WASHINGTON
Christian Science Monitor
By Lucy Schouten, Staff
JANUARY 16, 2016
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle published the names of 77 clergyman and others in church leadership who sexually abused children over the last century.
Such lists have been published in other dioceses, but usually under legal or social duress. The Seattle archdiocese took this step of its own accord “in the interest of further transparency and accountability,” according to a fact sheet.
The Seattle archdiocese “was ahead of the curve in recognizing the abuse problem, but behind where it should have been,” wrote Joel Connelly for the Seattle PI.
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The area representative for Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said releasing the names was a good step, although she was suspicious of the timing because no outside pressure had prompted it.
“Any time a predator’s name is publicized, kids are safer,” Mary Dispenza, Northwest director for SNAP, told the Seattle Times. “So that’s a positive. However, this is very late in coming.”
Mike McKay, a former US attorney in Washington, told the Seattle Times he had recommended releasing these names in 2004, but Archbishop J. Peter Sartain began working on it when he was appointed in 2010, archdiocese spokesman Greg Magnoni told the Seattle Times. Finding a process that the Archdiocesan Review Board would approve took from early 2011 to 2013.
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