A Pennsylvania-based Roman Catholic diocese has released a list of clergy and other church-affiliated figures accused of sexually abusing minors.
The Diocese of Harrisburg announced the release of the list of 71 names, which included 37 priests, three deacons, six seminarians, and 16 others from religious communities.
All of the figures named on the list had ties to the diocese, with the allegations going as far back as the 1940s. The diocese cautioned in its report that those on the list were not necessarily guilty.
“The term ‘accused’ is emphasized to note that the list below includes summations of accusations; the list does not include assessments of credibility or guilt,” explained the report.
Bishop Ronald W. Gainer, head of the diocese, said in a statement on Wednesday that compiling the list came “with great sadness,” because “once again we come face-to-face with the horror that innocent children were the victims of egregious acts.”
“I am saddened because I know that behind every story is the face of a child precious in God’s sight; a child who has been wounded by the sins of those who should have known better,” said Gainer.
Gainer also offered an apology “to the survivors of child sex abuse, the Catholic faithful and the general public” and then noted the measures the Church was taking “to ensure that these types of atrocities never occur again.”
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: Christian Post, Michael Gryboski
