ALBUQUERQUE (NM)
Associated Press
January 14, 2019
The head of the largest Roman Catholic diocese in New Mexico has pledged to open sealed records related to priest child sexual abuse cases as victims, attorneys and others push for more transparency.
Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester agreed to the disclosure as he and two other top church officials were questioned last week under oath as part of bankruptcy court proceedings. The Albuquerque Journal reports the public meeting included victims whose claims are now intertwined with the archdiocese’s pending bankruptcy reorganization.
While the archdiocese already has paid more than $50 million to settle sex abuse claims, Wester contends it cannot sustain the financial impact of continued litigation.
Most of the questions posed by three members of the creditors’ committee at the meeting focused on illuminating what has historically been a dark, secret legal reckoning of child sexual abuse inflicted for decades by dozens of clergy members in New Mexico.
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