Catholics in the Diocese of Owensboro now know the names of priests facing what the diocese calls substantiated allegations of child sexual abuse.
The list was months in the making, but the diocese published 15 names Friday afternoon. Most of the priests on the list have died and the rest are no longer in public ministry.
The following names appear on the list:
- Gerald Baker
- Paul Greenwell
- Walter Hancock
- Gilbert Henninger
- John Meredith
- Louis Piskula
- John Speaks
- Carroll Wheatley
- Henry Wieder
- Joseph Alexander
- Joseph Pilger
- Louis Telegdy
- Raymond Waldruff
- Paul Hass
- William Odom-Green
Bishop of Owensboro William Medley apologized to all Catholics in his diocese in a pastoral letter. "The sexual abuse of a child is abhorrent and the fact that this kind of evil has been perpetrated by priests rocks our Church to its core," he said.
The diocese published clerical abuse statistics in October, but the names of priests weren’t included. Bishop Medley said at a press conference the following month that he would consider releasing the names.
The bishop says the list was compiled by three former chairs of the Diocesan Review Board, who had full access to church records dating back to the 1930s.
The diocese is still investigating a report of sexual abuse against one of its priests, Joseph Bradley, that it received earlier this month. His name does not appear on the list.
