Names of 159 Accused Clergy Confirmed by the Boston Archdiocese

In a move described as “one more step” the Boston Archdiocese released the names of those accused in the following categories:

• Clergy found guilty of child sexual abuse.
• Those defrocked after being accused of sex abuse.
• Priests on administrative leave while their accusations are heard and decided.
• Those already defrocked before accusations were made.
• Deceased priests who have been publicly accused and whose cases are not finished.

Included were the names of 159 priests. Those names are:

A. Cases That Have Been Concluded Canonically, Either By Dismissal or Sentence to Life of Prayer and Penance, or Criminally, Either By Plea or Conviction.
This section contains the names of those members of the clergy of the Boston Archdiocese who have been found guilty of sexually abusing a child, either by the Church, the State, or both. In the case of criminal convictions, the cleric either has been convicted after a criminal trial or has pled guilty to a crime involving the sexual abuse of a child. In the case of canonical processes, the clerics whose names are included in this section either have been dismissed from the clerical state ("dismissed") at the end of a canonical process or have been assigned to a life of prayer and penance, with no ministry possible. The Church assigns priests to a life of prayer and penance where they are not suited to dismissal due to age or infirmity.

B. Cases That Have Been Concluded Canonically By Laicization.
Laicization under Church law is a process whereby the cleric voluntarily requests that he be separated from the clerical state. The laicization process, because it is voluntary, does not involve a determination of guilt for crimes involving the sexual abuse of children. Included in this section are the names of priests who have sought laicization after being accused of sexually abusing a minor.

C. Cases Involving Living Archdiocesan Clergy That Already Have Been Publicized, But Where The Canonical Proceedings Against Those Clergy Have Not Yet Been Resolved.
Included in this section are the names of priests or deacons of the Boston Archdiocese who have been publicly accused of sexually abusing a child, but where there remain to be completed canonical proceedings involving those priests or deacons. In each case, the cleric involved has been removed from public ministry and remains on administrative leave. It must be emphasized that there has been no final determination of guilt or innocence in these cases.

D. Cases Involving Priests Accused After Laicization On Other Grounds.
Laicization under Church law is a process whereby the cleric voluntarily requests that he be separated from the clerical state. Included in this section are the names of priests who were already laicized (and therefore no longer in the clerical state) when they were publicly accused of sexual abuse of a minor.

E. Cases Involving Deceased Clergy for Whom Criminal or Canonical Proceedings Were Not Completed But The Existence of Allegations Has Been Publicized.
This section includes the names of deceased clergy accused of sexual abuse of a minor for whom criminal or canonical proceedings were not completed, but the existence of allegations has been publicized. In most cases, allegations were received only after the priest’s death. In others, the priest died before the conclusion of the proceedings. There has been no formal determination of guilt in these cases. Rather, the Archdiocese has decided to list these names in the interest of transparency and healing.

This is another step in the right direction in making sure that the truth is reveled. Although, these were all names that have been previously uncovered. The concern is that they acknowledged that there are 91 names that were not disclosed. As the Washington Post pointed out there is much more to be done:

In recent months, prominent victims’ attorney Mitchell Garabedian, and the watchdog group BishopAccountability.org have independently released new names of accused priests, while expressing doubts the archdiocese ever intended to be truly forthcoming. BishopAccountability.org has estimated at least 350 religious workers in Boston have a substantive abuse accusations against them, based on the percentages from other dioceses that have disclosed their number of accused.

Abuse of children and the continued silence by the offenders needs to be prevented. If you suffered, saw, or suspected such events, it is important to know that there is help out there.