ASHLAND (KY)
Daily Independent
August 19, 2020
By Henry Culvyhouse
A report released last week by the Lexington Diocese of the Catholic Church has 23 priests accused of sexual abuse in eastern and northern Kentucky.
The Daily Independent has identified at least seven accused priests as having posts in the area. One priest was accused last year, but not included on the list.
The founding Bishop of the Diocese — which was carved out of the Covington and Louisville Dioceses in 1988 — has also been accused of sexual misconduct. Bishop James Kendrick Williams, 83, was accused of of abusing two minors while he served in Louisville. He is listed in the Louisville Archdiocese as an abuser and his case has been referred to the Vatican. He resigned in 2002.
The report is the result of a two-year investigation commissioned by church officials, carried out by attorneys independent of the church. The report stresses that the allegations may not be used in a court of law, however 22 are considered “sustained and credible.”
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