The Catholic Diocese of Lansing has released the names of priests accused of sexually abusing minors.
Bishop Earl Boyea commented on the list during a press conference on September 27.
“One priest is too many. One victim is too many,” he said.
On Friday, Sept. 27, Bishop Earl Boyea published the names of priests who are credibly accused of abusing a minor since the foundation of the Diocese in 1937.
“I think it’s courageous of Bishop Boyea and the Diocese of Lansing to publish these names — but I also think it’s the right thing to do,” said Kathy Damman, a survivor of sexual abuse who now helps organize healing programs for fellow victims at the Diocese of Lansing Retreat Center in DeWitt.
“We’re not going to move past everything until our house is cleaned, until we are no longer hiding anything under a bushel basket, that we bring everything to the light.
Since 1937, there have been an estimated 1,654 priests who served within the Diocese of Lansing, consisting of 471 diocesan priests, 518 religious priests, and 665 who were ordained for another diocese but who have resided, even temporarily, in the Diocese of Lansing, according to Boyea.
According to the report, 2.8 percent of those 1,654 priests that have been through the Diocese since 1937 have been subject to a credible allegation of sexual abuse.
The release comes in the middle of an external audit paid for by the Diocese and an investigation by the Attorney General’s office.
Read more at NBC News