I have prepared this Archbishop’s Leadership Briefing to keep archdiocesan leaders informed of important developments in the Church, especially in light of the Church’s response to sexual abuse.
1) Brian Reynolds and I are in contact with the Attorney General to begin ongoing talks. As most of you know, Attorney General Beshear is introducing legislation to empower the creation of a multi-jurisdictional grand jury to deal with a variety of issues facing our state, including the sexual abuse of minors. In our contact, we pledged our cooperation, discussed with him what we have been doing for the last 15 years, and shared perspectives on how to advance safety for children in all areas of life in our Commonwealth.
2) I also am pleased to announce that we are nearing the end of the third party review of our records of incidences of the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The reviewer has studied more than 400 files and is preparing a final report. When the report is complete in the first half of January, he will meet with our Sexual Abuse Review Board to review his findings. After that meeting, we will prepare a list of credibly accused clergy and make the reviewer’s report public, with an expected publication date of late January.
I hope that all of you have a blessed and holy Christmas and New Year!
