Texas Catholic dioceses expected to release names of clergy accused of sexual abuse

[True Dough]

I wonder if this will become a trend?

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The 15 Catholic dioceses in Texas will release the names of clergy accused of sexually abusing a minor from 1950 until present.

During a meeting in Austin, the Texas bishops agreed to jointly release the names as part of an "ongoing work to protect children from sexual abuse and promote healing and a restoration of trust in the Church."

"This is an action in response to the faithful's call for greater accountability and transparency. Every bishop in our state has made a statement expressing his concern for all who have been hurt, and I want to express my personal sorrow at such fundamental violations of trust that have happened. We are completely committed to eradicating the evil of sexual abuse in the church and promoting healing among the faithful and those injured by this crime," said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston.

All dioceses are expected to release the names by Jan. 31, 2019, according to the release. The 15 dioceses participating in the project are Galveston-Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Amarillo, Beaumont, Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo, Lubbock, San Angelo, Tyler and Victoria.

https://abc13.com/names-of-clergy-accused-of-sexual-abuse-to-be-released-/4455474/

[trotsky]

1. Remember that this institution doesn't usually do something that looks this good...

unless it's trying to prevent something much worse.

https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Diocese-of-Dallas-to-Release-Names-of-Clergy-Accused-of-Sexual-Abuse-of-Minors-496641701.html

...But Dallas attorney Tahira Merritt questions the timing and motivation. Her hallways are lined with newspaper clippings from dozens of priest abuse cases she's handled, mostly in Texas.

"It's window dressing, it's words and it's really just a ploy to prevent the attorney general or other truly independent bodies from investigating," Merritt said.

As for "credibly accused", Bishop Burns explained in a news conference Wednesday that each allegation is turned over to a law enforcement agency. A review board that consists of doctors, educators, psychologists and parents assist in looking into the credibillity of an allegation. The review board is hired by the diocese, and that's where Merritt sees a problem.

"It's kind of like the fox guarding the hen house," she said. Merritt believes not just clergy names but their files should be released to get to the full story.