Charlotte diocese releases list of 14 clergy credibly accused of child sex abuse
CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Catholic Diocese of Charlotte released a list Monday of 14 clergy members who have been credibly accused of child sexual abuse in western North Carolina since the diocese formed in 1972.
The diocese, which serves more than 400,000 Catholics in 46 counties, said no clergy now working for it has been credibly accused of molesting minors. Only one credible case of abuse within the diocese has been alleged in the past 20 years, it said.
"Credibly accused," as the diocese uses the term, means allegations that clergy members admitted to, were charged for by law enforcement, were found believable by the diocese's Lay Review Board or were uncovered in a recently completed review of personnel files.
Most of the incidents reported Monday allegedly occurred decades ago, and the diocese said all 14 accused clergy members were subsequently removed from ministry or had died before the allegations arose.
Officials separately listed 23 clergy members who served the Charlotte diocese without incident but were accused of misconduct elsewhere, and six who served western North Carolina before the Charlotte diocese's 1972 inception.
_ The Charlotte Observer
