BishopAccountability.org
	Protesters Seek Accused Priests’ Names By Brian R. Ballou Boston Globe August 5, 2011 http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/08/05/protesters_want_names_of_religious_order_priests_accused_of_abuse/ A small group of protesters representing several clergy sexual abuse survivor groups demonstrated yesterday afternoon in front of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross saying that the Archdiocese of Boston refuses to include the names of accused religious order priests on its yet-to-be released list of clergy linked to the sexual abuse scandal. “Cardinal [Sean P.] O’Malley absolutely should include these names; he has the responsibility for these priests, said Anne Barrett Doyle, the codirector of BishopAccountability.org. “Under canon law, he has the power to fire them,’’ she said. “. . . A child hurt by an order cleric is just as damaged as a child hurt by a cleric whose paycheck is signed by the archdiocese.’’ Kellyanne Dignan, a spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, said the church is still working on compiling its list of credibly accused clergy and declined to comment on the level of authority the Archdiocese has over religious order priests, such as Jesuits, Franciscians, and Marists. Doyle, standing on the sidewalk in front of the cathedral on Washington Street in the South End, spoke into a microphone, her voice booming over two speakers mounted on stands. She was joined by six other protesters, several of whom held posterboards with messages demanding the release of the names of accused religious order priests. “How can he even consider leaving off the names of more than 80 accused child molesters from this crucial list, which will be a means of protecting children and encouraging victims to come forward?’’ Doyle asked. She ended the event by walking to the rectory behind the cathedral and attempting to hand-deliver a list of 82 names of “Accused Religious Order Clerics Who Have Worked in the Boston Archdiocese.’’ The list, she said, was generated from civil complaints, criminal cases, or published news articles on the sex abuse cases. When she got no answer at the rectory door, Doyle slid a folder with a letter to O’Malley and the list under the door. Dignan said the archdiocese has a continued commitment to augment its policy on disclosing additional information about credibly accused clergy. “Over the last year, we have continued our work on this important undertaking, including meeting with many internal constituencies to receive their feedback,’’ she said. “We understand there is great interest in this process. At this time, substantial progress has been made to facilitate the publication of names, but it is complex and our work is ongoing.’’ She said that the church now immediately reports all allegations of clergy sexual abuse to local law enforcement agencies and publicly discloses when a priest is removed from active ministry pending an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse of a minor or is convicted of sexual abuse of a minor. Brian R. Ballou can be reached at bballou@globe.com. Follow him on twitter at @globeballou.
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