ROCKFORD—The Diocese of Rockford on Nov. 14, released a list of those priests, deacons, and religious against whom a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse of a minor has been reported.

 

The list includes the names of six diocesan priests, one permanent deacon and eight religious order priests who served for a time in the Diocese of Rockford.

 

The Diocese of Rockford joins many others around the country who are posting such lists in an effort to be transparent about clergy sexual abuse of minors and to assure the public that such clerics are not allowed to engage in ministry 

 

Bishop David Malloy wrote in his letter announcing the list to diocesan priests that “Especially in the wake of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report, the faithful have been left to wonder about the transparency of the Church and of Dioceses. This report is being made to reassure the faithful and the public at large.” 

 

Bishop Malloy also told his priests that the list is “being released so that they can have confidence in your ministry and that of all of the priests ministering in the Diocese of Rockford.”

 

This reporting is the second of its kind here in the Rockford Diocese. In 2004, two years after the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, adopted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Bishop Thomas G. Doran issued a report revealing there were three priests with credible allegations against them and that those priests had been removed from ministry. However, the priests were not listed by name. 

 

The 2004 report covered the time frame from 1950 to 2004. The list published here and posted on the diocesan website, is the first time that anyone with credible allegations has been identified by name. The current list also covers a longer time frame. The list released Nov. 14 includes allegations dating back to the establishment of the Rockford Diocese in 1908 to the present.

 

According to Bishop Malloy, many of the names on this list are already known, because public statements or reporting on them has occurred in the past but there are also previously undisclosed names. The diocese will update this list as necessary on its website.