A Catholic Archdiocese of Washington publishes the names of 31 priests accused of abuse since 1948

The letter states that the list includes the names of all priests credibly accused over the past 70 years. It includes 28 priests from the archdiocese and three priests who are not based in the archdiocese but who have worked in his schools or parishes. All three were members of religious orders or independent communities.

He states that there are no archdiocesan priests in the active ministry who have been the subject of a credible allegation of abuse of a minor, and that there are no archdiocesan priests in the active ministry who have been the subject of a credible allegation of abuse of a minor, and that 39 "There has been no incident of abuse of a minor by a priest of the archdiocese for nearly two decades". do not say how the accusers recently spoke, how many victims of the priests there are, or whether the cases were brought before the civil authorities.

It was not easy to determine immediately if the list would be new for members of the accused priest communities. Some cases have been widely publicized while others have not. While 18 of the 31 have been arrested, 13 have never been and only 5 of them have been listed in a database of publicly available publicly disclosed priests

The letter comes amid the turmoil in a part of the American church that seems to have escaped the crisis of abuse. But in June, the former archbishop – Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a popular figure in the US church – was suspended on allegations that he abused children and adults. He then resigned. Four days ago, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, one of Pope Francis' main allies, retired after being criticized for months for mishandling allegations of abuse while in the diocese of Pittsburgh.

There are 196 Catholic Dioceses or Archdioceses – Organizing Regions – in the United States, according to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. According to Terry McKiernan, more than 50 of them have published in recent years lists of presumed priests, whose website BishopAccountability.org advocates the publication of such lists.

Even when the accused priests are long dead or removed from the ministry, it can still be psychologically powerful for the victims to see a full list of names published, McKiernan said Monday night.

"For a survivor, it is extremely valuable to know that its perpetrator has mistreated someone else – it is a sad fact, but a valid fact," he said.

The publication of such lists often prompts other victims, abused decades ago, to report abuse for the first time. In Pennsylvania, Attorney General Josh Shapiro said last week that the huge grand jury report, which lists more than 300 priests accused, had caused 1,272 phone calls to a state-run clergy abuse hotline since its release. published in August. Previously, the hotline had received 300 calls in two years, said Shapiro. Some of the new reports could eventually lead to criminal prosecution.

McKiernan said that although these priests can not be held responsible, every diocese should still publish a complete list.

"I think there is a huge burden in every parish, in every diocese around the world because of these untreated wounds. I think until this dark part of our story comes to light, there will only be something wrong with the church, "said McKiernan.

McKiernan responded to those who would like to record the decades-old abuse that has occurred in history and say, "Even when it's history, it means we have a responsibility: to study it, to learn from it, and to learn from it. do not repeat it. And that's something lists can do for us. "