Church to Provide Abuse Victims’ Names

Under pressure from prosecutors, the Archdiocese of Boston agreed Friday to turn over the names of people allegedly molested by priests and details of the incidents.

The agreement--reached amid a child molestation scandal that has rocked the nation’s Roman Catholic Church--moves prosecutors a step closer to bringing criminal charges, at least in cases where the statute of limitations has not run out.

In the last month, the archdiocese has given prosecutors the names of 80 priests suspected of abusing children over the last four decades. But the information did not include dates, places or victims’ names, prompting complaints from prosecutors who said they need the information to investigate.

On Friday the church relented, reportedly after Massachusetts Atty. Gen. Thomas Reilly threatened the archdiocese with a grand jury investigation.

Reilly announced the agreement after meeting with lawyers for the archdiocese and district attorneys from five Boston-area counties.

“What we have to deal with at this point and what my colleagues have to deal with are decades of unreported crimes against children,” he said.

Church lawyers left the meeting without speaking to reporters. In a statement, the archdiocese termed the meeting “productive” and said it will continue to provide information about abuse to authorities.

Up until Friday, church officials said they were unable to release the victims’ names because they were bound in many cases by confidentiality agreements under civil court settlements with the accusers. But prosecutors said such agreements are void if their effect is to hide a crime.

Officials have two weeks to turn over the information.