Archbishop identifies 74 clergy accused of child abuse

Archbishop John C. Wester on Tuesday published the names of 74 clergy who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing children, together with an apology to survivors “for the pain and suffering you have endured.”

The disclosure marks the first time the Archdiocese of Santa Fe has provided a list of accused priests, deacons and religious brothers since the clergy sexual abuse crisis burst into public view in the early 1990s.

Wester called the move “a critical step” in the archdiocese’s attempt to improve transparency and promote healing.

“It is my deepest hope that our publication of this list will serve as an important step in healing for survivors, their families, and our Church and communities,” Wester wrote in a statement introducing the list.

Brian Gutierrez, an Albuquerque man who sued the archdiocese in 2014 alleging he was sexually abused by a former priest, said he was surprised by the disclosure.

“I’m glad it happened,” Gutierrez said Tuesday. “It’s something we’ve been asking for many years.”

He said the list is important because disclosures from the archdiocese validate victims’ claims of abuse.

“I think for the Catholic community, it’s important that it is coming from the archdiocese itself,” he said. “I think it will be more widely accepted, to a certain extent, by the Catholic community at large.”

Of the 74 clergy listed, 38 were reported as deceased. Most of those listed were diocesan priests, but 19 belonged to religious orders.

The list will be updated “soon” to include the names of the parishes where each worked, the statement says.

Wester’s two-page statement, which was posted on the archdiocese’s website on Tuesday, contains robust language intended to reach out to victims of clerical abuse.

“The history of this terrible abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to love and protect you is a deep source of sadness and shame for our Church,” he said. “We as a Church must forever strive to support and assist you on your road to recovery.”

He also referred to “additional programs and services to aid in healing and recovery” that he planned to announce soon.

The Rev. John Daniel, vicar general of the archdiocese, said Wester has considered ways to reach out to clerical abuse victims since he became the archbishop in June 2015.

The letter is intended both as an apology, and to promote healing, Daniel said.

“I also think it’s a way for the public to know that we are transparent, and we are making efforts, and have been making efforts for 25 years, for the safety of children here in the archdiocese,” he said.

Many of the names included in the list — such as James Porter, Sabine Griego, Jason Sigler and Arthur Perrault — are familiar from dozens of civil lawsuits and criminal cases dating to the early 1990s.

Other names are unfamiliar, said Brad Hall, an Albuquerque lawyer who has filed 71 lawsuits alleging clerical sexual abuse in New Mexico.

“We’ve been trying to get something like this, as a step in the right direction, for years,” Hall said.

“It’s vindicating for survivors,” he said. “We appreciate this archbishop doing that, as opposed to the policies of the prior archbishops.”

List of priests, deacons and others accused of sexual abuse of children