Nov. 14, 2018

Bishop Terry R. LaValley announced that the Diocese of Ogdensburg published the list of priests the Diocesan Review Board and/or the Diocesan Bishop found reasonable grounds to remove from ministry under the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. Bishop LaValley said the decision to publish the list of names was made in response to the controversies that have challenged the church in the past three months.

"There are strong arguments for releasing the names and strong arguments for not releasing the names," said Bishop LaValley. "Ultimately, the challenges facing the church at the present time make it necessary to release the names for the sake of transparency and safety.”

The names will be posted on the diocesan website on the Safe Environment page. The list includes allegations dating back to the 1940s, and all priests named are either deceased or out of ministry.

"The Catholic faithful have asked more and more in recent days for the release of the names," said Bishop LaValley. "We view this as an important step to restore confidence of the faithful in their Church.”