December 19, 2004

Group wants priest information

CINCINNATI (OH)
Cincinnati Enquirer

A victim-rights group is urging a national Catholic panel to pressure Cincinnati's archbishop to disclose information on 16 priests newly accused of sexual abuse. Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests sent a letter Friday to theAbuse Tracker Review Board, a committee of laypersons appointed by bishops to monitor the church's sex-abuse scandal. The Cincinnati Archdiocese earlier this year said that 49 priests had been accused of sexual abuse. But this week, an attorney appointed to independently oversee a victim-compensation fund said he had received 132 allegations involving 65 priests. The newly accused priests could be abusers of adults, not children, officials said, possibly accounting for the different numbers. Archdiocese spokesman Dan Andriacco said names of priests are withheld unless allegations are deemed "credible" after an investigation.

Posted by kshaw at December 19, 2004 08:31 AM