Newsbreak in Worcester, Massachusetts: Report Released on Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors in Diocese

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester released a report on February 3, 2023, detailing instances of clergy sexual abuse of minors that occurred between 1950 and 2022. However, the identities of the priests who were discovered to have committed the abuse are not included in the study.

Bishop Robert McManus of the Worcester Diocese has stated that the release of the priests’ names could result in harm to innocent individuals and division within the church. The diocese claims that it reports all abuse allegations to law enforcement and provides information on removed priests.

The report found 209 allegations of priest sexual abuse over a 72-year period, with 173 of these allegations deemed credible, 28 unsubstantiated, and 8 false or withdrawn, according to a report by Fox News on February 6, 2023.

Boston attorney Garabedian has called the report self-serving and criticized the decision not to release the names of the accused priests. President of BishopAccountability.org, Terence McKiernan, expressed surprise at the lack of transparency and stated that the release of lists of accused priests helps survivors feel that the church is taking action, as reported by Fox News.

The report was produced with the help of a diocesan review committee and found that 96% of the alleged abuse took place prior to 1990. Since 1990, there have been two reported cases of abuse and one case of child pornography involving a priest. The majority of the abuse cases involved boys, with 25% involving girls.