NEW ORLEANS (LA)
WVUE - Fox 8 [New Orleans LA]
February 9, 2026
By Meg Gatto
Archbishop Gregory Aymond held meetings with childhood sex abuse survivors in local parishes across the area during a busy carnival weekend.
The archbishop said he hopes the meetings provide a sense of closure to the victims.
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At St. Maria Goretti Church in New Orleans East, on Sunday afternoon, Aymond waited for survivors of clergy sexual abuse to show up. No one did, but Aymond said he had met some survivors at the four previous meetings.
“People have come, not in great numbers, but people have come,” Aymond said.
He feels the survivors who do choose to come can benefit.
“My feeling is, every person who comes, that’s one person that the church can pay attention to, can walk with and can help them heal,” Aymond said.
The group meetings are part of the archdiocese’s bankruptcy settlement agreed to late last year that also calls for $305 million to be handed out to survivors.
The head of Tentmakers Louisiana, an advocacy group for survivors, said that for many, hearing their stories can help heal wounds.
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“What is really important is having the trauma being validated now in a sense, because for so many years these people were not able to say what happened to them,” said Letitia Peyton.
But some said they have no desire to sit down with Aymond. In early January, Johnny Krummel told Fox 8 that, despite Aymond’s personal apology for what transpired within the archdiocese, he didn’t want to talk to the archbishop after the abuse he said he endured at the Madonna Manor Orphanage.
“I don’t accept no apology from nobody that was involved with this bankruptcy,” Krummel said.
When asked if he would want to meet with Aymond, Krummel said, “I wouldn’t meet with him.”
With four more group meetings scheduled, Aymond said he’ll continue to show up in case abuse survivors do want to talk. And he’ll be there to listen.
“I’m very well aware that so many people have been wounded, they’ve been hurt, and they’ve been living with that hurt for many, many years, some more than others,” Aymond said.
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“I think that undealt with anger, undealt with frustration just turns into bitterness and just turns into hopelessness, and I really don’t want that to happen for anybody,” Aymond said.
The next group meeting with Archbishop Aymond is scheduled for Monday morning at 8:30 at St. Andrew the Apostle Parish on Eton Street in New Orleans. The archdiocese has a full list of the meetings on its website.