The Diocese of Syracuse issued the following statement Oct. 30:
The Diocese of Syracuse was informed today that it is named and will be served with a lawsuit that in part claims conspiracy among the eight dioceses of New York to conceal names of priests who abused minors. Speaking for the Diocese of Syracuse, Bishop Robert J. Cunningham provided the names of priests accused of sexually abusing a minor to the local authorities as part of their Memorandum of Understanding. Bishop Cunningham has repeatedly addressed the question of releasing the names of clergy with credible complaints. Bishop Cunningham has received requests from some victims asking him to not publicly release the name of his/her abuser while other victims have asked for the disclosure of all of the names of those with a credible complaint of child sexual abuse of a minor. To respect the wishes of all victims, Bishop Cunningham has provided the names to the local authorities and has confirmed the names of those with a credible complaint of abuse of a minor if brought forth publicly by the victim. The Diocese of Syracuse is also under a subpoena from the NYS Attorney General’s Office seeking information and documentation on this issue dating back to 1950. The Diocese is fully cooperating with the subpoena.
The care and concern of victims, children and young adults is of the utmost concern of the Diocese of Syracuse. The Diocese of Syracuse remains vigilant in its commitment to keeping children safe. We invite you to learn more about the initiatives of the Diocese by visiting our Safe Environment webpage at https://syracusediocese.org/safe-environment/.
