The archdiocese in the US state of Maryland released the names of the clergy men on their website, saying they faced “credible” accusations of sexual abuse.
The move was made as part of the fallout from the Boston Globe daily investigations portrayed in the Oscar-winning film Spotlight.
Victims and advocates hope the list will allow others who suffered abuse to come forward.
“The primary motivation in publicly disclosing an allegation is to encourage anyone else who may have been a victim of that individual to come forward,” archdiocese spokesman Sean Caine said. “We’ve heard from victim-survivors that one main obstacle is the sense that they’re alone. They’re the only one. They won’t be believed.”
The names of many of these accused men were released back in September 2002, yet this is the first comprehensive list made available online.
The list was published in January by Archbishop William Lori, but was not publicized until the Baltimore Sun broke the story this week.
Barbara Dorris, the victims outreach director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said the list is “incomplete.”
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