NEWS RELEASE/STATEMENT June 30, 2023
Contact: Christian Kendzierski
Christian.kendzierski@archbalt.org
410-547-5378
Archdiocese of Baltimore Adds to its List of Accused Priests and Brothers
(Baltimore, MD) – The Archdiocese of Baltimore updated its online List of Priests and Brothers Accused of Child Sexual Abuse following a recommendation Archbishop William E. Lori made to the Independent Review Board.
The decision to add the names is also an acknowledgment of a recommendation by the Maryland Attorney General that the Archdiocese expand its voluntary list, which was first published in 2002.
The board – an interfaith group that meets several times a year and includes experts from law enforcement, health care, academia, social work and the legal community – endorsed the Archbishop’s recommendation as an important step to further the local church’s commitment to transparency and healing.
Paragraphs relating to 39 individuals who appear in the Attorney General’s report and were not already included on the Archdiocese’s list, which has different criteria than that used in the Attorney General’s Report, are being listed along with the Archdiocese’s List of Priests and Brothers Accused of Child Sexual Abuse. The Archdiocese is also adding paragraphs to its List relating to three additional clergy who meet its criteria for inclusion, as detailed below.
The Archdiocese of Baltimore became one of the first dioceses in the United States and the world to voluntarily publicly disclose the names of clergy who had been accused of abuse, dating back to the 1930s. Since 2002, the Archdiocese has added names to the list as new information became available. The list is published on the Archdiocese’s website: List of Priests and Brothers Accused of Child Sexual Abuse – Archdiocese of Baltimore (archbalt.org).
Anyone with knowledge of child sexual abuse is urged to immediately contact law enforcement. If clergy or other church personnel is suspected of committing the abuse, please also call the Archdiocesan Victim’s Assistance Line at 1-866-417-7469. The Archdiocesan Office of Child and Youth Protection can also be at 410-547-5348.
Here are the specific details on the updates:
- The 39 names that appear in the Attorney General’s report but were not previously included in the Archdiocese’s list, due to differing criteria, are being listed along with the Archdiocese’s List of Priest and Brothers and are being identified as appearing in the Attorney General’s report. None of the 39 has served in Catholic ministry in the Archdiocese for years. At least 33 of the 39 are deceased.
- In addition to the 39 names in the Attorney General’s report, the following three names are being added to the Archdiocese’s List of Priests and Brothers Accused of Child Sexual Abuse. They are:
- Phillip Linden, a Josephite priest whose ministry included service at Francis Xavier (East Baltimore) in the early 1970s. See press release HERE
- Michael Miller, a Conventual Franciscan Friar who worked at Archbishop Curley High School from 1994-1995 & 2003-2006. See other details HERE.
- Joseph O’Meara, a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore who is retired and whose faculties have previously been removed. Please see HERE for assignments.
- The overwhelming majority of the 39 individuals were not previously named on the Archdiocese’s website for one of three reasons:
- The alleged perpetrator is neither a priest nor a religious brother. (The Archdiocese’s list has not included lay people, religious sisters or deacons.)
- The alleged perpetrator never had an assignment in ministry in the Archdiocese.
- The alleged perpetrator was first accused of abuse after death and is the subject of a single, uncorroborated allegation.
- Eight of the 39 listed will also appear in the Archdiocesan List of Priests and Brothers Accused of Child Sexual Abuse as now meeting the full criteria for inclusion in the Archdiocese’s list.