FORT WORTH (TX)
Tyler Morning Telegraph
ASSOCIATED PRESS June 26, 2005
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - The Fort Worth Roman Catholic Diocese's decision to release the names of eight priests accused of sexually abusing children has raised more questions than it answered, victims and their advocates say.
The victims want the church to release details such as how many times each priest was accused and whether any of the allegations have been substantiated. But others, including priests, worry that releasing the accused men's personnel files would only cause more pain.
Diocese officials are fighting in court to keep details about the allegations secret.
In an attempt to gain access to the accused priests' files, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The Dallas Morning News have intervened in a clergy abuse lawsuit the diocese settled this year for $4.15 million.
One priest's files were made public as part of the lawsuit, but a judge ordered the files of the other seven sealed. A hearing on whether the files must be released is scheduled for Wednesday.