BATON ROUGE (LA)
The Advocate
Dec. 20, 2019
By Terry Robinson
Topping the news in 2019 for the Baton Rouge-area faith community was the naming of 37 clergy members credibly accused of abusing minors.
Bishop Michael Duca, of the Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge, released the names during a news conference on Jan. 31, acknowledging and apologizing for the crimes of the clerics. The initial list included 14 diocesan priests, 15 from religious orders, a seminarian and seven priests assigned to the Archdiocese of New Orleans who had served in Baton Rouge.
Duca pledged to publicize any future allegations of abuse in the diocese. The list has since grown to more than 40 priests with potential for more.
The abuse reports go back decades in the 58-year-old Diocese of Baton Rouge, which covers 12 civil parishes. Some of the priests remained in ministry years after allegations against them.
Most of the abuse occurred under the leadership of Bishop Joseph Sullivan in the 1970s and early ’80s. Sullivan was also on the list for repulsive behavior.
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