PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By Jim Remsen
Inquirer Faith Life Editor
In the wake of the grand jury report into clergy sex abuse, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has publicly issued its list of 54 molester priests - the full tally from 50 years, it says - along with a brief account of their clerical status.
The church tally falls short of the Philadelphia grand jury's count of 63, and far below the 169 the jury said had been accused. The archdiocese maintained that it represented the total who had been under its direct control.
The public disclosure is an about-face for the archdiocese. For years, it had joined with most other U.S. dioceses in refusing to divulge a full list of identities despite demands from victims and church activists.
"It's a good first step," said Marie Whitehead, local director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests and Other Clergy. She called on archdiocese officials to give more information about the men, and to visit parishes where they had served to invite any other victims to come forward.
"The confidentiality imposed by the grand jury" had prevented the archdiocese from releasing its list until the secret proceeding was formally concluded on Wednesday, church spokeswoman Donna Farrell said yesterday.