The Salem News, August 26, 2011
The long-awaited list the Archdiocese of Boston published yesterday of priests accused of sexually abusing children, the most complete and detailed compilation since the sex abuse scandal exploded nearly a decade ago, contains the names of 40 clergy who served on the North Shore.
There are accused Catholic priests from Salem, Peabody, Beverly, Danvers, Ipswich, Marblehead and other area communities. In many cases, the alleged crimes took place decades ago and at other parishes.
Of the many North Shore names, one of the most recognized will be the late Rev. Joseph Birmingham, an accused serial pedophile who was charged with crimes across Greater Boston, including abusing many young boys in the 1960s at St. James Parish in Salem.
In all, the archdiocese released the names of 157 priests and two deacons, including some who served as long ago as the 1920s.
As lengthy as that list is, it does not include religious order priests, priests accused of sexually abusing an adult, or 91 archdiocesan priests, many of whom are deceased and were never publicly charged.
Two local priest abuse survivors accused the archdiocese of failing to list the most serious offenders: Catholic hierarchy who shuffled the pedophiles from parish to parish.
To date, 250 clerics of the Boston Archdiocese have been accused of sexually abusing a minor, according to the archdiocese. However, many are not on the list for a variety of reasons, largely because they died and were never publicly charged, or because investigations were either not conducted or never completed.
Full story:
http://www.salemnews.com/local/x975851535/40-North-Shore-priests-on-abuse-list
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