were “credibly accused” of child sexual abuse.

The list “aims to promote healing for victims and demonstrate commitment to transparency,” the diocese said in a Dec. 30 press release accompanying the list.

Church officials deemed a total of 14 clergy credibly accused in the diocese, which includes parishes from Guilford and Richmond counties all the way to the western tip of the state.

None of the named clergy are still in the religious order, according to the church, which said no priest serving today has a credible allegation against him. Some listed are dead, while others left, were removed or were convicted.

A support group for sexual abuse victims criticized the list, saying it was incomplete and didn’t include church staff members with allegations against them. Those include Paul L. Berrell, former music minister at St. Eugene Catholic Church in Asheville, said SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

“We call on them to update this list immediately in order to provide a clearer and more complete look at abuse within the Diocese of Charlotte,” the statement said.

Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.