BROOKLYN (NY)
Brooklyn Paper
February 22, 2019
By Colin Mixson
The Diocese of Brooklyn must release the criteria its leaders used to determine the credibility of sex-abuse accusations against the dozens of Catholic priests included in a list of alleged predators church officials unveiled this month, according to a lawyer for abuse victims.
“Many of my clients are looking at the list with skepticism,” said Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston-based attorney with local clients alleging abuse at the hands of Kings County Catholic clergymen. “The Brooklyn Diocese has not stated what criteria it has used to determine if a priest should be listed as a perpetrator, or sex abuser.”
The Catholic Church’s 166-year-old Kings County diocese on Feb. 15 published a list of 108 clergymen — a whopping 5-percent of its borough priests — facing sex-abuse accusations that diocesan officials believe “may be true.” The list features additional information including the named priests’ past parish postings and their current status within the church, according to the diocese, whose leader said he published the list in an effort to help victim’s heal.
“I have met with many victims who have told me that more than anything, they want an acknowledgment of what was done to them,” said Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio. “This list gives that recognition and I hope it will add another layer of healing for them on their journey toward wholeness.”
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