Syracuse diocese releases list of 57 sexually abusive priests

Syracuse, New York -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse today released a list of 57 priests with credible allegations of child sexual abuse against them.

The list includes 38 deceased priests. Nineteen priests are still alive. All of the living priests were previously removed from ministry, the diocese said.

No active priests have credible accusations of child sexual abuse against them, according to the diocese and Onondaga County district attorney.

Officials in September said 85 victims were known to the diocese. Claims against at least 17 of the priests named Monday were reported previously.

The diocese said the following priests have credible allegations of child sex abuse (an asterisk indicates the priest is deceased):

Robert Birchmeyer
Paul Brigandi*
John Broderick
Daniel Casey*
Felix Colosimo*
Donald Crosby*
Edmund Durr
Charles Eckermann*
Francis Furfaro*
Thomas Guyder*
John Harrold
James Hayes
Donald Hebert
Leo Heizman*
David Jutton*
Edward Kieley*
Thomas Keating*
Robert Kloster
C. Vincent Lane Jr.
Steven Litz Jr.*
William Lorenz
Edward Madore
George Mattice Jr.
Chester Misercola
Robert Ours
Joseph Pace
David Pichette
Albert Proud
James A. Quinn
James F. Quinn*
Walter Sinnott*
H. Charles Sewall*
Paul Slavetskas*
John Wagner
Jerome Weber
Thomas Zedar*
John Zeder*

The list above includes 32 priests who were removed as part of the 2002 Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People and five who were removed prior to the 2002 charter. The charter was an agreement among U.S. bishops on a set of rules for handling child abuse cases.

The diocese also released a list of 20 priests who were accused of sexual abuse after their deaths. In some cases, the claims could not be substantiated, the diocese said. The following priests were accused of child sex abuse after they had died:

Thomas Bayley
Robert Bogan
Roger Bowan
John Donovan
Luke Gallagher
Bernard Garstka
Donald Gorman
Ferdinand Hattala
Edgar Holihan
Edward Humphrey
William Lynch
John McCarthy
William Morris
John "Jack" Morse
Thomas Neary Jr.
Thomas Powell
Edward George Quaid
Francis Sammons
Martin Tracy
David Walker

Bishop Robert Cunningham Saturday announced the diocese would release a list of abusive priests for the first time.

Cunningham reversed his previous policy of only naming a priest if a victim went public with allegations.

The Syracuse bishop said he chose to release a list now in order to help the church move forward, and because he didn't believe it was fair to leave his successor to make the decision.

Syracuse's move follows the Diocese of Ogdensburg, which released a list in November. At the time, about 75 of the nearly 200 diocese in the U.S. had released a list.

The Syracuse diocese this year is expected to wrap up a compensation program that offers victims of clergy sexual abuse financial settlements.

The diocese this year also agreed to cooperate with a statewide probe by the New York State Attorney General into handling of the cases.

A law firm representing several victims sued Syracuse and seven other New York dioceses in October, asking for a release of the names of priests accused of sexual abuse.

The clergy sex abuse scandal, which initially came to light in the early 2000s, has continued to make headlines this year with a bombshell report compiled by a Pennsylvania grand jury that detailed hundreds of cases.

Bishop Cunningham said in a letter to the people of the diocese that he hoped the disclosure would help to rebuild trust in the church.

"While I am aware that the release of these names will cause pain for some victims, families of the accused, friends and parishioners, I know that we are at a critical juncture in the history of our Church," Cunningham wrote.

"It is my fervent hope and prayer that this effort will bring some peace and healing to those who have been harmed and to all members of our community of faith."