New Orleans Catholic Church Says Only 25% of Its Employees Accused of Abuse Actually Did It
Documents obtained by the Guardian reveal that only a fraction of the 300+ staffers accused of abuse in the archdiocese were determined "credibly accused."
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Over 300 people employed by the Catholic Church in New Orleans have been alleged to have sexually abused children or “vulnerable” individuals over the last five decades, yet the archdiocese has deemed only 24.8% of them (77 people) to be “credibly accused,” the Guardian reported on Wednesday.
“Secret documents” obtained by the publication reportedly show 310 Catholic priests, deacons and non-clerical workers—both alive and deceased—in the city either appear on a “suspected molester list” or have been named in abuse claims revealed in bankruptcy court.
Back in 2020, the archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, claiming the pandemic had created financial difficulties. The filing rendered several sexual abuse claims against over 70 predatory priests unable to move forward in court and stopped settlement negotiations for survivors. At the time, attorneys for those suing the church alleged that the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to avoid litigation and keep church records shrouded in secrecy.
According to the Guardian, the documents—composed by unnamed authors—reveal that the archdiocese has treated only a quarter of the allegations against its own as credible. This, the publication notes, is “well below what research estimates is the norm for sexual abuse claims to be found false or unprovable.” It should be noted that research has shown that a very small percentage of sexual assault reports actually turn out to be “false.”