New Orleans archdiocese, others in La., to name priests 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse
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The Archdiocese of New Orleans will release the names of the clergy who have been "credibly accused" of abusing minors dating back 50 years, amid a scandal that has rocked one of the world's largest and most influential religious institutions.
The move to release the names comes three weeks after Archbishop Gregory Aymond told NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune in an exclusive interview that he and other Louisiana bishops were in discussions over whether to release the names. The decision follows similar transparency efforts in dioceses around the country, as Catholic Church leaders attempt quell outrage among the faithful over a decades old clergy abuse scandal rooted in south Louisiana.
"The clergy files are being examined very carefully," Aymond said in a prepared statement Tuesday (Oct. 16). "It is important to note that the review of the files will go back at least 50 years to ensure the list is accurate and complete. We will publish the list as soon as the work is finished. It will be sooner rather than later."
Aymond did not say how and where the names will be published. Dioceses in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette and Houma-Thibodaux reported Tuesday they too will release of names of credibly accused clergy in their areas. It was not immediately clear if other Louisiana dioceses will release the names of priests accused there.
Bishop J. Douglas Deshotel of the diocese of Lafayette issued a statement later Tuesday saying he applauds and fully supports Aymond's decision to release the names of accused clergy and will follow suit. He did not say when the names of priests in his diocese will be released.
"Our diocese is currently embarking on the same process of examining 50 years of clergy files very closely and carefully to ensure the accuracy of any list of priests accused of abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult," Deshotel said. "Disclosure of that list is a good idea to foster healing and provide assurance that no one accused of abuse is currently serving in ministry."
The diocese of Shreveport issued a statement saying it "will follow the lead of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and release names of those credibly accused." A spokesman for the Houma-Thibodeaux archdiocese said it intends to release a list, but could provide no additional details.
Deacon Dan Borne, communications secretary for the Diocese of Baton Rouge, said releasing the names of the credibly accused clergy members "is of the highest priority to us."
The Louisiana archdioceses will join a growing list of dioceses around the country opting to identify priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. On Monday, the archbishop of Washington, D.C., released the names of 31 clergy members who had been credibly accused of abusing minors there over the past seven decades.
The U.S. has nearly 200 Catholic dioceses or archdioceses. Recently, more than 50 of those have published lists of accused priests, according to the website BishopAccountability.org.
In a Sept. 20 interview, Aymond said while he believes transparency is key to helping the church through the crises, he added that releasing the names of clergy members who were accused of abuse decades ago is "riddled with problems" and "messy," particularly in cases where the abuser is deceased.
The archbishop, in the interview, stressed that there have been no credible reports of clergy abuse occurring in the Archdiocese of New Orleans in more than a decade, and that the vast majority of cases occurred before preventative measures were put in place by the U.S. Conference of Bishops in 2002.
Aymond said the local archdiocese adheres strictly -- and even goes beyond -- the guidelines bishops set forth 16 years ago in the "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People." That landmark document responded to the crisis by establishing accountability for, and prevention of, future acts of abuse. It was revised in 2005, 2011 and 2018.
Under archdiocese policy, anyone who claims to have been abused by a clergy member is put in contact with a victim's assistance coordinator. If the case involved a minor, police are immediately notified. If an adult reports abuse, that victim is given the option of going to police.
Any priest against whom a charge is made is immediately removed the ministry while an investigation is conducted, according to the policy. The results of the investigations are turned over to a lay review board chaired by a psychiatrist.
If the review board determines that the complaint is credible, the priest is immediately defrocked and the parishes in which he worked are notified.
Aymond, who is secretary and an executive committee member of the influential U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has said the Catholic hierarchy's history of shielding pedophile priests amounts to "terrible, terrible, terrible" sins.
The clergy abuse scandal that some fear could cause long-term damage to the Catholic church, which has approximately 1.3 billion worldwide followers, has its origins in the Diocese of Lafayette. In 1985, the Rev. Gilbert Gauthe was convicted of sexually abusing as many as 39 young children between 1972 and 1983.
The issue resurfaced most recently in August when a Pennsylvania grand jury's report, citing internal documents from six Catholic dioceses in that state, identified more than 300 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims over several decades.
The document described the church's earlier response to the accusations as "a playbook for concealing the truth."
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