Marianist List Child Abusers
Title: Marianists release names of members they say abused children
Authors: Jim Salter and Margaret Stafford
Publisher: The Republic
Date: 24JUN2020
ST. LOUIS — The Marianists religious order on Wednesday released the names of 46 living and dead religious leaders who they claim sexually abused minors, the latest of several Catholic organizations to complete an investigation and publicly name the accused.
“For decades, despicable and evil acts of abuse committed by clergy and vowed religious of the Catholic Church dwelled in the shadows,” the leader of the St. Louis-based order, Oscar Vasquez, wrote in a letter posted on the Marianists’ website. “Hidden and ignored by church members and leaders, these abhorrent sins festered, stifling the light of our Church.”
Vasquez said investigators looked at files of 2,500 U.S. priests and brothers dating to 1950. Of the 46 names released, 32 are deceased.
All 14 of the living Marianists determined to have committed abuse are on a “safety plan” and were permanently removed from the ministry, Vasquez said.
A safety plan details restrictions each member who abused a minor must abide by to remain a member of the Province. The plans prohibit unsupervised contact with minors and any form of public ministry. Unless the person is later exonerated, the safety plan applies for the rest of his life as long as he remains a member of the order’s Province, according to the order’s website.
For more information visit:
http://www.therepublic.com/2020/06/24/us-priest-abuse-marianists/