Diocese of Columbus Ordered to Release Records

December 11, 2019

An Ohio judge is forcing the Catholic Diocese of Columbus to turn over records about clerics who may have seen, suspected or hidden cases of sexual abuse. We applaud this ruling which we believe will lead to safer communities and more transparency about cases of sexual violence.

We are grateful to Judge Jaiza Page for ordering the release of records related to 15 clerics who may have known about sex abuse within the Diocese of Columbus. We believe that Catholic officials in Columbus should have been willing to release this information without a court order. Instead, the diocese remained committed to secrecy and silence about cases of abuse. Examples like this show that it is only through the secular justice system – and not through Church leaders themselves – that we can expect transparency.

We hope this news will encourage others who may have knowledge about abuse within the Diocese of Columbus to come forward and make a report to police and prosecutors.

CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009)

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

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Showing 1 comment

True Catholic commented 2019-12-11 18:20:11 -0600
It is courageous people like Judge Jaiza Page who will help to hold the Catholic Church accountable for the atrocities they have covered up in the past and continue to cover up today. Their efforts to protect themselves from criminal prosecution continue to allow more children and vulnerable adults to be victimized. An investigation of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati regarding the cover up of the actions and laicization of the former pastor of Holy Cross Immaculata Church needs to be initiated by a competent law enforcement agency. In Ohio, the Attorney General’s office claim they have no jurisdiction over these cases. The cover up goes to the highest levels of the Catholic Church hierarchy and it will only stop when Pope Francis and his bishops are held criminally responsible for their actions. Many priests and deacons know of the extent of the criminality of these actions, but because of the corruption, they have no where to go within the Church without being threatened with the loss of their jobs. The evil will only stop when good people, such as Judge Page, hold accountable the guilty, no matter their position in the Catholic church.

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