US: Jesuits Accuse 50 Priests of Sexually Abusing Minors

Northeast Province of the Society of Jesus is accusing 50 Jesuit priests of sexually abusing minors from 1950 to 1996, a credible report released by the U.S. religious group said Tuesday.

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“At the heart of this crisis is the painful, sinful and illegal harm done to children by those whom they should have been able to trust. We did not know any best practices to handle these violations many decades ago and regrettably made mistakes along the way,” said Rev. John J. Cecero, the order’s superior.

Zach Hiner, executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said, “Releasing these names publicly is crucial not only for the healing of survivors, but also to encourage victims who may be suffering in silence to come forward and to deter future clergy sex crimes and cover-ups.”

However, some have questioned the effectiveness of the report as none of the priests are actively participating in the ministry. All but 15 are dead, two others have been imprisoned, one for child pornography and another for abuse, while eight have left the order, and one was laicized.

Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney who represents clergy abuse victims, "Given that the Jesuits have actively practiced the cover-up of clergy sexual abuse for decades upon decades, victims question whether the criteria used by the Jesuits in determining if a pedophile priest has been credibly accused is fair or is just a means to name as few pedophile priests as possible.”

In an open letter, Cecero begged the public’s forgiveness, vowing to work towards creating a safer environment for children and to offer support for survivors. In 2002, the order implemented numerous measures which will transfer any religious person carrying credible abuse allegations to a community without minors where he is closely monitored, Cecero said.

Hiner said, “This is a long-overdue move prompted only by pressure from prosecutors, parishioners and the public.”

The report is the latest establishment in the large scale sexual abuse scandal within the Catholic Church and spans the U.S. northeastern region, namely New England, New York, and New Jersey.

In December, over 150 Jesuit priests and clergymen were named on a list of “credible allegations” released by two Catholic Jesuit provinces.

In August, a Pennsylvania grand jury also released a report that named more than 300 priests credibly accused of sexually abusing more than 1,000 child victims over several decades in that state; snowballing debates and investigations.