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Boston Diocese to Give Police Sex Abuse Victim NamesBOSTON (Reuters) - Boston's Catholic archdiocese agreed on Friday to release further details of alleged cases of sexual abuse by priests, capitulating to pressure from prosecutors who said they could not investigate without the accusers' names.
The agreement, which will be formalized later on Friday, was the latest crack in the wall of secrecy that for decades concealed the extent of the problem of pedophile priests in Boston's diocese, one of the largest in the United States.
In the last month, the diocese has handed over to law enforcement authorities the names of more than 80 priests accused of sexually abusing children in the past 40 years as it struggles to quell a damaging scandal that began with the case of one defrocked priest. But, citing out-of-court settlements containing confidentiality agreements, the diocese did not disclose the names of the alleged victims or the places and dates of the incidents. Prosecutors from five counties expressed frustration with the policy and in a letter on Thursday pressed church officials for the information. The letter also said the district attorneys and the state attorney general were banding together to investigate the allegations. "As you well know, we cannot begin any investigation without the name of the victim and written reports as to allegations of crime; you have provided neither," said the letter, signed by Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly and the five district attorneys. "Because of the sheer volume and age of these cases and the cross-jurisdictional issues involved, the five district attorneys have convened a task force, led by the attorney general," the letter said. After a meeting with Reilly and the district attorneys on Friday morning, the diocese agreed to release the information within two weeks, Reilly said. The diocese also said it would release all victims from their confidentiality agreements related to settlements with the church. "We need the names of the victims," Reilly told reporters after the meeting. "Then they (prosecutors) can make decisions as to whether or not any crimes have been committed and whether or not those crimes should be prosecuted." John Geoghan, whose case triggered the scandal, was sentenced last month to up to 10 years in prison for molesting a child and has been accused by more than 130 people of molestation during his more than 30 years in the Boston diocese. He faces some 84 civil suits and two more criminal complaints stemming from the allegations. In the aftermath of Geoghan's trial, court documents and reports by the Boston Globe revealed the diocese quietly settled as many as 70 claims of sexual abuse against priests. The documents also showed Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law knew of accusations against Geoghan but continued to assign him to parishes. Law, who has apologized several times for his role in the controversy, has faced loud calls for his resignation, but has vowed to stay on. |
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