Clergy Abuse Law Firm Demands Immediate Disclosure of the Names of Offenders Held Secret by New York Catholic Bishops
Law Firm Challenges New York Bishops to Demonstrate That They Are Not the Most Dangerous State for Children
(New York, NY) – The covert disclosure yesterday of the names of 8 priests who were removed by the Brooklyn Diocese for the sexual abuse of children underscores the clear and present danger in New York. Every diocese has held the names of child sex offenders in complete secrecy since 2002. These names have only recently begun to leak out under pressure. Until these names are released completely, children are at risk and victims are suffering alone.
The practices of New York bishops, shielded by laws that protect them, demands immediate action. We estimate that the Catholic Bishops in New York are hiding the names and information about hundreds or thousands of offenders.
“Kids are at peril, urgency is required, and disclosure is demanded,” said attorney Jeff Anderson. “For 33 years, our firm has seen this practice. The deceitful practices of nondisclosure must end. New York is the most dangerous state for children.”
In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, under legal pressure, the names of 33 offenders were released in 2014. Since then and under more legal pressure, that list has tripled in a diocese a fraction the size of New York.
“How many kids are at risk in New York right now and how many survivors are out there thinking they are alone, living in shame and secrecy because these bishops have held these names in secret for so long?” commented attorney Mike Reck of Jeff Anderson & Associates. “The deceit and secrecy has created a public safety nightmare,” said Reck.
We challenge the New York bishops to publicly disclose the names of all clergy accused of sexually abusing children in the Archdiocese of New York, the Diocese of Brooklyn, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Diocese of Albany, the Diocese of Buffalo, the Diocese of Ogdensburg, the Diocese of Rochester and the Diocese of Syracuse. Until then, the peril in New York is greater than any state across the country because the laws protect the secret and deceitful practices of New York dioceses and bishops.