Harrisburg Diocese releases names of 71 clergy and personnel accused of child sexual abuse

The Roman Catholic diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania has released a list of 71 clergy members and seminarians accused of child sexual abuse dating back to the 1940s.

The list includes 37 priests, six seminarians, and three deacons from the diocese. It comes ahead of the release of a landmark grand jury report that is expected to name at least 300 priests accused of abusing minors around the state.

“In my own name, and in the name of the Diocesan Church of Harrisburg, I express our profound sorrow and apologise to the survivors of child sex abuse, the Catholic faithful and the general public for the abuses that took place and for those Church officials who failed to protect children,” Harrisburg Bishop Ronald Gainer said in a statement.

Mr Gainer said the diocese will remove the names of all priests on the list from any room, building, or hallway named after them. He also vowed to remove the names of every bishop since 1940 from the church walls, saying they shared in the responsibility for the church's inadequate response.

“The decision to remove the names of bishops and clerics may prove controversial, but as bishop, I strongly believe the leaders of the diocese hold themselves to a higher standard, and must yield honorary symbols in the interest of healing,” he said.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered the release of a 900-page grand jury report on six dioceses around the state at the end of this month. One diocese, in nearby Erie, has already released a list of 58 priests accused of abuse in its jurisdiction.

Mr Gainer said the Harrisburg Diocese intended to release its list of names earlier, but held off until the end of the grand jury investigation, at the state attorney general’s behest.

The attorney general’s office said in a statement that it was “long past due” for the diocese to release the names of “predator priests” within the Catholic church.

“Their proclamations today only come after intense public pressure and in the face of the imminent release of the grand jury report exposing decades of child abuse,” said Joe Grace, spokesman for Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

“To this point, the Diocese of Harrisburg has been adverse to transparency and has not been cooperative,” he added. “...The true test of the Diocese’s commitment to victims of abuse and reforms within the Church will be their actions following the release of the report.”

Mr Gainer also announced the creation of a new diocese website to help survivors of sexual abuse, and to facilitate reporting of new allegations. He added that the diocese had taken a “zero tolerance” approach to sexual abuse during his tenure, and now sends all allegations to the proper legal authorities. The church’s first priority, he said, is “the protection of those who walk through our doors”.

The Catholic Church has been reckoning for decades with allegations of sexual abuse, which it has been accused in many cases of sweeping under the rug.

Between 2004 and 2014, the Church defrocked more than 800 priests, and dolled out lesser penalties to another 2,572, according to a report from the Vatican. Just last month, an Australian archbishop retired after being convicted of covering up the sexual abuse of children by a priest.