RICHMOND (VA)
WRIC TV
March 8, 2019
By Kerri O’Brien
Father Richard Ahern’s name is not on the Diocese of Richmond’s list of credible child sex abusers released last month but victim’s advocates say it should be.
He has since died but he has been named by multiple accusers, was barred from holding confession with kids and was named in a court settlement. 8News has learned the Diocese of Richmond was warned about Father Ahern 18 years ago.
In a letter to the Diocese, the alleged victim writes, “I was seduced and sexually abused by a priest in the parish. Father Ahern is the priest in question.”
That letter was faxed to the Diocese of Richmond’s Bishop at the time, Bishop Walter Francis Sullivan.
The alleged victim stated he was abused by Father Richard Ahern when he an altar boy between 1959 and 1961 at Our Lady of Angels Church in Woodbridge, Virginia.
It’s now part of the Diocese of Arlington but at the time was part of the Diocese of Richmond. This letter and memo were shared with 8News by the group Bishop Accountability. The group maintains an international database of priests accused of abuse.
“We know that that letter was sent to the Bishop of Richmond, Bishop Sullivan,” says Terence McKiernan, President of Bishop Accountability.
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.