Explanations, not just lists, needed in Catholic abuse scandal

The Roman Catholic dioceses’ release last week of roughly 300 names of clergy members across Texas who were credibly accused of abusing children was overdue, unprecedented — and still, sadly, not enough.

Those who endured unspeakable abuse, often decades ago, at the hands of trusted religious leaders deserve more than names. They deserve an explanation.

Seeking to promote healing and rebuild trust amid sexual abuse scandals that have roiled the church for years, Texas dioceses took the exceptional step of opening their files to outside reviewers, then publicly sharing the names of credibly accused clergy.

The Archdiocese of San Antonio made an exemplary effort with its 25-page report, giving a short narrative account of when and where each victim was abused, specifying the number of allegations against each clergy member, and disclosing when supervisors reported incidents to police — or when they failed to take action or alert other parishes.

Such transparency is badly needed. We are dismayed it is lacking in the minimal lists posted by most other Texas dioceses, including the Diocese of Austin, which simply provided the names of credibly accused clergy, their dates of service and a list of their parish assignments — with a disclaimer noting the abuse may not have happened at any of those locations.

Austin Bishop Joe Vásquez told Statesman reporter Asher Price that “out of respect for the victims,” he wouldn’t say how many accusers the diocese knows about or how many cases it had reported to law enforcement. After we pressed the matter, diocese spokesman Christian González told us the review team found the church properly notified law enforcement when credible allegations surfaced against living priests.

The list of 22 names from the Diocese of Austin involve some cases that are decades old. Two accused priests died in the 1970s. Another died in 1995, two years after yet another priest was removed from the ministry. Some of the names had previously been reported in connection with lawsuits or arrests. A dozen men on the list, most of them dead, were never relieved of their priestly duties, raising questions about how much church leadership knew when those priests were alive.

We cannot ignore the fact that in some cases across the country, the church shuffled abusive priests to other parishes, playing a shameful role in enabling the abuse to continue. Without greater candor from the Diocese of Austin, though, we don't know to what extent, if any, that happened here.

The church — not only the institution, but the faithful who are anguished by the abuse and coverup by some clergy members — can’t support the healing that survivors deserve without a full accounting of what happened.

We recognize divulging those details is painful and difficult. But out of respect for the victims, and the community at large, it is necessary.