NORWALK (OH)
Norwalk Reflector
December 18, 2018
By Cory Shaffer
The Midwestern region of the Jesuit church on Monday released the names of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in two regions, including one covering Northeast Ohio.
The list includes 10 former Jesuits who were accused while either serving in or visiting Northeast Ohio at the time the sexual abuse occurred, according to the Midwest U.S. Jesuit Provinces.
The majority of the abuse occurred between the 1950s and 1970s, and many of the accused priests are now dead.
The release comes after similar releases by Catholic Dioceses across the country. The Cleveland Diocese has published a list of credibly accused priests since a sweeping grand jury inquiry in the early 2000s. The grand jury results have been kept under wraps in keeping with grand jury secrecy laws in Ohio.
“As we look back at our history, the failures of the Society of Jesus and the Church to protect those entrusted to its care fill our hearts with outrage, sorrow and shame,” the Rev. Brian Paulson, provincial of the Midwest Jesuits, wrote in a letter coinciding with the release. “On behalf of the Midwest Jesuits, I apologize to victim-survivors and their families for the harm and suffering you have endured. Many of you have suffered in silence for decades.”
The church also hired an investigative service out of Chicago to conduct an independent review of the church’s records in 2019 and will update the list if the service turns up credible allegations against any other priests.
The Rev. Henry A. Brockman faced multiple allegations during the 1950s and 1960s while he served at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland. Brockman died in 1973.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.