Pittsburgh bishop pledges to release names of clergy accused of sexual abuse

Zubik letter to be read at all Masses this weekend

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh on Saturday pledged to reveal the names of all Pittsburgh clergy who have been accused of sexually abusing minors once a statewide grand jury report is released this month.

In a letter to be read at all Masses this weekend, Bishop David A. Zubik said he believed releasing the list publiclyis“necessary,”andsaidhe hoped it will help “strengthen thetrust”parishionershavein thechurch.

“Inthe past I truly believed that turning these names over to local law enforcement was appropriate and sufficient action,” Bishop Zubik said in the letter. “However, the conclusion of the grand jury investigation requires a higher level of transparency onour part.”

The more than 800-page grand jury report is expected to reveal widespread sexual abuse and a systemic coverup by church leaders in six ofthe state’s eight Catholic dioceses. The state Supreme Court last week ordered that a redacted version of the report be made public; it is expected to be released between Aug.8 and Aug. 14.

Rev. Nicholas S. Vaskov, the diocesan spokesman, said Saturday he was not sure if the Pittsburgh list would include clergy accused of abuse whose names are redacted in thegrand jury report.

But the decision to release the names echoes one made by the Diocese of Harrisburg, whichonWednesdayreleased itsown list of clergy accused of sexual abuse of minors. The list included 71 names and dated back to the 1940s; it roughly tripled the number of previously reported allegations against Harrisburg clergy. Officials said the list shouldn’tbe viewed as a determination of guilt or innocence, but simply as a compilationof allegations.

Bishop Zubik said in the letter that the grand jury investigation spanned 70 years and that “90 percent” of the reported incidents of abuse at the Pittsburgh diocese occured before 1990.

“We respond to allegations today very differently than decades ago,” the letter reads. “When a credible allegation is made against a member of the clergy, we take immediate action by removing the priest or deacon from ministry, and by sharing that news with you, the faithful.”

The church also alerts local law enforcement, the letter reads.

Bishop Zubik also acknowledges in the letter that the grand jury report may test parishioners’ faith, and he exhorts churchgoers to “stayclose to God in prayer.”

“Every act of child sexual abuse is horrific, no matter how long ago it occurred,” he said.