300 New Orleans Priests Accused of Sexual Abuse, Revealing Alarming Archdiocese Response

Secret Documents Expose Decades of Abuse Allegations in New Orleans's Catholic Institutions**

Secret documents obtained by The Guardian reveal that over 300 individuals employed by Roman Catholic institutions in New Orleans have been accused of sexually abusing children or vulnerable individuals they encountered through their work over the past decades. These allegations have been hidden from the public as the archdiocese navigates bankruptcy proceedings.

The archdiocese, with a history spanning 230 years, has faced repercussions from its association with the global Catholic church's clerical molestation scandal. However, it has consistently withheld the exact number of priests, deacons, nuns, religious brothers, and lay staffers under its supervision who have faced abuse claims.

A memorandum prepared by attorneys for clerical abuse victims sheds light on the scale of the issue. This document suggests that around 310 individuals have been accused of abuse over the past five decades, offering insights into potential prosecutable crimes. Notably, the archdiocese itself considers only about a quarter of the allegations to be credibly accused, a figure significantly lower than research estimates for false or unprovable sexual abuse claims.

The memo also reveals that the archdiocese has referred fewer than two dozen accused clerics to law enforcement, often waiting for almost two decades before doing so. These revelations are tied to secret internal records handed over during the archdiocese's bankruptcy protection request in 2020. Despite confidentiality rules surrounding the bankruptcy, The Guardian managed to obtain a copy of the memo.

While the archdiocese has maintained a list of 77 priests and deacons credibly accused, documents suggest at least 56 others who worked within the archdiocese boundaries are missing from this list but have been named in similar lists from other dioceses or institutions across the nation. Furthermore, the memo highlights discrepancies in the numbers, indicating that only a fraction of accused clerics have been referred to law enforcement, even though such referrals have resulted in convictions in recent cases.

The memo's authors express concern over the lengthy delay – an average of 17 years – between the archdiocese learning of abuse complaints and referring the information to law enforcement. The document points out cases where clerics were reported to authorities but omitted from the archdiocese's credibly accused list.

As the archdiocese's bankruptcy proceedings continue, abuse survivors and advocates are growing frustrated by the organization's financial dealings. While Archbishop Gregory Aymond pledges to strengthen programs for child and vulnerable adult protection and enhance protocols for responding to allegations, concerns arise over the substantial legal fees paid by the archdiocese during the bankruptcy process.

The plight of abuse survivors continues to be a complex issue for the archdiocese, with financial implications and ongoing efforts to provide healing and compensation to those affected by the abuse.