108 Clergy Credibly Accused Of Sex Abusing Children: BK Diocese

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – The Diocese of Brooklyn released names Friday of 108 clergy members who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children in the past 166 years.

“We know this list will generate many emotions for victims who have suffered terribly," stated Bishop of Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio. "For their suffering, I am truly sorry."

The list includes names of Brooklyn clergy who have been convicted, admitted to sexual misconduct and whose accusers were found credible by an Independent Diocesan Review Board, according to the Diocese of Brooklyn statement.

The list includes information on the accused men's status within the Catholic Church but does not specify whether or not they faced criminal charges.

Twenty-two clergy were removed from the ministry, 21 were permanently removed from ministry, 22 laicized (defrocked), and three "restricted," according to the list.

Monsignor Otto Garcia, accused in a Daily News report Thursday of covering for pedophile priests and sexually abusing a teenager 40 years ago, did not appear on the list. The Diocese of Brooklyn stated a review board determined the allegations against Garcia were unsubstantiated.

The Diocese's data analysis shows clergy sexual abuse peaked in the 1960s and 1970s but reports skyrocketed after 2002, after the Boston Globe's Spotlight team reported on a child molestation cover-up, and again in 2017.

That year, the group Lawyers Helping Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse named 65 clergy accused or convicted of sexual abuse who served in more than 130 churches across Brooklyn and Queens.

The Diocese of Brooklyn credited two Catholic Church initiatives, Charter for the Protection of Children in 2002 and the Young People Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program in 2017, for the uptick in reports.

About 63 percent of accused priests have died and the majority were ordained between 1930 and 1979, according to the report.

The Diocese of Brooklyn stated there have been two credible cases involving active diocesan clergy since 2002.

Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Diocese building at 310 Prospect Park West courtesy of GoogleMaps/Oct. 2016