ALEXANDRIA (LA)
Opelousas Daily World
February 6, 2019
By Jeff Matthews
Twenty-seven priests incardinated or serving in the Diocese of Alexandria were found to have credible accusations of sexual abuse against minors in an investigative by the diocese.
The names of the priests were released Wednesday in a letter from Bishop David P. Talley. The cases, which were discovered through a review of hundreds of files of priests who have served in the diocese, date back to the 1940s.
In the letter, Talley calls the accusations an “evil chapter in the life of our diocese.” He said the entire diocese extends “our heartfelt sorrow for all the pain and anguish caused to our children and youth by this evil. Please know that I am ready to meet with any victim in this healing process.”
“In publishing this list, it is not our intent to re-victimize those who have already been so wounded by the actions of some clerics who served in our diocese over the past one hundred sixty-five years,” the letter read. “This evil can only be purged through a vigilant process that is transparent to the public. Our response must demonstrate the highest levels of honesty and scrutiny.”
The Diocesan Permanent Review Board reviewed 535 files of clergy who have served in the diocese since its establishment in 1853. Both clergy and lay people were part of the investigative team.
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